D. August Baertlein - Writer & Ruminator - Blog

I Believe - Tracy Newman's Song from My Poem

7/23/2022

You cannot imagine how thrilled I was a couple of years ago when the illustrious Tracy Newman heard me read my poem, I Believe, at an open mic, and asked if she could put it to music.

Could she?! OMG, does a bear… well, you know. I jumped at the opportunity.

Tracy Newman is all over YouTube, from several old folk songs from a PBS show to an appearance on Jonny Carson and more recent appearances with her band, Tracy Newman and the reinforcements. Before I Die is hilarious.

Recently, I got a bee in my bonnet to share our song with the world. (Our song! I love how that sounds.) She was incredibly gracious when I asked if I could use the audio file she sent me. So, I took a stab at putting her lovely guitar and voice to some of my favorite home videos, and here's the result. It's my first video, so go easy on me.

Washington State Vacation

7/21/2022

To begin with, my husband, mother, sister and her family, and I located some lovely relatives in the tiny town of Bickleton, Washington. Folks there still gather to play dice in the general store in this charming place out of time.

We then paid a visit to several ancestors and an uncle in the nearby Cleveland Cemetery, where graves were decorated with bachelor buttons and false dandelions—a peaceful spot to spend eternity.

Later, in Issaquah, my aunt, uncle, and two cousins surprised us with a balloon release for my father, who died four years ago. (Hopefully, the balloons were biodegradable, but it would have been rude to ask.) Covid and age have kept us apart for too long.

On Orcas Island, we found chitins and crabs in the tidepools, kayaked the surrounding seas (well, the calm near-shore ones, at least), and climbed a stone tower in Moran State Park.

When our time was up, we said goodbye to beautiful Oras Island with a sunset from our VRBO deck. It was a wonderful visit with a slew of family. I'm so lucky to be stuck with them for life!

Ara's Song, Author reading by D. August Baertlein

7/1/2022

My good friends at AZ Wordsmith (check them out on Facebook) kindly invited me to do an author reading for their monthly open mic at the Elks Performing Arts Center in Prescott, AZ.

On top of that, they made a very professional video! You can view it below or find on my Amazon author page, if you're so inclined.

Tremendous thanks to Sue Favia, Janet A. Hopkins, and Lee Reeves!

Ara's Prelude and Ara's Song Released into the World

3/29/2022

How about this great Facebook ad created for me by Janet Hopkins of
AZ Wordsmith!

Details on my Amazon Author page. (I'm thinking to go wider but haven't gotten to it yet.)

The Hummingbirds are back!

3/24/2022

It must be spring! The hummingbirds are doing battle again. A couple hung around all winter. Now they seem reluctant to let the migrators back in.

Wolf Moon--January 2022

1/20/2022

Our just-past-full Wolf Moon was glorious last night.

Here she is earlier in the evening two nights before.

I've neglected this blog for some time now, which is a shame because I have a ton of fun pictures to share. Perhaps if I worry less about the science behind my photos and save the writing time for my fiction... It's worth a try!

BTW, I am having great fun with my Selkie Chronicles series! I hope to share more very soon.

Christmas Amaryllis in June?

6/4/2020

My amaryllis thinks it's Christmas. That's not what I've been thinking lately. It's been a rough few months with the coronavirus pandemic and its accompanying self-isolation, and now the horrifying killing of George Floyd and justified Black Lives Matter protests turned unjustifiably violent.

My sister is a firm believer in the power of gratitude, so here I go. I am grateful for the calming beauty of nature blooming all around this time of year. Even inside my house!

Spring is Springing in Prescott, Arizona

3/4/2020

In the interest of full disclosure, this is not the First Lizard of Spring that I saw this morning. This one was lounging around last September and was not as quick to hide from my camera. But this morning's lizard looked very like this, sporting those clever little chevrons, and I'm going with Ornate Tree Lizard or Urosaurus ornatus. No, I did not make that up. Reptiles of Arizona did.

Additionally, local nature experts on the Watson Lake Loop Trail identified Ornate Tree Lizards, which are common in Arizona.

There's not much in the way of spring blossoms yet, but the beautiful red-barked Manzanita are going strong.

