by the Water's edge

the call of Threshold dwelling

not your typical “Water park!” “Texas” is the street name and “hydro” is for the Water tank. as i wander around the neighborhood, this was a surprise find. some lovely old Maples in this small park, too. july 2024. photo by anne richardson.

dear sojourners,

next week will be the mid-point between Summer Solstice and the Autumnal Equinox and days are visibly shortening. it is Golden hour when my alarm sounds to rouse me from my sleep. it is calmer. the birds are rousing later. quieter, they are no longer under the spell of mating season—the frenzy to impress and build. the songs and conversations have shifted to tending, nurturing, defending, mourning the loss of the fledglings that did not survive. even the Crows take their time starting their day.

the hot spell broke Sunday when an unexpected Thunderstorm rolled through, dropping fat droplets on the annual outdoor-fundraiser-pancake-breakfast-used-book-sale and usual Farmers’ Market. the Air, refreshed, sighed with the unburdening of the heat. the neighborhood sighed. even the Crows. the books were sponged off, tables wiped down, festivities resumed and soon the Rain was memory.

even brief Rainstorms are welcome after extended dry spells, though not enough to end our drought. no hint of Rain in areas where the Wildfires are burning Forests and Grasslands like kindling at a bonfire. parts of the Pacific NW are covered in a haze of Air the color of bruised apricot flesh, and quality of what is taken into the lungs is hazardous not only to children and those with pre-existing conditions, but to any Being that takes oxygen into their body. dry Lightening has been the cause of some of these fires. the rumble of Thunder that preceded the fat droplets we welcomed with smiles on Sunday, sends shivers to my neighbors in these tinderbox landscapes. it is two, three months until the “official” end of Wildfire season and already more acreage has burned than in 2023. and while it has cooled off where i live (at least for a few more days,) that is not the case where these Wildfires are most prevalent. the seasonal Rains of late Autumn can’t come soon enough.

Water storms through my dreams. it seems every place i turn in books, on social media, magazines, Water is the theme. or maybe it is what i am drawn to. i keep swimming five days a week. even when i am tired and would rather sleep in. i need to be in the pool. in Water.

local Creek. july 27, 2024. photo by anne richardson

the Creek where i walk is almost dry. i don’t know where it starts. where it goes. what Stream-River-HeadWater gave this Creek birth. i want to go to Ocean. is that where this Water wants to go? if i followed Creek in Winter, when it is full, would it lead me there?

the theme of the Summer issue of Orion magazine is Flooding. how using concrete, dredging, dams, and other engineering to shape Rivers’, Oceans’ and other bodies of Waters’ natural flow has, in the long term, caused more problems than they have solved. interesting how we call Water “bodies.” they are living Beings.|are they living Beings? they feel alive to me.

humans, our bodies containing 55-60% Water, are drawn to be close to these bodies. to wander the threshold edge. to live on the threshold edge. to be on Water. in Water. the ancients took time to watch how Moon and Tide and Wave and Flow and Land were in conversation. a Flood story is in most traditions. our need to be aware of, in tune with, in awe of the power of Water is part of our human story. the Earth’s story.

why do we try to contain or redirect what so naturally wants to flow? i appreciate having a shower. a glass to sip clean(ish) water to quench my thirst. a pool to swim in. a pool to swim in. in it’s absence is when i become most appreciative. the pandemic shut my local pool down for months. i would walk past and yearn to break in. swim.

why DO we try to contain or redirect what so naturally wants to flow? this is a question of curiosity. of unknowing. humans, we are an innovative species. impactful on our environment. and so i read and notice and wonder.

i read Lidia Yuknavitch’s “Thrust” in the Spring. the book is Water. it is future. it is hope, though not easy hope. i recommend. Lidia is a Water being. i’ve been fortunate to be in workshops facilitated by her and the Corporeal Writing squad, where she is a member/founder (i also recommend their offerings. many are online.) i follow her on social media. her posts are Water. they are portals to another world.

