Oh gosh, I've used so many different kinds over the years it's hard to fix on just one. My two big criteria are that 1. I can use ink and watercolor on both sides without bleed through and 2. that it is thin enough to get a lot of pages in one book. 140 lb watercolor paper, for instance, though it would be lovely to draw and paint on, is too thick. there are some fabulous print making papers (thin and impervious), though I have to special order them so recently I've ended up using mixed media paper, which, while not perfect, meets both criteria above and is readily available.
Once I started capitalizing birds, it felt natural to apply it to any other beings. But I tend not to in public writing because it feels like a distraction for the reader.
That's it exactly. On the one hand it seems natural, on the other hand it can be a distraction. There are some interesting points in the comments below--wondering what feels respectful without shouting, and is kind to both being and reader. Barbara McKinley's thoughts (from the comments) also really resonate:
As to capitals, I would say mostly not. The indigenous languages in our part of the world mostly don’t use capitals and I have come to really appreciate that. It’s a gentle way of relating to the environment.
You got me at "quailed"!! Wow! I don't know when I have seen (or heard) that before! More power to you! What comes to mind, of course, is "quailed at the thought". Love to see words that we don't see very often.
Just a note to let you know how very much I enjoy your posts, though I think this may be the first time I've left a comment. Am lying here with a migraine (as diagnosed by my insurance company) and loving your woodland paths and dogbane spinning. (Also wondering whether there are any ways to do handspinning while on my back as I'm well behind on my fiber stash...) As for capitalizing names, I like to do it when referring to individuals at any rate. Please pardon the long comment! Thanks for your wonderful posts and happy Tuesday!
Thank you Sunny, for taking the time to share your thoughts -- especially in the midst of a migraine (which I hope has slipped away by now). Your words warm my heart--and I also much appreciate your thoughts on the capitalization thing. So many great thoughts have appeared from my query. What joy.
That’s a hard question. Personally I would probably apply the proper name rules to a specific Duff or Tree or Rock I would be interacting with. (Dear Duff thank you for warming my feet. Rock, would you like to come home with us? Tree, I love these needles!)
But whole groups of being seem to deserve a proper name also. So maybe both? Or maybe neither, as long as we use respectful and loving language????
It IS confusing, isn't it? What feels right? What is culturally appropriate and respectful without being a distraction for the reader? Coming from a culture that capitalizes to show respect (names, after all), it seems important. And yet as Barbara McKinley points out below, in some cultures it is totally not and sound like shouting. An interesting thing to explore.
The last time I took our Bruno to the vet for an annual check up, she said he was probably the healthiest dog she would see all day! It made me very happy that he was remarkably well.
Thank you for these missives from your world, I always enjoy them, I am always simply delighted.
Sarah, these days I get closer to the 'company' you speak of and keep, than I do in my current daily life. It is part of my happiness in finding each new post. I was fortunate to have about 30 years of befriending my backyard forest and all that lived there. I grew to love it more than I knew. Slowly getting to know various ferns, mushrooms, many types of firs and maples and other trees and shrubs. And this is to say nothing of all that grew and lived under and within them. It was also a regular stop-over for many migrating birds, that were eye opening to see up close. I miss watching and hearing the big old firs waltzing in a gusty wind. It is all just a memory now for a few of us who spent time walking and watching what turned out to be the forest's last years. A true lost treasure for those who took the time to be with the vast array of its ever welcoming 'company'.
Oh gosh Sandy, I can hear your love for the place in your words, getting to think about everyone who lived there. It is remarkable, isn't it? And so so hard to think that it is gone now. Thank you for bringing them here.
Ah, Tuesday smiles, right on time! I'm wondering if our dogbane might share fibers with me. It seems so low growing and short stemmed. When do you harvest it?.... As for the caps, I think I agree with Liz. Also, although I feel kinship with rivers and trees and rocks and duff and all these earthly treasures, I have an unfortunate negative reaction to creative capitalization owing to the propensity for excessive use of caps by a certain despicable contemporary.
