Author: Tracy Abell

On this Labor Day

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Labor Day is dedicated to workers uniting, using their collective strength to demand changes in work policy to include respect, safety, health care, livable wages, shorter hours, sick time, etc. Sadly, the fierce and strategic labor organizer, Jane McAlevey, died at age 59 in July. Jane had an incredible impact on organized labor and you can read some tributes here.  She published a number of books and this is what I wrote in my reading log after finishing A Collective Bargain: Unions, Organizing, and the Fight for Democracy (2020):

“This book fired me up! There’s so much we can accomplish if we stand together. I wish I had a job where I could organize a union. Biggest takeaway: even in states w all GOP elected (WV), the teachers & school workers won huge demands via strike!” No matter if you’re in the work place or not, I highly recommend reading this inspirational book because Jane makes it clear that people power is the way forward in every single challenge we face. People standing shoulder-to-shoulder as we demand better for people and planet.

 

I believe Jane would be thrilled by some of the powerful collective actions happening right now:

Lastly, PLEASE take 2 minutes to personalize comments in support of United Farm Workers who labor in the fields to bring food to our tables. They work in all sorts of extreme weather, including in dangerously high temperatures. The comment period is now open for Federal Heat Safety Regulations and I hope you’ll join me in advocating for training, shade, cool water, and paid rest breaks for the workers. You can do that HERE.

I’ll close this Labor Day post with some wise words from  Mother Jones:

  • “Pray for the dead and fight like hell for the living.”
  • “The first thing is to raise hell,” says I. “That’s always the first thing to do when you’re faced with an injustice and you feel powerless. That’s what I do in my fight for the working class.”
  • “Our present civilization is one of brute force. We hope to make it a civilization of justice and love.”

Thank you for reading this far. Happy Labor Day!
Solidarity! ✊🏽

Twofer Tuesday: Sarah Kendzior + Great Blue Herons

/ Tracy Abell / 4 Comments

Today I offer a majestic Great Blue Heron I had the honor of seeing last April, along with a link to Sarah Kendzior’s latest essay which, in addition to featuring sobering insights about our political reality, references a Great Blue Heron.

Lake Hasty on the evening of April 3, 2024

 

I’ve never met Sarah, but she feels like a kindred spirit. Sarah also escapes to nature when the world overwhelms and her heart aches. Tomorrow I’m heading off solo in our campervan to spend a few days in nature where I will revel in the flora and fauna. I hope to capture other images that will ground me and bring calm each time I look at them, visual mental health talismans on-call for whenever I’m in need.

I’m grateful for my privilege that makes it possible to escape into nature, and I wish the same for everyone everywhere. Someone in Sarah’s comments posted a very apt Wendell Berry poem which I’ll include here:

The Peace of Wild Things
When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

Again, here is the link to Sarah Kendzior’s piece: Birds of a Feather

I’ll note that I’ve been reading Sarah’s work for the past few months and today, finally, upgraded to a paid subscription. Her eloquence and humanity are always on display, but Birds of a Feather hit me especially hard (in a good way).

Wishing everyone a good week that, I hope, includes some interactions with the natural world.

Critical pollinators

/ Tracy Abell / 11 Comments

Guanella Pass. August 1, 2024

When asked to describe insect species that can pollinate flowers, most people think of bees, butterflies, moths, and hummingbirds. However, flies are critical pollinators in both natural and agricultural systems. A recent analysis of crop species found that flies visited 72% of the 105 crops studied (bees visited 93%).   ~ Penn State Extension

Confession: I’ve often said mean things about flies buzzing around me and am going to try to remember this the next time one enters my orbit. Flies are critical to the planet. Me? Not so much. (Note: click on image to get a better look at those eyes!)

The speech the Dems refused at the convention

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Journalist Noah Lanard just published a piece in Mother Jones, outlining how the Democratic National Convention has refused to allow any Palestinian to address the convention. This despite the “…thirty uncommitted delegates at the DNC representing the hundreds of thousands who voted uncommitted in lieu of supporting President Joe Biden’s primary campaign. They have been calling for a ceasefire and a halt to arms transfers to Israel while in Chicago.”

The Uncommitted Movement put forth a list of possible Palestinian speakers and offered to have the chosen speaker’s speech vetted and edited by the Harris campaign. State Rep. Ruwa Romman (Georgia) was considered a strong choice since she’s a Democratic representative in a swing state.

Romman called herself a safe, last resort. “If an elected official in a swing state who is Palestinian cannot make it on that stage nobody else can,” she told Mother Jones.

Democrats’ cowardice runs very deep because not only are they not allowing a Palestinian on the stage, they were comfortable giving speech-time to a Republican from Georgia.

Here is the speech Romman was not allowed to give:

My name is Ruwa Romman, and I’m honored to be the first Palestinian elected to public office in the great state of Georgia and the first Palestinian to ever speak at the Democratic National Convention. My story begins in a small village near Jerusalem, called Suba, where my dad’s family is from. My mom’s roots trace back to Al Khalil, or Hebron. My parents, born in Jordan, brought us to Georgia when I was eight, where I now live with my wonderful husband and our sweet pets.