where i live we are waiting for “the big one.” i know, that sounds like a real downer. it isn’t. it’s just reality. everywhere has some “event” to be aware of. so an Earthquake of 8 or 9+ magnitude is in our mix (along with Wildfires.) we are “due.” it may happen off the Northern Pacific Coast, where the tectonic plates are shifting in the Cascadia Subduction Zone. then it will be an Earthquake & Tsunami combo special; a two-for-one. all along the Coastline “Tsunami Evacuation Routes” are posted. would folks make it out in time? how much time would they have?

when i was i child, i had a recurring dream of being on the beach and a huge wave was coming to get me. i ran, looking for my mother. i always woke before i was swept away. there was a Tsunami in Oregon 1964, not long after we moved here. it wove into my dreams. now when i am walking along the Coast i wonder, “will this be the day?” folks continue to build close to Ocean’s edge. there is no shortage of information about the dangers. we are drawn to be close to thresholds. to live on thresholds. (to find out more about the 1964 Tsunami and our present situation watch Oregon Field Guide’s Tsunami Anniversary. just under 10 minutes.)

Tsunamis are a powerful reflection of Water’s sheer force…a contrast to our human frailty. i am reading “Ghosts of the Tsunami, Death and Life in Japan’s Disaster Zone,” by Richard Lloyd Parry (thank you

Katy Wheatley

for the recommendation.) occurring on March 11, 2011, an area of Northeast Japan was decimated, including 18,500 deaths. Parry’s narrative style weaves the research of the “what happened” into the stories of the people whose lives were forever altered with a tenderness i appreciate when dealing with matters of the heart.

living in a region where the possibility of an Earthquake and a Tsunami will likely be as devastating due to our population density is a reminder to be humble.

i’m visiting the Coast soon with a friend. i looked at moving to the Coast a year ago. when it is dry for days on end and Rain is scarce, the idea of being close to Ocean makes my heart beat faster. i take that back, any time of year, the thought of living by Ocean makes my heart beat faster.

in my new dream, the Tsumani swallows me and i’m okay. i belong in Ocean. in Water.

last saturday i did the Naked Goddess Swim with dozens of other Goddesses. we gathered. we frolicked. we laughed. it was joyous. so much joy! the River received us with a wink. it had been a hot day. the water temperature was cool. refreshing. the Sun had just set. the full Buck Moon was rising (though just out of sight.) the swim-float proceeds benefited the Human Access Project. the idea was for those participating to feel comfortable with their bodies. it was my first time skinny-dipping (yup, some of us are late to the party.) no shaming. just women embracing their beautiful, magnificent bodies. next year it will be held july 12th. see you there!

to leap into River. fall into the Dark of her. down, down, down, until kick, kick, kick up i surface, my ennui washed away and sent to Ocean, at least for a while. it was ecstatic. and i’ll be honest, i’m back in a malaise. a funk. back in that ennui i wrote about in my last post. i’m allowing myself to be okay with it. Water, Earth, Fire, Air. all the elements are shifting. my body is noticing. my sense is: i’m drawn to Water in particular because, along with Earth, Water has been my strong connecting element since i was young. it is how this Universe communicates to me, if i’m listening.

what about you? is there an element you are drawn to these days? what are you noticing upon waking or going to sleep? any noticings in your dreams? have you ever been in a natural disaster and if so, how did it alter the trajectory of your life? my call/work in the world is with Grief and Loss and natural disasters certainly bring about complex losses and Grief. whatever is flowing through your life, please take tender care of your hearts.

when day is well gone, in the dark of night, juvenile Coyotes have been finding their voice in the park outside my bedroom window. yip, yip, yip. quiet. yip, yip. silence. this stretch of land where Dogs romp throughout the day, it is Coyotes who romp and mark territory as waning Moonlight hones in on a mouse out late. or lucky cat outwitting these unpracticed youth. these youngsters finding their voice in the night as i listen for mine under Water.

in gratitude

anne

ps: did you know Los Angeles had a full and lush River at one time? the history of why the Los Angeles River is mostly encased in concrete is shared in this 99% Invisible podcast, A River Runs Through Los Angeles. so interesting!

pps: exciting news! with the cooler weather, the Sweet Basil i mentioned in my last post has bounced back. wohoo!