FernRock Retreat

10/19/2025

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Join us today, October 19th, at 3pm, here at FernRock Retreat for a time to celebrate the beauty of this Autumn season, and to grieve the loss, suffering, and pain we share in being part of this beautiful world. We will gather for a short time, wander for our own individual times of reflection, and gather again to share the wealth of what we heard and noticed. We welcome your presence with us, in spirit or person.

10/12/2025

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HERE

The Autumn light finds us
here
following the setting sun
far from home,
together,
unable to return
and unwilling to try.

Here
to honor the life of a man
we met once
at the wedding of his daughter
when this world was young
and so were we,
before all the thresholds and crossings
life would require
when you were you
and I was I
and it didn’t matter
who we would become
together.

Content,
at the end of this day
that here
is home.

09/28/2025

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Heading south
the wings of a small bird
Summer leaves.

09/28/2025

09/26/2025

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Far up the creek
a party of Blue Jays scold
a Cooper’s Hawk.

A group of Blue Jays are sometimes referred to as a party and sometimes as a scold. Sometimes they are both. They seemed to be having a great party while they scolded this Cooper’s Hawk for being anywhere they did not want it to be.

09/22/2025

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On the one hand, light
on the other hand, darkness
Autumn Equinox.

“The wind of fall is here.
It is everywhere. It moves
every leaf of every
tree. It is the only motion
of the river. Green leaves
grow weary of their color.
Now evening too is in the air.
The bright hawks of the day
subside. The owls awaken.
Small creatures die because
larger creatures are hungry.
How superior to this
human confusion of greed
and creed, blood and fire.”
- Wendell Berry -

09/20/2025

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Tomorrow, September 21st, we will be gathering at 3pm for Wild Church, followed by a potluck supper together (bring food you love to share) and an evening labyrinth walk. Come for part or all of this time together, time for solitary wandering and shared time with others.

“The world is changed through love, patience, enthusiasm, respect, courage, humility, and living life in balance. The world cannot be changed without sacred spiritual connections…and because it is urgent, and we are running out of time, we need to slow down in order to grow up.”
- from Hospicing Modernity by
Vanessa Machado de Oliveira -

Come share this time of slowing down together.

09/16/2025

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Like a breeze
through the thorns
Common Yellowthroat.

09/14/2025

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Morning hums
the Warblers slide south
singing crickets.

09/07/2025

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Northern Waterthrush
migrating south
Autumn light.

08/31/2025

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Out of the nest
yet still within
fledging.

The three Hummingbird chicks
have all left the nest, which indicates they are around three weeks old. They will now spend another 3-4 weeks hanging sound Mom, being fed and learning how to navigate this large world with these two tiny wings, including migration south to Mexico, across the Gulf of Mexico.

08/24/2025

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High above the creek
balanced on a Hornbeam branch
three miracles.

The Ruby-throated Hummingbird I posted a photo of the end of July, sitting on her eggs, is now flying 25-30 miles a day to feed the three chicks with a mixture of regurgitated nectar and insect brew. These chicks hatched out of eggs the size of coffee beans. Sometimes, the smallest miracles are the greatest.