Growing up, my grandfather and I shared a special bond. He was my partner in mischief—whether it was sneaking me sweets from the bodega or slipping a $20 into my pocket with that familiar wink and smile. He was my rock, but he passed away a few years ago, never seeing Suba or any part of Palestine again. Not a day goes by that I don’t miss him.

This past year has been especially hard. As we’ve been moral witnesses to the massacres in Gaza, I’ve thought of him, wondering if this was the pain he knew too well. When we watched Palestinians displaced from one end of the Gaza Strip to the other I wanted to ask him how he found the strength to walk all those miles decades ago and leave everything behind. 

But in this pain, I’ve also witnessed something profound—a beautiful, multifaith, multiracial, and multigenerational coalition rising from despair within our Democratic Party. For 320 days, we’ve stood together, demanding to enforce our laws on friend and foe alike to reach a ceasefire, end the killing of Palestinians, free all the Israeli and Palestinian hostages, and to begin the difficult work of building a path to collective peace and safety. That’s why we are here—members of this Democratic Party committed to equal rights and dignity for all. What we do here echoes around the world.

They’ll say this is how it’s always been, that nothing can change. But remember Fannie Lou Hamer—shunned for her courage, yet she paved the way for an integrated Democratic Party. Her legacy lives on, and it’s her example we follow.

But we can’t do it alone. This historic moment is full of promise, but only if we stand together. Our party’s greatest strength has always been our ability to unite. Some see that as a weakness, but it’s time we flex that strength. 

Let’s commit to each other, to electing Vice President Harris and defeating Donald Trump who uses my identity as a Palestinian as a slur. Let’s fight for the policies long overdue—from restoring access to abortions to ensuring a living wage, to demanding an end to reckless war and a ceasefire in Gaza. To those who doubt us, to the cynics and the naysayers, I say, yes we can—yes we can be a Democratic Party that prioritizes funding our schools and hospitals, not for endless wars. That fights for an America that belongs to all of us—Black, brown, and white, Jews and Palestinians, all of us, like my grandfather taught me, together.

Again, here’s the link to the entire article.

I haven’t watched any of the convention, but apparently a former Trump press secretary and a border control agent were allowed to speak. The Dems are very eager to lurch rightward as they plug their ears and la-la-la their way past the tens of thousands of protestors outside the convention, demonstrating for an arms embargo and immediate ceasefire. Children are literally having their heads blown off by bombs, made and supplied to Israel by the U.S., but the Dems can’t be bothered with acting on behalf of the majority of people in this country who do not want their taxes funding a genocide.

I’d like to believe the Dems will reflect on this when they lose untold numbers of much-needed votes in November. However, I’ve been around long enough to know it’s never, ever the candidate’s fault. The blame will be placed on voters who couldn’t bring themselves to vote for the blood-soaked candidates busy enabling the most horrific atrocities of our lifetime.

Shame on them.

Some timely reading

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The Democratic National Convention has begun in Chicago and I’d like to share links to a couple pieces that resonated with me.

The first is from the incomparable Sarah Kendzior who writes a newsletter on Substack. It was published yesterday and is titled Distant Vibes: Welcome to the era of the No Information Voter.

The other is the speech delivered by Eman Abdelhadi (“And now they want our votes”) at the massive demonstration in Chicago yesterday.

Eman Abdelhadi speaks at the Bodies Against Unjust Laws march in Chicago on Sunday, August 18.
Photo by Steel Brooks

If you’re interested in independent coverage of the DNC, I highly recommend signing up for emails from In These Times / The Real News Network. You can do that HERE.

Please leave a comment if you have other reading/sources to recommend!

Gaza, Harris, and an arms embargo

/ Tracy Abell / 4 Comments

This morning Zippy and I went to City Park in Denver to attend a Colorado Palestine Coalition teach-in at the “dash for democracy” running/walking event sponsored by the Denver Democrats to raise funds for the Kamala Harris campaign. Our intent was to get the Democrats to understand that many of us will not vote for Harris/Walz in November if they do not call for an immediate arms embargo on Israel. It is no longer enough to call for a CEASEFIRE NOW (even though our sign remains in our front yard, faded and battered by nine-plus months of weather). The White House pretends to be negotiating in good faith toward a ceasefire, but it’s all theater. There cannot be a lasting ceasefire when the U.S. keeps supplying Israel with bombs. As was succinctly stated here, “If you say you want a ceasefire while sending the bombs that keep shredding children, you don’t really want a ceasefire. That’s all there is to it.”

The only way to end the carnage is to immediately stop arming Israel with U.S.-made bombs. The good news is that several weeks ago “…seven unions representing six million workers published an open letter to President Biden demanding that he cut off military aid to Israel until it ends its brutal assault on Gaza.” A demand for an arms embargo does not allow wiggle-room for weasel words from the White House and Harris.

