By George Jacobi Something had been gnawing at me since the well-attended walk on the Madeleine Regan Preserve, some buried thought that seemed worth unearthing. I kept digging for it unsuccessfully while falling asleep or otherwise unencumbered by day-to-day life. It finally dawned on me that to revisit it, I’d have to revisit it (I’m […]

by George Jacobi I’ve had the Courant delivered forever. I walk joyfully out to the mailbox at dawn, rain or snow notwithstanding, to greet the new day with its birdsong and news. Yet I think it’s about over for me. I suspect you’d agree that without in-depth written reporting one is adrift on an ocean […]

by George Jacobi Motion catches my eye and I look up from the desk. A Pileated Woodpecker has landed in the ragged cherry tree just outside my window and almost immediately begins pounding on a spot at the fork of two major branches. Through the window the thunk is muffled but unmistakable. Usually if I […]

by George Jacobi One robin remained into the new year, living off the suet crumbs that fell from my feeder or were knocked off by more sophisticated winter birds. It didn’t disappear until the recent bitter cold snap. I hope he/she has alternative sources of food. Good luck, robin (bleeding heart liberalism). More robins spend […]

by George Jacobi Well, this feels useless. I’m crouched on the trail instead of hiking, palms to the hard icy earth, trying in vain to absorb the essence of the now indiscernible human feet that once trod here. Joshua’s Trust’s Madeline Regan Preserve in Tolland includes a half mile of Mishimmayagat, the Old Connecticut Path. […]

by George Jacobi Not long ago, Joshua’s Trust past President Rob Beach and I had a conversation within which he wished he could see where the natural world ended up after another human lifetime, to compare it with the changes during his own. Alas, we are afforded but a brief glimpse of environmental evolution in […]

by George Jacobi Like they do every October, Orionid meteors decorate the night sky over the Mt. Hope River bridge. Winding Route 89 encourages slow car travel, and outside of the yips of coyotes, it’s a “quiet corner”. No one occupies the Church Farm anymore. Not even a cow or sheep remains. But this place […]

by Kailyn Murphy Itchy, sneezy, wet, buggy, dirty, too hot, too cold…these are the words we adults often use to describe being outside, or rather why we don’t want to be. But for kids (or at least my toddler), the word to describe being outside is: fun.  At the beginning of this year I was […]

I hope this response to Michelle’s heartfelt personal essay inspires more of the same from readers. I too found it rewarding to reconsider my “Inspired by Nature” moments, and I think you will feel the same about yours. I moved to western Connecticut when I turned 5, living a year with my mother’s father while […]

It’s been said that the only difference between a weed and a flower is the value we place upon it. I’ll be the first to admit that my own evolution of thought regarding certain plants has shifted over the years as I’ve learned more about the natural world around me. There is one plant, however […]