Margy and I went to Crescent Beach late yesterday afternoon. As we were leaving, a harbor seal pup came onto the shore. What is it about our species that we so love these encounters with other species, with wild species? Is it the kinship we feel when we look into their eyes gazing back at us? Or the otherness we feel, the differences magical and intriguing?
It was our first time this season going into the open water. So cold! But after some time in the water, it was delicious. The ocean itself would have been enough yesterday–the way it transformed my body chemistry into a greater sense of ease and well-being. And then, sitting in the sun warming up on the sand. Since I have had thyroid disease, it has been harder for me to warm up after swimming, but this time I wore a light hoody, and the air was still warm at 6 p.m. so I was fine. Later, I changed back into dry clothes and sat and read, while Margy went in for another swim.
I had carried some of our stuff to the car about 7:30 p.m. when the seal pup first arrived. As I met Margy heading into the changing room, she told me about it, so I went back to down to the beach. The little group of twenty or so people who were still on the beach were gathered near the pup at a respectful distance. Someone had called the proper wildlife people to let them know. The pup just lay there looking at everyone, calmly, perhaps resting, perhaps wondering what to do.
After several minutes, they turned around and started heading back toward the water, moving slowly and steadily over the sand. As the pup reached the waves, they turned as if to say goodbye, (or maybe, “I don’t think this was where I meant to land”) and then slid right in and swam away down the beach.
Who can resist those eyes? 
With all that done, the barrels could be positioned on the concrete blocks. Then, the downspouts were cut short, and a curvy connector was attached to bring the water to the barrel.
Our efforts to enhance the fungal community in our yard are suddenly materializing in mushrooms popping up in the cherry tree circle beds. (Or at least it seems that these efforts are linked.) These came up on my birthday, and then had disappeared by the next day, to be followed by another variety altogether.
I don’t know mushrooms well enough to identify–is anyone more familiar with these than I am who might give them names?
Today I almost finished soil work and guild plantings around each of the cherry trees–still 1/3 to do around the second tree. First I aerated the soil with our garden fork to a five foot radius around the tree. (The soil was already covered with mulch from last fall-wood chips, cut grass, sea weed, and dead leaves.) Then I put down newspaper or cardboard along the outer half of each circle, and covered it with compost. I planted the companion plants for each cherry tree guild. Guilds are plants that work together so that each does better than if they were planted alone. In this case, the primary focus is the health of the cherry tree.
Today was a day for food forests! My friend Mihku and I went to a tour of 
Finding Our Way Home 