Here’s the flier CPC handed out today (click on images to enlarge):

 

Okay, so what did I learn at the teach-in? Unfortunately, not as much as I’d hoped to learn due to an unhinged person who yelled and shook a cowbell while the speakers spoke. I admit to feeling so much anger I couldn’t focus on what was being said. Several times, I attempted to reason with Cowbell Karen who kept telling us to “educate yourselves” while doing everything in her power to make that impossible. When I finally aimed my camera at her, she gleefully sneered at me.

The masked person in the keffiyeh has been at many pro-Palestine events, often serving as a marshal to keep us safe while we march in the streets. They remained calm throughout Cowbell Karen’s rampage, and I am not only grateful for their presence but also in awe of their composure. Speaking for me, my blood pressure was running pretty high. The situation sidetracked my learning and I only caught snippets here and there, including:

A Palestinian man spoke about those who insist the situation in Palestine is incredibly complex and that the only way forward is a “two-state solution.” He reiterated that the situation is actually quite simple and that two states isn’t tenable, especially now because of the absolute and total destruction of Gaza. He offered a succinct response to those who cynically demand “well, then what’s your solution?” which is One state with equal rights for all. As he pointed out, it’s pretty hard to argue against that.

The speaker beneath the tent in the above photo is Indigenous and she spoke on the history of solidarity between Natives and Palestinians. I learned there was once an official U.S. Army regulation that required army helicopters to be named after Native tribes. Tomahawks, Apaches, Black Hawks. I didn’t catch much of what else she said, but was stunned to realize I’d never thought about the Army using those names.

Another speaker was a Black woman who works as a youth defender. She quoted from Ruha Benjamin’s Spelman Convocation 2024 (emphasis mine):
Remember too, that despite the social media slogan, trust black women, you too have to be trustworthy. Black faces in high places are not going to save us.

Just look at the black proponents of Cop City in Atlanta’s leadership class. Black faces in high places are not going to save us. Just look at the black woman, Tan, ambassador at the UN, voting against a ceasefire in Gaza. That is, our blackness and our womanness are not in themselves trustworthy if we allow ourselves to be conscripted into positions of power that maintain the oppressive status quo.

There’s a huge effort now on social media to drive a wedge between Black people and Gaza/Palestine, to fracture the solidarity, so it was really good to hear her reiterate the importance of the shared struggle against oppression.

Despite the disruptions and the glazed-over expressions from many of the Denver Dems volunteers who made it clear they were not interested in new perspectives or pushing their candidate to do the right thing, I’m still glad we went. It always feels good to be in solidarity with others.

If you are still making calls and sending emails to your representatives in regards to Gaza, please push for an arms embargo. If you don’t want to vote for candidates who enable genocide, please let them know you will withhold your vote unless they push for an arms embargo. Remember, if those in power truly want a ceasefire, they must immediately stop sending bombs that shred children.

It’s really that simple.

A story in three acts

/ Tracy Abell / 18 Comments

The other day, I went outside to sit with my camera. Just in case something interesting presented itself. I focused on the zinnias that are finally blooming from the seeds I planted months ago.

Right after taking that photo, the camera still held to my eye, something interesting happened.

A Broad-tailed Hummingbird flew into the frame! Fortunately, the camera speed was fairly high and, four images later, I captured this which was the best of the bunch:

In that brief span of time, all felt right with me and the world. Thank you, little Miss Hummingbird, for the gift of your presence.

When the big picture is too much

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Nature is always, always my refuge, and never more than during hard times. When the world feels too cruel and feelings of overwhelm engulf me, I know to put my focus on the little things. Yesterday I grounded myself by watching these Japanese Beetles on my in-laws’ raspberry plant.

Yes, I know Japanese Beetles are very destructive because they destroy leaves and crops. However, it’s hard to hold a grudge while belonging to the most destructive species on the planet. Humans do a lot more damage than these stunning, iridescent beetles, and yesterday I was grateful to gaze upon their splendor.

This morning as Zippy and I walked Emma around the neighborhood, I paused at a clump of Russian Sage to check out the bee situation. As expected, there were honey bees, but I was especially tickled to notice three grasshoppers perched in various places throughout.

They all seemed to be just chillin’ amongst the purple blooms. I’m in awe of grasshoppers’ intricate bodies and can’t stop looking at this image. How do all those pieces fit together? What percentage of the total body mass are those two enormous eyes? And do their joints ever get tired from all that hopping?

Once again, nature for the win.

Thankful Thursday: hawk edition

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Earlier today, movement outside the window caught my eye. I turned and saw:
Emma running along the fence + a Red-tailed Hawk sitting on the wire + a squirrel jumping into the maple tree right next to the wire + another Red-tailed Hawk landing in that maple tree.

I sent up a prayer for the squirrel as I ran for the camera in the other room. By the time I returned, all I could see were the two hawks. The squirrel must’ve escaped and Emma was elsewhere in the yard, oblivious to having chased that squirrel right toward the hawks.

