Nancy, thank you for your timely and apt response. Let us earnestly thank Mr.
Howard for his Service. On another matter, your poet signature quote on Nature
is absolutely priceless; I will keep this satisfying sentiment close to my
thoughts all the while, here on in, I'm obliged to hear the rants of our
political pundits during these heady days of virtually meaningless news events
- "none of these finally satisfy." Also, that said, as you must of course know,
there are reams of such beautiful and earthy sentiments like Whitman's
throughout Western literature and our own very important American naturalist's
writings. One of my very favorites by George Washington Carver (uttered maybe
c. 1923), which I seem to identify with and hold dear more and more each day as
I leave this rough-and-tumble Septuagenarian, mostly home-bound chapter of my
ordinary, relatively uneventful life, to warily, testily embark upon this
newer, and hopefully more exciting, Octogenarian life-style, which, if I were
to keep a sharp eye out, could include far more wonderfully worthwhile
'teachable-moments' than had occurred in the past. That said, as I happily walk
upon my doorstep each day to expectantly await what is there to see, when and
if I want or need to know the name of every bird I see, I surely now have
retained enough of my God-given good-sense to know full-well to simply access
'Missbird.' Now, If my failing memory continues to serve me correctly, Dr.
Carver wrote, “I wanted to know the name of every stone and flower and insect
and bird and beast. I wanted to know where it got its color, where it got its
life - but there was no one to tell me.” I've always been intrigued in how
Carver must have had a such concern for birds, along with other various and
simple forms of Nature - almost as much, I would suppose, as he possibly had
for peanuts. My practical takeaway from that quote has been from the very first
- so many long years ago - that Dr. Carver learned much about Nature from what
he himself gleaned, like in situ , first-hand, during his own interactions with
the outside world. And I myself have tried, wherever and whenever practicable
and reasonably possible, to do that very same thing. Again, thank you.
Joe L. Ravita, Sr.
Biloxi/Woolmarket
From: "Nancy Donald" <nmdonald55@xxxxxxxxx>
To: "Missbird Missbird" <missbird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>, "Van McWhorter"
<van_mcwhorter@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Sunday, October 13, 2019 9:39:26 PM
Subject: [missbird] Howard Malone
One of our members of the Okatibbee Creek AS in Lauderdale County passed away
last week. Some of you may have met Mr Howard during Christmas Bird Count. He
was known for his bluebird trail that he maintained in his hometown of Marion
and for his Red-shouldered hawk feeding platform. He will be buried with full
military honors at the Veterans Memorial cemetery in Newton. He will be
remembered as a good friend to the birds.
--
Nancy Donald
Meridian, MS
After you have exhausted what there is in business, politics, conviviality, and
so on - have found that none of these finally satisfy, or permanently wear -
what remains? Nature remains.
[ http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/w/walt_whitman.html ;| Walt Whitman
]
