ME III: Tiny things

I read two articles that have stayed with me because they were inspirational, brought some sense of hope or perhaps simply lifted me up from the barrage of awful news. These are both NYT articles so let me know if you want to read it and don't have a subscription. I can probably gift it to you. One is on the power of tiny forests. This is a Japanese concept but it's caught fire, and native plants are being planted in micro forests. One example in the article is the size of a basketball court. It's very hopeful even with the detractors. Here is a TED talk about the idea if that floats your boat.

The other article is related at a meta-level. It's about micro-neighborhoods. The idea of super neighbors is taking root in Paris to reinvigorate cities and build community. Getting to know your neighbors within three minutes of where you live and building relationships with them. They have get-togethers and the only requirement is you bring cheese to share! Anyway, it started off with one guy and now I want to say there are 50 of them all over Paris. It is rather heartwarming since isolation is one of the current malaises of people everywhere but especially in cities which makes no sense.

We went to the Saturday Portland Farmers' Market and got a few things. Maybe next week we will be organized for oysters. It's been a bit of a rough entry. We also ran to the grocery for a few things. Otherwise, we have been working away on the new website. Before dinner, we walked to the Western Cemetery to see if there were any birds, a few but not like last year. It's overcast and a bit breezy but warm again.

Have a lovely evening!

Sending oodles of love,

Tawnia

Pretty good bird day - 18 species

• Canada Goose
• Mallard
• Rock Pigeon
• Chimney Swift
• Ring-billed Gull
• Herring Gull
• Turkey Vulture
• Osprey
• Red-tailed Hawk
• Eastern Wood-Pewee
• Blue Jay
• American Crow
• Common Raven
• Black-capped Chickadee
• Cedar Waxwing
• House Sparrow
• Chipping Sparrow
• Northern Cardinal