Category Archives: EAST The Neighborhood Voice
Worms
The spade cut into dirt that in summer was rock hard. But it had softened a little after months of rainy, drippy, fog-filled days. I lifted out a chunk of compacted earth and turned it over revealing long taproots of … Continue reading
Thanksgiving Day, Phoenix, Arizona
(I have not yet located the photo that accompanied this article.) Someone else was tending the turkey, setting the table, and fixing the feast. So I set out on Thanksgiving morning with camera in hand. Thunderbird Park stood out on … Continue reading
Posted in EAST The Neighborhood Voice, Perspectives
Tagged Arizona, saguaro, Thanksgving, YSI
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Dino-might
They’re big, they’re old, and they’re awesome. Everything a kid is not. They can hold the attention of twenty high-energy first graders for twenty minutes or more. No person alive can accomplish this feat no matter how big, how old, … Continue reading
Posted in EAST The Neighborhood Voice, Perspectives
Tagged dinosaurs, kid-power, YSI
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A Natural Thanksgiving
You may think I have the best job in the world. I do. Thanksgiving happens every day. For one thing there is the YSI Thrift and Gift Shop staffed by the YSI Guild, always eager to thank their customers and … Continue reading
Life in the Box
Where do you live? Your street address, city, country, latitude, longitude, altitude help pinpoint your unique space, defining it in a neat three-dimensional way. You, and only you, are in the space you occupy at this moment. But you will … Continue reading
Does That Compute?
What’s the big deal about January 1, 2000? I plan to be able to switch on the lights and the coffee maker as usual and to have water pour from the spout when I turn the handle. The biggest challenge … Continue reading
A Helping Heaping
Compost happens. At least it does at my house. I know its benefits. It has transformed my rocky clay soil into an Eden for vegetables and flowers. For years I have been stacking up my garden debris and letting the … Continue reading
The Haunted Woods Project
Even though we know much—or think we do—throughout human history there have been mysteries, things beyond the ken of human experience that fascinate, frighten, and intrigue us. Evolved from the Day of the Dead, Halloween has changed from a religious … Continue reading
A Bird in the Hand
A dead bird lay in the middle of the patio. It hadn’t been there in the morning. It showed no sign of injuries, of having been grabbed by a cat, or of having had to fight for its life. It … Continue reading
Posted in EAST The Neighborhood Voice, Perspectives
Tagged dead bird, turkey vultures, YSI
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Between Two Worlds
At almost the exact moment the sun slipped behind the hills leaving a brilliant salmon colored sky, the full moon rose over the shadowy marshes of the Palo Alto Baylands on the first evening of autumn. On opposite sides of … Continue reading
Posted in EAST The Neighborhood Voice, Perspectives
Tagged full moon, nature, Palo Alto baylands, YSI
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An Eagle’s Eye
A young man in a Scout uniform stood by the fence at the bottom of the hill alongside YSI in Alum Rock Park. Obviously at ease, he greeted the six members of YSI’s program committee. As they stood around a … Continue reading
A Lot on Your Plate
I boarded the plane giving not a thought to how easily I can flit above the surface of the earth like a bird or maybe a dragonfly. This time my flight to Phoenix took an unusual route. Generally we fly … Continue reading
Posted in EAST The Neighborhood Voice, Perspectives
Tagged geology, plate techtonics, YSI
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The Eye of the Beholder
Take a leisurely walk in one of your favorite natural settings. Really look at it; pay attention to its effect on you. Is it a natural vista untouched by human traffic that soothes you, or is it a magnificent landscape … Continue reading
Posted in EAST The Neighborhood Voice, Perspectives
Tagged artists, Christo, running fence, YSI
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The Seed of an Idea
We all know about seeds. They are a metaphor for our existence. You put them in the ground, water them a little, and they sprout into flowers, trees, vegetables, weeds. Ah, that life was so simple. If you are a … Continue reading
Posted in EAST The Neighborhood Voice, Perspectives
Tagged manzanita, saguaro, seeds, YSI
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Grow Your Own
The first light of dawn brightens the east as I get out of bed, put on my robe and walk out to the kitchen. I pour some dry cereal in a bowl, open the refrigerator, get out a plastic jug … Continue reading
Posted in EAST The Neighborhood Voice, Perspectives
Tagged acorns, breakfast, grains, morning, YSI
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It’s About Time
The band-tailed pigeons have returned. Not that they’ve been gone; they’ve just been eating acorns in the woods. Elderberry bushes and band-tailed pigeons have both been here far longer than most of our ancestors. The elusive band-tails come out of … Continue reading
Posted in EAST The Neighborhood Voice, Perspectives
Tagged band-tailed pigeons, stars, time, YSI
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Investing in Children
Are you an investor? You may be without knowing it. It doesn’t take a portfolio of stocks or mutual funds riding the ebb and flow of the market to make you one. If you occasionally put a few coins in … Continue reading
Posted in EAST The Neighborhood Voice, Perspectives
Tagged 990, investing, nonprofits, YSI
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Katy Did It
There I was minding my own business when suddenly my eyes fell on a huge—well, at least a large—bug snuggled into a dim corner of the living room ceiling. Bugs were not something that were taken lightly when I was … Continue reading
The Science of Sexism
Like many others, I was riveted by the very classy Women’s World Cup Soccer Finals. And, like millions of us, I rejoiced in the victory of these amazing women athletes and celebrated the incredible distance women have traveled in my … Continue reading
Posted in EAST The Neighborhood Voice, Perspectives
Tagged children, genetics, students, YSI
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Flights of Fancy
It was July 3, a day before one expects dazzling aerial displays. And it was the middle of the day, about two o’clock, long before the prime pyrotechnic hour. On this nearly perfect afternoon I sat in the shade of … Continue reading
Posted in EAST The Neighborhood Voice, Perspectives
Tagged violet-green swallows, YSI
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Sometimes Nature Stinks
I know more about skunks than I did last week. Although I did not have a personal encounter, I have a friend who did. Gene lives in a well-established, heavily populated neighborhood close to a creek. An enthusiastic birder and … Continue reading
Snakes Alive!
A yard-long gopher snake lies stretched across my driveway. Having lived in the Santa Cruz Mountains for over a quarter of a century, I have learned to recognize a snake when I see one. This is definitely a snake and, … Continue reading
Summer Fun
School is out. Trees are in flower. Time for the slow easy days of summer. But wait. There is a hum, a buzz, a roar around here. The energy level is rising, pulsing, really vibrating. What’s going on? Ah, it’s … Continue reading
You Can Look But You Better Not Touch
Got an itch to take a hike? Here it is spring (or is it summer?) at last. You’re sitting in a windowless cubicle or maybe even an office with a view dreaming of the glorious blue sky with birds circling … Continue reading
Down at the Thrift and Gift
Need a hockey stick? A purple belt? A toaster? A manual for an Apple IIc? Or a life-size picture of Joe Montana? There’s every good chance you can find it at the YSI Thrift and Gift Shop. In 1993 a … Continue reading
