Thoreau

THU-ro not Thu-RO. According to Sarah Lyall in the New York Times.

Winter walk

Read about how Hyacinth flowers were named in ancient Greek Mythology. Hyacinth was killed by Zephyrus, the god of the west wind, jealous of his love for Apollo. He then transformed the drops of Hyacinth's blood into flowers.

I went for a walk today by the lake. It's been almost 2 weeks since 10 inches of snow dropped, and then it's been cold and hasn't melted quickly like it usually does in NYC.

I was listening to Dune (1965) and heard this:

Paul sensed his own tensions, decided to practice one of the mind-body lessons his mother had taught him. Three quick breaths triggered the responses: he fell into the floating awareness...focusing the consciousness...aortal dilation...avoiding the unfocused mechanism of consciousness...to be conscious by choice...blood enriched and swift-flooding the overload regions...one does not obtain food-safety-freedom by instinct alone...animal consciousness does not extend beyond the given moment nor into the idea that its victims may become extinct...the animal destroys and does not produce...animal pleasures remain close to sensation levels and avoid the perceptual...the human requires a background grid through which to see his universe...focused consciousness by choice, this forms your grid...bodily integrity follows nerve-blood flow according to the deepest awareness of cell needs...all things/cells/beings are impermanent...strive for flow-permanence within...

Hades, Persephone, daffodils

 

Been studying ancient Greek mythology, and turns out Hades created daffodils for Persephone.  

Persephone had 6 pomegranate seeds, so there are seasons, because she goes to Hades for half the year, and her mother Demeter, doesn't sustain the crops when she's away. 

Mythology is so chaotic to me, on her Wikipedia page, Persephone has statue of Persephone-Isis, Greek and Egyptian mythology syncretism. 

Fog walk

I like to go for a long walk, but I don't have any energy when my daughter leaves, and so I have Wednesday and Thursday as my walk days. Her mother has some time off and they're both sick over at her place, and I got to take a walk today. Seem to walk to her place, which is about a 4k steps. It's about the same distance to the bookstore and movie theater. Walked down to Willow Lake quite a lot when I was into my Transcendentalist phase. Today I was listening to a biography of Mark Twain. I saw a giant bird, perhaps a great heron, fly off. I saw a cardinal too. I wasn't really paying much attention and saw these two great birds. I got to Pink Forest, a lovely cafe, there are a few in Forest Hills, and then walk back, and it's 9k steps. Good walk today. 

Some willows of Willow Lake.

Identification walk

 

Douglas Fir or spruce? I think it's a fur. 

Scots Pine

Blue spruce.

Sycamore or platanus? I think it's a sycamore.

Oak

Juniper or yew? It didn't have the juniper berries, but it also didn't have the yew berries. Probably juniper.

Pine

Eastern White Pine

As I age, I can tolerate things being unresolved and unknown. Until they had a name for HIV and Aids, it was horrible to have a terrible disease killing people but they couldn't put a word to it. Putting words to things can be really important. Tolerating not knowing is even more important. 

Down at Willow lake the most important trees are willow. I didn't take any photos of trees down there. But I did take this photo:

My daughter saw a snake and freaked out. I was amazed she was charging through the park, a few years ago she walked in and had to turn around right away, she was scared. 

Dawn Redwood or Bald Cypress?

Late summer

My meditation spot is overgrown. There was a fellow standing around singing opera near by, kind of eerie. 

Two workers came by, wondered what they were up to. They said they were looking into expanding the path.