Bird Droppings July 17, 2026
How do we know, on a cloudy day, whether the moon is setting or the sun is rising?

I left the house relatively early to chase a sunrise. My days have been hectic lately, almost blurry, running from one to the next, as if in slow motion yet going by faster than I would like. I have much to do and places to go and things to see don’t know which direction to start in. As I left the house, several rabbits and birds either ran or flew across my path as I drove down the dirt road beside our house. As I drove a bit farther down the road, I noticed the clouds were just wisps in the starry night sky. No sooner did I get off our dirt road than a deer stood staring at me along the road. I was wondering if the moon would come up soon; I could see the sun rising. How can these be both events all at once? This was even better than an eclipse. As I took a turn on a back country road, a mother opossum began peering at the roadway, looking about ready to jump in front of a car. I noticed she was carrying some babies on her back, and hopefully she avoided traffic; although it was early, it was still a workday, but I did not see any cars.

Thinking back nearly fifteen years, I stopped by my mother’s house to check in and see what she would like for dinner later that day. As we talked, I remembered another trip when she started pulling out books; she wanted to know if I wanted them. As she pulled a few books, I realized I do not turn down books ever- well, rarely- and started piling them up. One caught my attention. Touch the Earth by T.C. McLuhan. As I read and recalled several postings from earlier yesterday about changes in our world, it started to make more sense than it had in some time.
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“All living creatures and all plants derive their life from the sun. If it were not for the sun, there would be darkness, and nothing could grow – the earth would be without life. Yet the sun must have the earth’s help. If the sun alone were to act upon animals and plants, the heat would be so great they would die, but some clouds bring rain, and the action of the sun and earth together supply the moisture that is needed for life.” Okute, Teton Sioux, 1911

As it turns out, the book was given to my father in 1983 by a friend of his, who also signed it. T. C. McLuhan edited the stories and gathered them from various Native American warriors, chiefs, holy men, and orators. The photos are all from Edward S. Curtis, a famous black-and-white photographer and chronicler of the Wild West. T. C. McLuhan is a New York videographer and author with numerous projects to her credit. The Shadow Catcher is a 1975 film based on Edward S. Curtis and his travels from 1893 through 1930, recording sights and sounds on film and tape of Native peoples across the country. His concern was that the old ways would soon be gone, and his efforts have recorded many events and happenings found nowhere else in the media. T.C. McLuhan’s father is a bit better known in literary circles; Marshall McLuhan was named Patron Saint of Wired magazine in 1991. T. C. McLuhan produced and directed the documentary “The Frontier Gandhi” in 2008. Looking at a book on Native Peoples culture, I have found an author and now several films I want to pursue.

“I wonder if the ground has anything to say? I wonder if the ground is listening to what is said? I wonder if the ground would come alive and what is on it? Though I hear what the ground says. The ground says the Great Spirit placed me here.” Young Chief, Cayuse, 1855 at an Indian Council in the Valley of the Walla Wall

Yesterday I responded to a blog post about how rapidly things were changing and how foodstuffs would be impacted by the decline of honeybees. Over the last few years, I can honestly say I have seen fewer and fewer honeybees. I plant numerous flowers that attract bees and hummingbirds. But each year there are fewer honeybees. This year I have seen maybe a dozen, which is better than last year. I wander my gardens almost every day during summer looking for photo opportunities, and this year I have had no pictures of honey bees so far, though my oldest son says he has seen some. As I read through this manuscript and thought about the title “touch the earth,” I thought of the recorded writings based on many of the great Native Peoples’ leaders, both on the battlefield and spiritually. All reflect the contact with the earth as a key to their existence. Whether it be sitting on the ground instead of on a chair, or standing in moccasins close to the ground instead of thick-soled boots or shoes, the Native Peoples’ way is to be one with the earth. I tagged a t-shirt photo I took a year or so ago with the world and some feathers, and surrounding the image, the words, “This we know all things are connected.”

“People usually consider walking on water or in thin air a miracle. But I think the real miracle is not to walk either on water or in thin air, but to walk on earth. Every day we are engaged in a miracle which we don’t even recognize: a blue sky, white clouds, green leaves, and the black, curious eyes of a child — our own two eyes. All is a miracle.” Thich Nhat Hanh

Thich Nhat Hanh is a Buddhist monk residing in France who was ejected from his country of Viet Nam for being against the Viet Nam War in the late sixties and early seventies. “All is a miracle” is such a simple statement, yet it is what this life is about if we so choose. The miracle is in our own seeing and believing. What a glorious day; even though it’s cloudy, it will still be a great day. Please keep all in harm’s way on your mind and in your hearts, and to all give thanks. Namaste.

My family and friends, I do not say this lightly,
Mitakuye Oyasin
(We are all related)
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