I photographed the one on the wire through the kitchen window and captured the hawk in the tree by sneakily pushing my big lens through the mini-blinds in Zippy’s office. I was grateful they didn’t startle at my movements and even more grateful they hung around as long as they did. Just moments after getting photos of the tree-sitter, the hawk took off from the wire and the other followed.

I receive these gifts.

Climate Movement Monday: save the Pearl River

/ Tracy Abell / 8 Comments

Hello, again. I took an unscheduled break from my blog because everything felt like too much. Everything still feels like too much, but I want to continue offering information, perspectives, and ways to take action on behalf of people and planet. Because the WordPress community is spread around the world, these Monday climate posts dedicated to specific issues and communities could be viewed as unrelated to your own life and experience, but because I firmly believe we are ALL connected–everyone and everything–I also believe there’s no such thing as an unrelated issue (climate or otherwise). Anything that negatively affects the climate halfway around the world from where you live will eventually have negative consequences for your community. Okay, so let’s get to today’s issue. 🙂

Pearl River at Rosemary by J.G.W.Blakeney (wikimedia)

In September of 2022, I highlighted the flooding in Jackson, Mississippi, that happened when the Pearl River overflowed its banks due to heavy rains. As a result of that flooding, the water treatment plant failed in Jackson which is 82% Black, leaving 150,000 people without clean drinking water. Nearly two years later, Jackson residents are still dealing with low pressure and brown water.

There are plans to address the flooding issues, but the solution being pushed–One Lake–is environmentally devastating. From Healthy Gulf:

Instead of levee improvements, the Rankin-Hinds Pearl River Flood and Drainage Control District, in charge of levees, is sponsoring an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to study dredging and widening 9 miles of the river to create a lake, primarily to please developers and mayors who see an urban waterfront as a money maker for Hinds and Rankin Counties. The cities of Jackson and Flowood will “share” the lake and the Drainage District has taxing power to create bonds to finance it. The plan is to dredge the river wider, remove 1860 acres of riverside wetlands and swamps, set back some levees and construct a new low-head dam below the I-20 Pearl River Bridge. The resulting 1900 acre lake is promised to tame the river’s backwater flooding during large releases. 

The problem is that the wetland and wildlife habitat destruction resulting from this much dredging of banks and riverbed make the “One Lake” project the most environmentally damaging of the three alternatives (lake, levees, and floodplain buyouts) for solving the flooding, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

TAKING ACTION

So what can we do to help support the environment and people of Jackson? Submit comments to the Army Corps of Engineers TODAY! (tomorrow is the deadline for public comments and I apologize for the last-minute notice). As always, personalized letters have the most impact. But you don’t have to put tons of effort into your letter: just make your points and sign off! Here’s the letter template in which I’ve highlighted points to hit:

As someone who cares deeply about our country’s birds, wildlife, and habitats, I ask that you reject all flood relief plans for Jackson, Mississippi, that would dam or dredge the Pearl River. Instead, prioritize and expand on a proposal that can provide effective non-structural and nature-based flood solutions to benefit Pearl River communities and wildlife. Specifically, I urge you to pursue and bolster the Corps’ Draft Environmental Impact Study (DEIS) Alternative A1 and deny Alternatives C, D, and E.

The Pearl River runs from Choctaw Tribal lands in Neshoba County, Mississippi, to Lake Borgne and the Rigolets in coastal Louisiana. It connects nearly 500 miles of ecology, communities, and economies across Mississippi and Louisiana. I urge you to oppose any flood relief plan that would dam or dredge this natural treasure.

The One Lake project and related proposals are all ecologically devastating plans. They would dredge river banks and wetlands, depositing the spoil behind levees to create broad terraces for commercial development. This would destroy thousands of acres of wildlife habitat and worsen Jackson’s flooding and drinking water crisis. It would also expose local and downstream communities to toxic contamination and reduce freshwater flows critical to the region’s seafood and tourism economies.

The DEIS is incomplete and missing sections required by law for adequate public and scientific review. It lacks a full analysis of wildlife habitat impacts, toxic sites, and downstream flows. However, it makes clear that One Lake and all related dam/dredge plans should be rejected. Federally mandated habitat protection areas for two endemic turtle species and the Gulf sturgeon are within the project area and LeFleur’s Bluff State Park would lose 63 acres of hardwood forest, changed to lake bottom. These are just two examples of the damage that the One Lake Project would cause.

Instead, I urge you to pursue effective, environmentally sustainable flood relief proposed in Alternative A1. This includes home elevations and flood-proofing buildings. Expand on this plan to consider restoring floodplains, raising roads, and incorporating levee setbacks and protections for vulnerable Jackson neighborhoods.

Please protect the Pearl River for this and future generations. Reject One Lake and all similar plans. Employ nature-based and non-structural flood solutions that benefit all Pearl River communities and species.

