Welcome to February, kindred spirits! I hope the year has been treating you kindly so far.
Last month, I did more writing than I’ve done in a long time. I’ve been working on future newsletters, and I completed
’s beautiful Winter Writing Sanctuary. One of the exercises was to write three Haikus (very short, three lined poems whose form originates in Japan.) While they are not my forte, they are a good creative challenge. I shared two of them in the Notes section of Substack and on FB last month (Substack links here: Haiku #1 and Haiku #2 ) I’ve saved the third one to share with you today, and will post it at the end of this article. I hope you will enjoy it.Beth also hosted a #meetthewriter challenge with prompts for 15 days. I did a few of them which can be found here: 1) My Writing View 2) Catalyst: What made you start writing? 3) Handwriting and 4) Companions: Books that Inspire Me. Perhaps I will complete more of the prompts at a later date.
In addition, I participated in a photography challenge hosted by
which I also turned into a writing prompt: IlluminationNow, without further ado, lets begin our February calendar explorations.
Male Red-Winged Blackbird
At Buttertubs Marsh, a jaunty male red-winged blackbird strikes a pose on a metal fence, showing off his brilliant red-yellow shoulder patch. These colourful patches, called epaulets, can be revealed to help attract mates and defend territory, or a bird may choose to hide them completely, such as when one male is in the company of another who he doesn’t wish to provoke.
Over fifteen years ago, I was a Buttertubs listening to these blackbirds calling, as you may have read in A Winter Walk at Buttertubs Marsh. It suddenly struck me that they, seemingly impossibly, sing two notes at once. Listening to a recording of a call now, I’m not clear if it that is what they do, or if they just oscillate really quickly between the two notes so it sound simultaneous. Either could be true. (If you’re not familiar with their song, have a listen here).
Unlike humans, birds are capable of singing two notes at once. While humans have a larynx at the top of the neck where sounds can be generated when air passes over the vocal chords, birds don’t have vocal chords in their larynx. However, they do have a syrinx further down their throats which has two separate valves - one valve on each of the two branches of the respiratory system. As musician and ornithologist Hollis Taylor explains in her book “Is Bird Song Music?,” each of these valves can generate sound when air passes over them. “The singing of two unrelated notes is possible, although most birds either double a note with each valve, use one valve for high notes and the other for low notes, or fail to use one of the valves” (Taylor, p23). However he does it, the sound of a male red-winged blackbird singing his heart out - to declare his territory, attract mates, or just for the joy of it - is bewitching.
Reference: Taylor, Hollis. Is Bird Song Music? - Outback Encounters with an Australian Songbird (Indiana University Press, 2017)
Border Collie’s Puppy Love
Meet Raven, a big eared Border Collie with a sensitive soul and an adorable quirky habit. He is also a celebrity of sorts!
I first met Raven when he and his ‘mom’ Janet stopped by my place briefly when there were still a lot of COVID restrictions in place. Having a very quick visit and photo op with the two of them was a much welcome connection (socially distancing doesn’t apply to puppies does it?!). I gave some pats and cuddles, and got some puppy kisses in return. That sweet face and those big ears warmed by heart.
I don’t often publicly share the names of the pets that I photograph or of their owners, for privacy sake. However, this human-pet family doesn’t shy away from being in the spotlight. Janet is a dog trainer and video blogger and all of her four-legged ‘children’ (dogs and cats) star in her content. On her you-tube channel, The Dog Vlog, she shares insightful information on dog training, health and more - including simply entertaining videos, like this one, where you can watch Raven growing up over the first year of his life (oh, those ears!)
One older video of that I often share with people is Janet’s award wining “House Care,” which depicts a fictional story of four dogs wrecking the house while the owner is away, and then they have to clean up when she returns home. It is a lot of fun to watch.
As Raven has grown, he has proved to be a very sensitive and intuitive pooch. While he doesn’t officially hold the job of one, Janet says that he instinctively makes a good ‘therapy’ dog. If he sense someone having strong or troubled emotions, he will approach them with concern to check that they’re okay and to offer his support. I’ve seen him do this with both Janet and myself, and it is truly touching to have him come over to look you in the eyes with his sweet concerned face. And when he’s not directly offering his emotional support, Raven is likely wandering around with something -anything, really - in his mouth. This adorable quirk of his always makes me smile and laugh, which is great therapy too.
Raven Carrying Around a Leaf
May February bring you lots of love in the form of love songs, puppy love, kindhearted support, or more. Next month, join me to learn about Indian Plum shrubs, and for playtime with a big exuberant dog, a Newfie cross.
…. and my final Haiku, as promised…..
Blessings to you,
Lindsay
Thank you for the mention, Lindsay! Very much appreciated!
What a beautiful essay! So many wonderful things in one place :) I’m so happy you introduced Raven - he provided excellent therapy right through this post 🤣