Given our current society seems to think that names of divinities or gods or even the word for
God should be capitalized, and given my knowing that God is present in all of your capitalized beings, I think it is highly appropriate to capitalize their names as well. If we referred to said beings with capitalized names as though they are friends we love, instead of like common nouns, perhaps they would receive a bit more respect from we two-leggeds.
That has been my feeling as well -- how to respect and honor without, as BarbaraJean says above, shouting. Though Barb McKinlay (just below) makes a slightly different point, which also makes sense to me. MUCH to contemplate, eh?
Thank you for this Sarah. It’s a joy to me to see your forest which is not so different from our forest down here in Tasmania. You know: moss, fungi, tiny orchids, tree-dripped water drops, fallen logs, indistinct paths…wondrous.
As to capitals, I would say mostly not. The indigenous languages in our part of the world mostly don’t use capitals and I have come to really appreciate that. It’s a gentle way of relating to the environment.
I live in lutruwita and every part has of it is special.
Thank you so much for this point. I've quoted you in comments to a couple of other people for, as soon as I read it, I could feel that sense of almost shouting with upper case letters. And yet in this culture of mine, the capitals both shout and are a mark of respect. MUCh to contemplate.
And I adore that these woods feel connected to yours in Tasmania. Makes me so happy.
I thought to myself, of course one wants to know what the rock wants to do. Then realised how much scoffing can happen and that so much scoffing of that sort happened when I was under twelve but didn't really like or respect the chief scoffer. It has been my habit to say things as I see/feel them(most of the time). Fortunately my family had so many sideways thinkers, that I fit in.
Of course, that might be the myth I tell myself.
Today I started reading "If Women Rose Rooted" by Sharon Blackie, so what you where saying resonated. I just remember Ki.
Isn't that a great book? I've long been a fan of Sharon Blackie's work--and that book definitely got me going. Each little bit helps, it seems, to shift my (our) points of view and understanding and ways of approaching the world. It's a magical sort of path to be on, eh?
That book really shifted my world some years back. I did her Courting the Wild Soul course online during the first Covid year and still go back to those meditations.
me too! those meditations were extraordinarily helpful at a particularly rough time for me, and like you, still return to them with delight (and always find out new things). I love that we were both there
What a lovely long walk! The mini video of the pileated woodpecker - he was certainly busy. Isn't it nice to feel the water taking away all the dross we collect during our days? Cattledogs (and mixes of) are such accommodating and willing companions. She and you are lucky to have one another to "talk" to. At least, that's what I do with my border/cattle mix girl. And the crafting process is fun to watch. I'd love to get a hold of some dogbane, that is not in a state park, that I can play with. I have a little plucky sprig, grown from a 3/4' cutting, in a pot (yes, it should be in the ground but I would forget to water it then).
Next time I'm out for a walk, I will remember to ask the interesting rock I spy if it wants to come home with me. It had never occurred to me and I'm appalled that I was so rude! Thank-you for reminding me that rocks are not there just for me to pick them up. I will make sure that the ones I have are happy enough to be home with me. Thank-you for the reminder of my relationship to Earth.
It is a fun practice to be sure-- because some really do seem thrilled to have a new adventure that begins in our pockets. It's kind of wild, even as the very asking adds another delicious layer to the pleasures of meandering and noticing and gathering...
What paper do you use to make your journals? I just ordered blank refills for my leather cover, but I’d love to make my own!
Oh gosh, I've used so many different kinds over the years it's hard to fix on just one. My two big criteria are that 1. I can use ink and watercolor on both sides without bleed through and 2. that it is thin enough to get a lot of pages in one book. 140 lb watercolor paper, for instance, though it would be lovely to draw and paint on, is too thick. there are some fabulous print making papers (thin and impervious), though I have to special order them so recently I've ended up using mixed media paper, which, while not perfect, meets both criteria above and is readily available.