Again, here’s the link for writing a letter. Thank you in advance for reading this far and taking action on behalf of the people and environment in Jackson, Mississippi. Solidarity! ✊🏽

Climate Movement Mondays: public utility commissions (PUCs)

/ Tracy Abell / 12 Comments

Welcome back to another Movement Monday. I hadn’t planned on posting anything today (kinda low energy as I hunker down inside my home to avoid the bad air from the wildfires in Canada), but then came across a very cool resource on the Earthjustice site.

Here’s the page where you can access all the info about Public Utility Commissions (PUCs), but I’ll highlight a bit of the introduction:

In a conference room somewhere in your state, a small, largely unseen group of people is casting votes that could make or break the clean energy transition.

You’ve probably never heard their names, and you might not even know the name of the agency they’re running: the state public utility commission (PUC). Fossil fuel interests would love to keep it that way.

PUCs regulate utilities. (In some states, they have other names, like public service commissions, or PSCs.) They determine the cost of your gas and electricity bills and where your power comes from, whether it’s fossil fuels, hydroelectricity, or renewables like wind and solar.

Day 295 of genocidal war on Palestinians

/ Tracy Abell / 9 Comments

At the end of February, I underwent dental surgery with the help of general anesthesia and pain medication. I wrote about my mixed feelings when contrasting my situation with Palestinians who were, unbelievably, still under siege. At that time, I was shocked and sickened  that the United States had not yet shut off the money and weapons to Israel. I was horrified by the knowledge that while I’d be blissfully sedated during a dental procedure, Palestinian children were having limbs amputated without anesthesia.

Two days ago, I had another dental surgery related to the first and, still, the genocide continues. As for me? Again, I had the privilege of having surgery in a clean, safe environment while under general anesthesia. While I experienced my usual dental anxiety, I did not for one moment fear for my life and well-being. Bombs would not rain down on the building and soldiers would not storm in, aiming guns at me while I sought medical treatment. I was not at risk for infection. I would survive.

It is now Day 295 of the genocidal war on Palestinians, and the barbarity has only intensified. Civilians are being slaughtered at an accelerated rate. Mass starvation, malnutrition, dehydration, and illness are spreading. Every hospital and school in Gaza has been destroyed. Netanyahu blocked the defense minister’s order to build a “temporary hospital” in Israel to treat children from Gaza. 

Photo by Alfo Medeiros (pexels.com)

 

Meanwhile, we in the U.S. are focused on the sham of democracy and free elections as the duopoly forces two monstrous “choices” on the electorate, neither of whom view Palestinians as people worthy of decency and respect. The political theater surrounding November’s election has distracted us from what is actually happening right now, this very minute, as our “leaders” actively enable mass death and destruction.

The Lancet reports the conservative death toll in Gaza is 186,000 people. If you’re able to donate any amount:

  • Donate HERE to the Gaza Health Emergency via the World Health Organization (WHO).
  • Donate HERE to UNRWA, Gaza’s humanitarian aid organization (donations doubled through July 19).
  • Donate HERE to fundraising campaigns in Gaza

If you can make phone calls or send emails to your two senators and one representative, it’s worth letting them know you oppose using our taxes to wreak death and destruction halfway across the world. Feel free to also let them know how you would prefer they spend our taxes. Same for letting Biden know, about his genocide and/or him remaining the presidential candidate.

Thank you for reading this far. Thank you for caring about our shared humanity. Thank you for keeping eyes on Gaza.

Free Palestine!

Grief is the opposite of indifference

/ Tracy Abell / 1 Comment

Gull gliding above Jefferson Lake, July 1, 2024

Becoming aware of grief gives us more choices about how to respond to grief and opens up possibilities to approach grief not only with compassion for self and others, but also with joy. Joy is not the opposite of grief. Grief is the opposite of indifference. Grief is an evolutionary indicator of love — the kind of great love that guides revolutionaries.
~ Malkia Devich-Cyril 

Note: I found that quote in Let This Radicalize You: Organizing and the Revolution of Reciprocal Care by Kelly Hayes & Mariame Kaba (it comes from this essay) and wanted to share it in response to my grief on many fronts: genocide in Gaza, climate collapse, political cowardice, abandonment during a global pandemic, etc. It also feels like a worthy companion to the excerpt shared in Rosaliene Bacchus’s post: Sighting the Storm which resonated with me.

Thankful Thursday: trailrunning

/ Tracy Abell / 22 Comments

Just over three weeks ago, I took a pretty hard fall while running on the trails in the open space. I’ll spare you the image of my left knee that I texted to my sons after limping home (an image that prompted Wildebeest to reply, “Ewwwww. Mother I am squeamish”), and will only say that the last bits of scabbing came off two days ago (to which everyone reading is probably thinking, “Ewwwww, Tracy. We’re squeamish!”) The point is, my knee is healed and while I’d already resumed running on the streets, I was very nervous about trail running again.

