Kim McMahill

“Camp out among the grass and gentians of glacier meadows, in craggy garden nooks full of Nature’s darlings. Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves.”  - John Muir - 

The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever. Jacques Yves Cousteau, Oceanographer The Dolphin and Me by Gail Pallotta I stood beside the pool in Sea World in Orlando, Florida, and yearned for a picture of a dolphin. Bystanders swished bottles in the water trying to get the attention of the graceful mammals. I didn’t, because I feared a container might hurt one of them. Hoping one would rise up, I focused my camera. The man beside me, who wiggled a bottle in the water, left. Lo and behold, a dolphin raised its head right in front of me. Surprised, I fumbled with the camera. The huge creature posed with the big smile typical of dolphins and didn’t budge until I snapped its picture. Then it joined the other porpoises. As soon as we returned home, I read Whales, Dolphins & Porpoises, by Ronald M Lockley. He wrote about Frank Robson, who took care of porpoises in Mareineland at Napier in Hawke’s Bay off New Zealand’s North Island. Once as

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”  - Mark Twain-

The time has come to concede defeat and admit that summer has passed. Everything from my yard that is in a pot has been moved into the greenhouse. I don’t plan on heating it, but suspect I can eke out another month or two of fresh herbs and cherry tomatoes by moving them in. There are few things I enjoy more than gardening, so I’m thankful my husband installed a greenhouse to enable me to experience the joy just a little bit longer.

“Bears are made of the same dust as we, and they breathe the same winds and drink of the same waters. A bear’s days are warmed by the same sun, his dwellings are overdomed by the same blue sky, and his life turns and ebbs with heart pulsing like ours. He was poured from the same first fountain. And whether he at last goes to our stingy Heaven or not, he has terrestrial immortality. His life, not long, not short, knows no beginning, no ending. To him life unstinted, unplanned, is above the accidents of time, and his years, markless and boundless, equal eternity.”   - John Muir - , 1838, Yosemite, California -

Here are a few dates in October to keep in mind, especially smiling, sweet, make-a-difference kind of days. October 1 – International Day for the Elderly October 5 – World Smile Day October 8 – Columbus Day and Thanksgiving Day in Canada October 20 – Sweetest Day October 24 – United Nations Day October 27 – Make a Difference Day October 31 - Halloween