Once I started capitalizing birds, it felt natural to apply it to any other beings. But I tend not to in public writing because it feels like a distraction for the reader.
That's it exactly. On the one hand it seems natural, on the other hand it can be a distraction. There are some interesting points in the comments below--wondering what feels respectful without shouting, and is kind to both being and reader. Barbara McKinley's thoughts (from the comments) also really resonate:
As to capitals, I would say mostly not. The indigenous languages in our part of the world mostly don’t use capitals and I have come to really appreciate that. It’s a gentle way of relating to the environment.
I like that. Thank you for the soft note and pointer!
You got me at "quailed"!! Wow! I don't know when I have seen (or heard) that before! More power to you! What comes to mind, of course, is "quailed at the thought". Love to see words that we don't see very often.
Words--aren't they just so much fun?
Just a note to let you know how very much I enjoy your posts, though I think this may be the first time I've left a comment. Am lying here with a migraine (as diagnosed by my insurance company) and loving your woodland paths and dogbane spinning. (Also wondering whether there are any ways to do handspinning while on my back as I'm well behind on my fiber stash...) As for capitalizing names, I like to do it when referring to individuals at any rate. Please pardon the long comment! Thanks for your wonderful posts and happy Tuesday!
Thank you Sunny, for taking the time to share your thoughts -- especially in the midst of a migraine (which I hope has slipped away by now). Your words warm my heart--and I also much appreciate your thoughts on the capitalization thing. So many great thoughts have appeared from my query. What joy.
That’s a hard question. Personally I would probably apply the proper name rules to a specific Duff or Tree or Rock I would be interacting with. (Dear Duff thank you for warming my feet. Rock, would you like to come home with us? Tree, I love these needles!)
But whole groups of being seem to deserve a proper name also. So maybe both? Or maybe neither, as long as we use respectful and loving language????
It IS confusing, isn't it? What feels right? What is culturally appropriate and respectful without being a distraction for the reader? Coming from a culture that capitalizes to show respect (names, after all), it seems important. And yet as Barbara McKinley points out below, in some cultures it is totally not and sound like shouting. An interesting thing to explore.
That was a poem, Sarah!
Oh geez Benjy. Thank you!
The last time I took our Bruno to the vet for an annual check up, she said he was probably the healthiest dog she would see all day! It made me very happy that he was remarkably well.
Thank you for these missives from your world, I always enjoy them, I am always simply delighted.
Oh, what glorious words. I totally get the joy of that! A healthy dog is bliss
Sarah, these days I get closer to the 'company' you speak of and keep, than I do in my current daily life. It is part of my happiness in finding each new post. I was fortunate to have about 30 years of befriending my backyard forest and all that lived there. I grew to love it more than I knew. Slowly getting to know various ferns, mushrooms, many types of firs and maples and other trees and shrubs. And this is to say nothing of all that grew and lived under and within them. It was also a regular stop-over for many migrating birds, that were eye opening to see up close. I miss watching and hearing the big old firs waltzing in a gusty wind. It is all just a memory now for a few of us who spent time walking and watching what turned out to be the forest's last years. A true lost treasure for those who took the time to be with the vast array of its ever welcoming 'company'.
Oh gosh Sandy, I can hear your love for the place in your words, getting to think about everyone who lived there. It is remarkable, isn't it? And so so hard to think that it is gone now. Thank you for bringing them here.
Ah, Tuesday smiles, right on time! I'm wondering if our dogbane might share fibers with me. It seems so low growing and short stemmed. When do you harvest it?.... As for the caps, I think I agree with Liz. Also, although I feel kinship with rivers and trees and rocks and duff and all these earthly treasures, I have an unfortunate negative reaction to creative capitalization owing to the propensity for excessive use of caps by a certain despicable contemporary.