I got up at six this morning knowing I needed to run early in order to beat the heat, and checked in with my intuition: run on the trails or run on the streets? Trails. Okay, then. In an attempt to feel slightly more protected, I put on leggings despite temperatures already in the 60s.

Not gonna lie: it’s always scary to run on those rocky trails after a fall and today was no different. It was hard to fully relax and I had to intentionally push images of tripping and falling out of my mind. I talked myself through the run (“You are strong. You are resilient. You are mindful. Feet on the ground, feet on the ground, feet on the ground,”) and tried very hard to be in the moment. Whenever my brain jumped to catastrophe, I reminded it to “be in this moment, with these steps.” [Note: I’m sharing these details to document the experience for myself, but also in case this approach might be helpful for anyone dealing with a trauma.]

I wasn’t alone out in the open space. A large dark butterfly flew right in front of me, bringing a grin. Birds sang (lots of Spotted Towhees with their sweet sweet teeeeea) and when I paused to stretch at the top of the slog, I heard the liquid song of a Western Meadowlark.

Not a great photo but this was my very first Western Meadowlark sighting of the year at Lake Hasty on 4.3.24

While I avoided a particularly rocky segment of the trail, I knew it was imperative I run past where I’d fallen. As I got closer to the scene of the fall, all sorts of feelings and tightness showed up in my body, and I paused to allow myself to feel all of that. As I had immediately after the initial fall, I visualized my left foot hitting the rock in the trail and then rewrote the story in my mind. Instead of slamming into the hard ground, I slid into what was essentially a slip-n-slide of banana pudding (yep, that’s what my brain came up with that day). Both initially and today, I allowed my body to feel that frictionless sensation and then visualized myself laughing as I wiped pudding from my face and hands, and licked it from my fingers. I went through that exercise several times. It’s a somatic experiencing trick I learned from my therapist, and I highly recommend this for releasing trauma from your system. It works. As I walked home from the initial fall, my knee hurt but my body was already more relaxed. And over the next week, whenever the image of falling popped into my head, I reverted to my banana pudding rewrite. Pretty soon, I stopped having “flashbacks.”

Today I’m very grateful that I was able to run on my beloved trails again. I’m grateful I remained upright and I’m grateful for the tools I have to help me recover. I know from past experience that today’s run didn’t fully liberate me from my trauma and that I’ll be tentative for a bit, but facing my fear will go a long way toward getting me back to where I want to be. And where I want to be is out running on the trails. 🙂

Hiking with Emma

/ Tracy Abell / 11 Comments

This is Emma after an enthusiast frolic in the snow next to the trail around Jefferson Lake last Monday.

We’re headed out now for another hike, this time in Golden Gate Canyon State Park, and I’m hoping for Emma’s sake that there’s more snow in her near future. 🙂

Wishing everyone a beautiful day!

Climate Movement Monday: mutual aid

/ Tracy Abell / 12 Comments

Welcome back to Movement Mondays in which we discuss all things climate. And guess what? Climate is connected to every other issue we’re facing for the simple reason that everyone and everything on this planet is connected. No one and nothing exists in isolation.

As I write this, much of the western U.S. is under a heatdome while Hurricane Beryl continues to wreak havoc, this time in Texas. A couple days ago, the medical journal The Lancet published a report saying that a conservative death toll in Gaza is 186,000 dead–which equals 8% of the Palestinian population in the Gaza Strip–when indirect deaths (starvation, illness, disease, etc.) are taken into account. Ten days ago, the Supreme Court ruled that the constitution doesn’t protect unhoused people from cruel and unusual punishment, meaning it’s okay for cities to criminalize people for sleeping outdoors. Extreme weather is difficult even under the best of circumstances (i.e. with housing), and surviving extreme weather is much, much harder for those living on the streets. That’s where mutual aid comes in.

What is mutual aid? Mutual aid is about cooperating to serve community members. Mutual aid creates networks of care and generosity to meet the immediate needs of our neighbors. It also addresses the root causes of challenges we face and demands transformative change. 

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

As it becomes increasingly clear that the powerful elite has no interest in listening to or working on behalf of we-the-people, mutual aid shines brighter as a powerful way to share our energy. I hoped to find a national database of mutual aid efforts around the country that I could link here, but was unsuccessful (many mutual aid efforts started at the beginning of the pandemic have since folded). However, if you do a search for your city + mutual aid, you will get some hits. For instance, Zippy and I help via Rocky Mountain Mutual Aid Network (RMMAN) which collaborates with Joy’s Kitchen to get “saved” food to needy households. We also carry bottled water, granola bars, and masks in our car to offer people flying signs or washing windshields at stop lights. After that disastrous Supreme Court ruling against the unhoused, I came across this very helpful thread listing specific ways to offer aid to the unhoused.

I’ll close with this beautiful poem by the incredible Joy Hargo.

