WISE
  • Home
  • About WISE
    • Mission and Goals
    • President's Message
    • Staff
    • Board of Directors
    • Partners
    • Location
    • Policies
    • Donors and Grantors
    • Annual Reports and Newsletters
    • Nic'anilen Na'
  • What We Do
    • Education Programs >
      • Aquatic Ecology Camp
      • Alaska Forum on the Environment
      • Changing Seasons
      • Copper River Stewardship Program
      • Outdoor and Wilderness Leadership Skills
      • Earth Discovery Day
      • In-Class Science
      • Science Lecture Series
      • Summer Hikes
      • Wild Plants Workshop
    • Research & Citizen Science >
      • Salmon Blitz
      • Willow Creek Research Consortium
      • Christmas Bird Count
    • Other Programs >
      • Copper Country Discovery Tour
      • Family Ice Fishing Day
      • Project Healing Waters
      • We are ALL Teachers
      • Winter Fun Day
  • Get Involved
    • Employment
    • Volunteer
  • Support WISE
    • Donate
    • WISE Store
    • Take Our Nature Tour
  • Contact Us
  • WISE Blog

WISEfriends Blog

Inspiration

4/19/2014

0 Comments

 
By Janelle Eklund
​The grey static clouds that hung over the valley for the last few days evaporated in the cold night air of freezing temperatures. I’ve already hung up snowshoes and skis for the next season. My early morning exercise is now delegated to walking the Old Edgerton. The low rising sun filtered through the trees laying bar code shadows across the gravel road. The more I walked the more I got inspired by the wakening of a beautiful day. So with this inspiration tucked in my brain ideas formed for this writing. My brain seems to be taking a break from plant focus. But I'm sure it will return as the lingering sun casts its magic warmth day after day, gently nudging plants to yawn and stretch into a bright world.
 
As I walk along sentences form, but without pen and paper, recording those exact thoughts seem to waver away from my brain that is already packed so full from many years of cramming other information in. And the brain is not like a computer where you can delete forever those trivial pieces of information. I used to have one of those little mini pocket recorders for moments of inspiration but it died a long time ago and I haven't replaced it. Anyway, some of the words in those sentences do linger and once I'm at the computer they may just come out in a different configuration.
 
Early Saturday mornings are quiet and in the forty minutes of vigorous walking the sound of a car is non-existent. On weekday mornings I am greeted by the sounds of the Old Edgerton rush hour traffic, which amounts to about two or three cars. Many times these are pleasant inspiring moments as the occupants, who just happen to be friends and neighbors, take the time to stop and say a few inspiring words and leave their happy smiles.
 
So on this Saturday morning, without its rush hour traffic, I drank in the subtle sounds and flights of birds, gaining inspiration from them as they greeted the day. I always like the mysterious trill of the thrush inspiring me to stop and listen to its message. This morning a woodpecker was busy pounding a hole in a tree getting a nest ready for its brood. This in turn inspired me to dig in the greenhouse bins readying them for baby plants.
 
My eyes caught the flutter of something standing on the south snow bank drinking in the morning sun. At the distance I was from it I thought it was maybe an owl. Its wings settled down and as I got closer it was obvious that it was a ruffed grouse. They are pretty much like spruce grouse in that they just hold their stance as you walk by. As I was close to the house at that point, this inspired me to get my camera to see about capturing him on film. I had to walk a bit to the house, change the lens on my camera, put it on the tripod, and walk back out to the road hoping he'd still be there. Sure enough he was but as I crept closer trying to adjust the settings on the camera he turned and walked over the snow bank and into the woods. Oh well, at least I got a good photo in my mind's eye and he gave me inspiration for the start of a good day.
 
Now I wait with anticipation to hear the wind in the wings of the first snipe returning for the season. Once I hear that and the flapping and honking of swans I know summer is here.
 
From my light to yours-

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    Who We Are

    WISEfriends are several writers connected with Wrangell Institute for Science and Environment, a nonprofit organization located in Alaska's Copper River Valley.  Most of these articles originally appeared in our local newspaper, the Copper River Record.

    Archives

    August 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    June 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    June 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    June 2016
    April 2016
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2009
    September 2007
    August 2007
    May 2007
    May 2006
    May 2005
    March 2005
    June 2003
    September 2000
    July 2000
    July 1998
    June 1998

    Categories

    All
    Alaska Forum On The Environment
    Aquatic Ecology Camp
    Art
    Audubon's Christmas Bird Count
    Bear
    Birds
    Blueberries
    Camping
    Cats
    Changing Seasons
    Chosen Frozen
    Christmas Bird Count
    Clean-up Day
    Copper River Basin Symposium
    Copper River Stewardship Program
    Denali
    Donation
    Earth Discovery Day
    Fish
    Geology Camp
    Giving Tuesday
    Glacier
    HAARP
    Hikes
    Home
    Ice Fishing
    In Class Science
    In-Class Science
    Insects
    Interns
    Kotsina River Cleanup
    Lamprey Lecture
    Lecture Series
    Local Food
    Meadow Jumping Mouse
    Moose
    Natures Beauty
    Neighborhood Nuisance
    Nic'anilen'Na
    Oil Spill
    Owl
    OWLS
    Partnerships
    Plants
    Pop-Up Natural Playground
    Project Healing Waters
    Quinzee
    Redback Voles
    Re-Usable Shopping Bag
    Salmon Blitz
    Skiing
    Snow
    Snowshoe Hares
    Subsistence
    Tolsona Mud Volcanoes
    Tonsina River Trail
    Volcano
    Weather
    Wildfires
    Wild Plants Of The Copper Basin
    Wings Over The Wrangells
    Winter Fun Day
    WISE News
    WISE Thoughts
    Women Of Distinction
    Wrangell St. Elias National Park

    RSS Feed

Picture
About WISE
What We Do
Get Involved
Support WISE 

Contact Us
Policies​
Wrangell Institute for Science & Environment 
www.wise-edu.org
[email protected]
(907) 822-3575
​WISE is a
501(c)3
nonprofit
​organization
 
​

Contact Us

Donate
  • Home
  • About WISE
    • Mission and Goals
    • President's Message
    • Staff
    • Board of Directors
    • Partners
    • Location
    • Policies
    • Donors and Grantors
    • Annual Reports and Newsletters
    • Nic'anilen Na'
  • What We Do
    • Education Programs >
      • Aquatic Ecology Camp
      • Alaska Forum on the Environment
      • Changing Seasons
      • Copper River Stewardship Program
      • Outdoor and Wilderness Leadership Skills
      • Earth Discovery Day
      • In-Class Science
      • Science Lecture Series
      • Summer Hikes
      • Wild Plants Workshop
    • Research & Citizen Science >
      • Salmon Blitz
      • Willow Creek Research Consortium
      • Christmas Bird Count
    • Other Programs >
      • Copper Country Discovery Tour
      • Family Ice Fishing Day
      • Project Healing Waters
      • We are ALL Teachers
      • Winter Fun Day
  • Get Involved
    • Employment
    • Volunteer
  • Support WISE
    • Donate
    • WISE Store
    • Take Our Nature Tour
  • Contact Us
  • WISE Blog