The kind of dogbane I have is the tall variety and think that is the easiest from which to get fiber. But then I've never tried the short so?????
And thanks for the reminder about excessive use of caps. No need to shout, eh?
Given our current society seems to think that names of divinities or gods or even the word for
God should be capitalized, and given my knowing that God is present in all of your capitalized beings, I think it is highly appropriate to capitalize their names as well. If we referred to said beings with capitalized names as though they are friends we love, instead of like common nouns, perhaps they would receive a bit more respect from we two-leggeds.
That has been my feeling as well -- how to respect and honor without, as BarbaraJean says above, shouting. Though Barb McKinlay (just below) makes a slightly different point, which also makes sense to me. MUCH to contemplate, eh?
Thank you for this Sarah. It’s a joy to me to see your forest which is not so different from our forest down here in Tasmania. You know: moss, fungi, tiny orchids, tree-dripped water drops, fallen logs, indistinct paths…wondrous.
As to capitals, I would say mostly not. The indigenous languages in our part of the world mostly don’t use capitals and I have come to really appreciate that. It’s a gentle way of relating to the environment.
I live in lutruwita and every part has of it is special.
Thank you so much for this point. I've quoted you in comments to a couple of other people for, as soon as I read it, I could feel that sense of almost shouting with upper case letters. And yet in this culture of mine, the capitals both shout and are a mark of respect. MUCh to contemplate.
And I adore that these woods feel connected to yours in Tasmania. Makes me so happy.
That's lovely, both your description of the Tasmanian forest and the gentle way of related. thank you for sharing!
I thought to myself, of course one wants to know what the rock wants to do. Then realised how much scoffing can happen and that so much scoffing of that sort happened when I was under twelve but didn't really like or respect the chief scoffer. It has been my habit to say things as I see/feel them(most of the time). Fortunately my family had so many sideways thinkers, that I fit in.
Of course, that might be the myth I tell myself.
Today I started reading "If Women Rose Rooted" by Sharon Blackie, so what you where saying resonated. I just remember Ki.
Thank you.
Isn't that a great book? I've long been a fan of Sharon Blackie's work--and that book definitely got me going. Each little bit helps, it seems, to shift my (our) points of view and understanding and ways of approaching the world. It's a magical sort of path to be on, eh?
That book really shifted my world some years back. I did her Courting the Wild Soul course online during the first Covid year and still go back to those meditations.
me too! those meditations were extraordinarily helpful at a particularly rough time for me, and like you, still return to them with delight (and always find out new things). I love that we were both there
What a lovely long walk! The mini video of the pileated woodpecker - he was certainly busy. Isn't it nice to feel the water taking away all the dross we collect during our days? Cattledogs (and mixes of) are such accommodating and willing companions. She and you are lucky to have one another to "talk" to. At least, that's what I do with my border/cattle mix girl. And the crafting process is fun to watch. I'd love to get a hold of some dogbane, that is not in a state park, that I can play with. I have a little plucky sprig, grown from a 3/4' cutting, in a pot (yes, it should be in the ground but I would forget to water it then).
I love that your cattle dog/border collie pal is as devoted a walking companion as Beryl. Lucky us eh?
And good luck with your wee sprig of dogbane! May they grow tall and strong and multiply.
That was a lovely carpet of anemones under Beryl’s paws 🤍
It was indeed...
“A little more audible about my knowing,” that is a worthy intention. Thanks Sarah.
Next time I'm out for a walk, I will remember to ask the interesting rock I spy if it wants to come home with me. It had never occurred to me and I'm appalled that I was so rude! Thank-you for reminding me that rocks are not there just for me to pick them up. I will make sure that the ones I have are happy enough to be home with me. Thank-you for the reminder of my relationship to Earth.
It is a fun practice to be sure-- because some really do seem thrilled to have a new adventure that begins in our pockets. It's kind of wild, even as the very asking adds another delicious layer to the pleasures of meandering and noticing and gathering...