Once the World Was Perfect
BY JOY HARJO

Once the world was perfect, and we were happy in that world.
Then we took it for granted.
Discontent began a small rumble in the earthly mind.
Then Doubt pushed through with its spiked head.
And once Doubt ruptured the web,
All manner of demon thoughts
Jumped through—
We destroyed the world we had been given
For inspiration, for life—
Each stone of jealousy, each stone
Of fear, greed, envy, and hatred, put out the light.
No one was without a stone in his or her hand.
There we were,
Right back where we had started.
We were bumping into each other
In the dark.
And now we had no place to live, since we didn’t know
How to live with each other.
Then one of the stumbling ones took pity on another
And shared a blanket.
A spark of kindness made a light.
The light made an opening in the darkness.
Everyone worked together to make a ladder.
A Wind Clan person climbed out first into the next world,
And then the other clans, the children of those clans, their children,
And their children, all the way through time—
To now, into this morning light to you.
Joy Harjo, “Once the World Was Perfect” from Conflict Resolution for Holy Beings.  Copyright © 2015 by Joy Harjo.
——-
Thank you for reading this far. I’d love to hear your thoughts on any or all of what’s mentioned here, especially any further tips/ideas for helping out in our communities. Either way, take good care. Solidarity! ✊🏽

On this Independence Day

/ Tracy Abell / 10 Comments

On this Independence Day, I suggest we in the United States think about liberating ourselves from one of our most harmful and destructive practices:

MONEY AND WEAPONS TO ISRAEL
“Israel has been the largest cumulative recipient of U.S. foreign aid since its founding, receiving about $310 billion (adjusted for inflation) in total economic and military assistance.” (source). Since October 7, 2023, the U.S. has sent at least 14,000 of its 2,000-pound bombs to Israel for a grand total of 28 million pounds of bombs raining down on Palestinians. And that only accounts for the BIG bombs. Who knows how many more pounds of death have dropped on Gaza.

Image by segobou from Pixabay

On this Independence Day, the thought utmost in my mind is declaring independence from genocide.  No one is free when others are oppressed.

From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.

Wordful Wednesday: flora edition

/ Tracy Abell / 7 Comments

As mentioned,  I spent part of yesterday in the backyard. However, my attention wasn’t solely aimed at birds, bees, and butterflies. I also found beauty in the bindweed blooming at the base of a clump of lamb’s ear.

Backyard.   July 2, 2024

 

Don’t get me wrong: I’m no fan of the invasive bindweed that wraps itself around other plants, choking them off. But the flowers are pretty. I still remember my neighbor’s horror years ago when I’d said as much. The funny thing is, the neighbor who now lives in that house also thinks bindweed flowers are pretty. Still, we both try to keep it at bay. And we’re both wildly unsuccessful.

In addition to the lovely blooms, I have to admire the weed’s tenacity. Bindweed and cockroaches, man. Survival instincts like no other.

Twofer Tuesday: house wren edition

/ Tracy Abell / 14 Comments

Earlier, I was feeling loads of anxiety about the state of the world and planet, and so wisely went outside to sit below the deck for a hit of nature. The lamb’s ear are abuzz with bees and a painted lady butterfly landed on the plant closest to me. A swallowtail butterfly floated past. Various birds sang and then went silent for a while. As I petted Emma who was curled up on the bench next to me, a house wren began singing again. I aimed my camera into the light to capture the songster.

Didn’t catch the wren mid-note, but they were singing their little heart out.

And then I became aware of another wren, this one making the churring sound. That bird was a little farther down the fence.

I took a few more photos, grinning as the first wren continued the melodious song while this one stuck to its churring call. I lowered the camera then squinted, wondering if I was seeing things. No, I wasn’t imagining it!Two wrens, side-by-side. Two fluffy wrens. The baby wrens that’d been very vocal on Saturday as their parents worked tirelessly to feed them. The baby wrens that’d left the nest on Sunday, leaving Zippy and me to wonder where they’d gone. Just minutes before they showed up on the fence, I’d asked him whether young wrens stick around or head to a whole new area on their own. Zippy said he didn’t know.

But now we do know: they stick around!For a while, at least. To learn their calls and songs, and to practice flying.

 

 

Climate Movement Monday: whales, tents, & jail support

/ Tracy Abell / 3 Comments

It’s another Movement Monday and I’ll be extra brief as Zippy and I are headed out for a much-needed dose of nature. I’m grateful to be able to escape to the great outdoors where I can clear my mind and refill my well, and I hope you’re also able to  rejuvenate during these incredibly dark days.

This ask comes from Healthy Gulf and involves personalizing a quick letter:

The critically-endangered Rice’s whale lives only in the Gulf of Mexico and is teetering on the edge of extinction, with only about 50 whales remaining. But rather than protecting them, members of Congress are trying to block desperately needed actions to protect the whales. These whales need your support!

Will you take action today to tell your representatives that you support protections for critically endangered Rice’s whales?

