When Katharine Lee Bates (1859-1929) was invited to teach Chaucer and early English drama during Summer School at Colorado College in Colorado Springs in 1893, she could not have imagined that her brief but profound experience on top of Pikes Peak, our local landmark mountain, would inspire her to compose a poem which, in time, … Continue reading Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose: Katharine Lee Bates
On the occasion of Earth Day 2025, I would like to talk about a book that revolves around Earth and puts Earth at the center, espousing a geocentric world view of sorts. If you are familiar with my blog, you might remember how deeply I have been touched by Robin Wall Kimmerer’s writing. I have … Continue reading Earth Day 2025
Between Colorado Springs in El Paso County and the Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument in neighboring Teller County to the west, one doesn’t simply travel some 30 miles in distance but also some 36 million years in time, back to the late Eocene (56 to 33.9 million years ago), when the Florissant Valley was covered … Continue reading Florissant Fossil Beds–Part 1
If you know me or my blog at all, you will easily see why this cover appeals to me. The photo of a prairie sky in tumultuous flux, coupled with a title containing the word “owl,” guarantee that I will pick up this book from the shelf. I don’t typically buy books because of their … Continue reading An Owl on Every Post
The idea of a blog post about warblers was already fermenting in the gyri of my brain when I read Linda Leinen’s excellent post about the sculpture of an Eskimo Curlew she had seen on Galveston Island in Texas. Now a curlew is not a warbler and apart from both belonging to the class Aves, … Continue reading One More Warbler
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