A few hummingbirds have appeared already, but I've never seen one sip from these tiny manzanita bell-flowers. I'm hoping they do since there's not much else out there right now.

This low-to-the-ground weed is the only other flower I've seen so far this spring. I believe it's some sort of Astragalus species, sometimes called Milk Vetch. There are a gazillion different kinds of Astragalus, listed at this USDA link if you search the name Astragalus. (Ok, only over 3,000 according to Wikipedia.) Some of them are used in herbal medicine as an anti-inflammatory and to boost the immune system.

This one, however, is probably one of the locoweed types identified in this USDA article my sister Kris August, the herbalist, pointed out to me. Since 'loco' means 'crazy' in Spanish, I'll not be trying to boost my immune system with anything growing around here. When I was a kid, cattle rancher friends in Wilcox, Arizona, worried over their herd getting into the stuff. It can be deadly if eaten in quantity. Fortunately, the weed isn't prevalent around here; this is the only one I've seen so far this year.

What signals spring to you all?

The Chipmunks are back!

2/20/2020

Actually, they've been popping their heads up off and on all the winter. Since they don't enter a deep hibernation, they rely on stores of hidden seeds and nuts to get through the cold season. But now they appear to be seriously back for spring.

Rumor has it the chipmunks we have around here are Cliff Chipmunks. It's more than a rumor, really; it's the September page of the Community Nature Center of Prescott naming this local variety.

Without the Community Nature Center of Prescott link, I couldn't begin to guess which of the many chipmunk types mine belongs to. This Animalia link describes my Cliff Chipmunk to a hair, but then it lists eight other related species with photos that look very similar! Based on the often location-related names, I bet the best clue is where you spot them.

They are tidy little herbivores, feeding on juniper berries, acorns, and pinon seeds. (Are these photos an invasion of privacy?)

The two in the above video seem to be playing some sort of leap-frog game. At least that's what my grandmother used to call it. This was actually taken last year on May 31. Animalia lists mating season as occurring in March. So, maybe this really is "not what it looks like, dear."

I can't see a chipmunk without thinking of the chipmunk stories my husband used to tell on long drives during family vacations. From the back seat, Isaac would plead for the next installment in the Chipmunk Chronicles. What devious tricks would the scheming little devils come up with next to steal all our camping snacks and scamper off with them?

Anybody have any chipmunk tales? I'd love to hear them.

Which Hawk Is It? Cooper's? Red-Tail?

2/13/2020

When training to be a docent in California, I was told that if you see a soaring hawk and you claim it's a Red-Tailed, you have an 80% chance of being right. Audubon says Red-Tailed Hawks are the most widespread and familiar hawk in America.

Still, I'm going with Cooper's Hawk for this guy or gal (above and below), who chased a scrub jay into our oak bushes a couple of weeks ago. Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum's page on hawks and eagles supports this, saying that Red-Tailed Hawks soar, while the longer tailed, shorter winged Cooper's hawk tends to hunt in dense cover, relying on speed and surprise.

The yellow-barred chest, seen clearly in the top photo, really matches the Cooper's Hawk pictures on the All About Birds website.

In case you're on the edge of your seat regarding the poor scrub jay—A few minutes later he zipped away, the hawk fast on his heels. (Do birds have heels?) I can't say that he escaped unharmed, nor can I say that the hawk managed to eat and live another day. And I'm not sure which to hope for. I guess it's best to leave it up to Mother Nature.

This guy (photos above and below) landed a our boulder momentarily in July of 2018. I'm going with Cooper's Hawk again, based on the long tail and the fact that he was hanging around our scrubby oak chaparral.

Oooops. He caught me staring!

The lovely fellow in the awful picture above was a LOOOONG way away, perched high on an antenna at Sunset Point rest area on the way to Phoenix in late January of this year. While I can't see the color of his tail, I'm going with Red-Tailed on this one for two reasons: 1) That tail looks shorter to me, more like that of the broad-winged, shorter tailed soaring hawk, and 2) He's sitting high up and scanning a more open hunting ground.

But hawk identification is not my strong suit. So, PLEASE, help me out if you know better! There's always Red-Shouldered, Sharp-Shinned, Swainson's, Harris's, and Harrier.