Coastland Contemplations - by Michele Oksen

 

2013 and 2012 Columns

 

 

December, 2013       SLO Coast Christmas Trees  

 

If you can take your eyes off Mar Pacificum for a moment and look at the ridgeline of the Santa Lucia Mountains you'll see the silhouettes of Coulter pine trees. They tickle the clouds as they reach for the sun.

 

November, 2013       Feast on Thankfulnessy Addicted

 

Don't be a turkey. Look around. Breathe it in. This is where the heavens have kissed the earth.

 

October, 2013          Community in a Tide Pool

 

Published as small booklets, as part of nautical almanacs, on the internet, and in some newspapers, tide tables help you plan adventures at the ocean. One such adventure might be the exploration of tide pools.

 

September, 2013     It's All About the Hellos

 

Ward, ninety-seven years old, had lived without help up until he slipped and fell. Over the years he had continued to pen poetry for his beloved wife, Clara, who had passed twenty years previously. His children had unofficially diagnosed him with a degree of dementia shortly after her death, but Ward had refused to leave his home for various reasons, the last being the placement of his faithful hound. "Take me to see where he's going, " Ward had insisted.

 

June, 2013              Keep the Wild in Wildlife

 

Even if they were chocolate covered, termites in a tree stump don't sound like a tasty treat to you or me, but to a black bear they're worth clawing for. As easily as a two-fisted toddler might tear into a birthday cake, a bear's giant claws scratch off hunks of trunk and dig in. And, that's a good thing.

 

May, 2013               Shake, Rattle, and Scream

 

While weeding and creating defensible space around your structures you're likely to encounter living things in the grass. Sometimes it's a lizard or a mouse scurrying out of the mowers path. Then there are those other times when the creature is slithering out of the way.

 

This time of year the SLO Coast's Santa Lucia Mountains are crawling with snakes. There are garter snakes at the pond's edge, gopher snakes around the garden, king snakes on the trail, and rattlesnakes in the tall grass. Yikes!

 

April, 2013                Hooked on Hook-bills

 

When my friend, Linda, left the SLO coast for ovarian cancer treatments, she asked me to "babysit" her lovebirds, also known as small hook-bills. Naturally, I said I would , "No worries, dear friend. I'm in this for the duration." I mean really, I thought, how much effort could it take to care for a few pocket-sized parrots?

 

March, 2013            A Sense of Belonging

 

Have you ever agreed to take in a feathered or furred critter, especially one who screeches, mooches, tracks in mud, and leaves tripping hazards (dead mice, seeds, sticks, pinecones, deer bones) all over the floor?  If so, you understand how much time, patience, and tolerance it takes to reap the benefits of animal companionship. Put people and pets in the same living quarters, it's also helpful to muster acceptance of each other's idiosyncrasies – people bathe, dogs and cats lick themselves – get over it.

 

February, 2013         Kelp — the Power of Grace

 

Humans who are full of grace like that too. With these people, there is no such thing as a power struggle. In keeping with their personal code of conduct, they do not succumb to the swirling surf around them. They do not allow others to disturb their inner peace. Buoyed by their reserves of patience and kindness, even when turbulence tosses them around, they stay afloat with their heads held high.

 

January, 2013          A Soft Shoulder to Sink Into

 

Rain on these Slo Coast roads and trails means risky driving conditions. Loose or wet surfaces reduce traction and, without traction, your vehicle might as well be a bobsled. Though there is much more to be said about driving in wet weather here are a few quick tips that might help should you encounter muddy conditions.

 

December, 2012        A Time to Dream

 

It recurs every year this want to hole up and hibernate. "Stoke the fire and get back under the down comforter," the internal voice says, "sleep some more, no hurry." As the days shorten, the desire strengthens. Add foggy, cold, or rainy weather and the voice turns ups the volume. "Stay home! It's the season to conserve energy and dream."

 

November, 2012       Life and Loss in a Small Town

 

One of the beautiful things about living in a small town is the sense of belonging to a large family. However, along with the great rewards, to have a large family can mean there will be a lot of loss — as was the case in Cambria recently. So many special people passed away in such a short period of time it had residents shaking their bowed heads. Some wondered if there was a curse cast upon us, while others just took deep breaths and sighed out their woes into our mysterious world.

 

October, 2012          Leaders Like Sycamores

 

Near the Rocky Butte ridge top, on this eastern slope of the Santa Lucia Mountains, there are very few sycamore trees. Unlike lower elevation areas in SLO County where sycamores border the banks — places like San Simeon Creek, Santa Rosa Creek, Sycamore Mineral Springs, and so many others — at higher altitude, these stately trees can be scarce, as can water.

 

September, 2012      Creating Wealth

 

Gold - an element, Au, aurum in Latin – "shining dawn." Historically considered a powerful, noble metal, gold is one concept of wealth. As with gold, we must learn the fine art of panning and mining for that which we consider to be valuable. Then, even the indulgence, the luxury of watching a sunrise can make us feel rich.

 

August, 2012             Waves – A Story of Commonality

 

It's a show that must go on – day and night, all year long. No reservations needed. No tickets to purchase. No schedules to keep. This endless concert invites us to bring our own front row seat and sit awhile. It's a performance that may resonate to the core and change us forever.

 

July, 2012                 Fog – Perceptions in the Mist

 

Every year around Independence Day we expect some fog on our spectacular SLO coast. Residents and regular summertime visitors know that at times there's this drippy wet mist that cloaks us . It can be so dense it diminishes the availability of recognizable landmarks. Guideposts seemingly vanish. What rock?

 

June, 2012                 Succulents - A Lesson in Self-Management

 

As with succulents, we have the capability to be masters of self-management. If we take in available and appropriate nourishment and learn to avoid wasteful energy expenditures – in other words we dodge situations that deplete us – this is a powerful, yet economical approach to self-care and self-maintenance.

 

May, 2012                 A Woman and Her Horse – Harmony

 

How many times over the decades did I hear, "You love your horse (interchangeable with dog) more than me."? Let's just say, several. Why, you ask? Oh, I don't know, maybe because it's somehow easier to accept the idiosyncrasies of an animal than a spouse. If only it weren't so

 

April, 2012                 Pride of Madiera - Pure Pleasure

 

If hummingbirds make you happy and monarch butterflies make you smile, find a garden full of blooming Pride of Madeira. Sit and have tea, relax in the sun and get a natural dose of Vitamin D, or discreetly hunker down with camera at the ready, surrounded by this flowering shrub. Enjoy a visual festival of vivid colors and nature in action.

 

March, 2012              The Sweet Taste of Kindness

 

Rooted in the richness of earth wild strawberry plants grow all over our SLO coast forest floors. The plants are easy to recognize. Look for a low growing clump of three-parted leaves with small white five-petaled flowers that grow on hairy stalks. Long runners take off in every direction from a mother plant. While still attached to these runners new wild strawberry plants root themselves, often creating thick beds of ground cover.

 

February, 2012          Lichen - the Beauty of Cooperation

 

February on our Slo Coast of California is a great time to emphasize the importance of relationships. And, as luck would have it, Mother Nature has, with lichen, provided a wonderful example of how to have a successful one. Lichen? Yes, lichen — the result of a mutually beneficial partnership between algae and fungi.

 

January, 2012           Coulter Pines, Part II – Achieving Great Results

 

We're thankful all of November and cheerful the entire month of December. Now it's January and we're expected to be enthusiastic about fitness, health, wealth, and whatever else we believe will add to our happiness quotient. January – resolutions, a month to determine, declare, and dedicate ourselves to desired goals. January - the beginning of the rest of our lives. No pressure there.

 

 

 

 

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