Some members of Congress are attaching anti-whale language to bills that would fund government agencies in 2025. One measure by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) would force the U.S. Air Force to exempt itself from protections for the Rice’s whale under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, even though the Air Force has not requested it and has a long history of working to protect endangered species in its operations. Another would block the federal government from spending any money on creating restrictions on the speed of ships traveling through designated whale habitat—a proven conservation action used worldwide to protect whales from vessel strikes. 

It’s pathological behavior for Congress to ignore the multiple crises threatening humanity’s very existence and, instead, to use their considerable power to target whales for extinction. Whew.

The second issue I want to put on your radar is a fundraiser to buy tents for people in Gaza (just realized they also have a separate fundraiser to buy diapers). The Sameer Project is a donations based aid Palestinian-led initiative working to supply emergency funding to the displaced families in Gaza. They are doing amazing work under incredibly difficult circumstances. This from their GoFundMe update today: The Sameer Project has so far provided over 525+ tents sheltering more than 5,000 people since the Rafah invasion started in May. That accounts for 1.5% of all the displaced population. Not only that, but our team has also been providing cash, clothing, food, water, and medical in all parts of the Strip. Wheelchairs are extremely expensive and difficult to find yet we successfully secured one for a woman with a severe case of Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Our community kitchens and water trucks are going strong in the North because of your support. We also recently sourced around 300 milk tins and 1250 packs of diapers in both the North and South. 

Donations of any amount are greatly appreciated!

The third issue is monetary support for the courageous people of Stop the Money Pipeline who are putting pressure on CitiBank to stop funding fossil fuel projects and genocide in Israel (you can notify Citi you’re opposed their actions here). I wrote about the Summer of Heat campaign here. This from the latest Stop the Money Pipeline email:

In the last three weeks, we’ve helped organize sixteen actions on Wall Street financiers of fossil fuels, including seven civil disobedience protests at Citi’s HQ that have ended in more than 250 arrests.

As a result of our tireless organizing, our message is getting out.

Yesterday, ABC correctly reported that “fossil fuel projects in [the Gulf South] are devastating Black and Brown communities.” Reuters wrote that “Citi employees were alerted on Thursday to anticipate ‘significant protest’ activity on Friday.” The previous day, Bloomberg reported that our “protracted campaign is beginning to wear on employees and executives alike.”

We aren’t deterred by all the arrests. Our resolve is only hardened: we will make our demand to end fossil fuels impossible to ignore by continuing disruptive, nonviolent civil disobedience.

That’s why we’ve been shutting down Citi’s HQ since early June – and why we’ll continue to be back week after week.

To sustain this fight, we need your help. Donate here to our legal and jail support fund. Every cent raised will support the courageous activists risking arrest week after week here in New York.

Again, any amount is helps! Thank you for reading this far and please know how much you’re appreciated. Solidarity! ✊🏽

His poetry and my photo

/ Tracy Abell / 3 Comments

This morning I went into the backyard with the camera and came away with this image from one of our blooming Apache Plumes.

The image reminded me of dancing fairies, delicate and airy. Later, I received an update and thank-you email from a fundraising campaign, sponsored by the Gaza Poets Society, to evacuate two young children from Gaza. The email update stated that due to the continued closure of the Rafah border, the campaign is shifting from evacuation to sustainability (food and basic supplies), and donations of any amount are gratefully accepted.  The thank-you portion of the email was a PDF of the Gaza Poets Society Anthology.

As I read through the poems, Dance with Me made me think of my blooming Apache Plume, and I wanted to share the pairing here. His poetry and my photo, connected across the miles, in honor of our shared humanity.

Dance with Me – Mohammed Moussa

I’ll dance with you
under the rain
in love and pain;
on the seashore of hope
we will sing for life and joy.
We’ll dance
on behalf of absence
in the streets, and
on the outskirts of our city
we’ll flap our wings
lift joy and love
and sing
         and sing

Twofer Tuesday: out my window

/ Tracy Abell / 12 Comments

Today I’m grateful for all the activity that’s viewable from my windows. Just a while ago, I paused my laundry duties to watch house wrens at the nesting box hanging outside the window. Nothing like a little avian activity to lighten the drudgery of dealing with dirty sheets and towels.

Last week, I photographed this youngster eating the nut munch we provide for neighborhood squirrels. I smiled the entire time.

A few minutes later, I was gifted the sighting of this magpie and its colorful plumage. It wasn’t until looking at the photos that I realized a tail feather is damaged. That imperfection doesn’t detract from its beauty, but instead adds to its mystique.

It’s currently 95 degrees and I’m hunkered down inside, grateful for the swamp cooler keeping the house cool-ish and for the windows that allow glimpses of our wildlife visitors.

Climate Movement Monday: declare a national climate emergency

/ Tracy Abell / 6 Comments

Welcome back to another Movement Monday in which we discuss the climate crisis and take a quick action on behalf of people and planet. I don’t have a formal request for an action today, but suggest making phone calls and/or emailing Biden plus your two Senators and one Representative to report on what June has been like where you live. Is it hotter than usual? Windier than usual? Have there been wildfires, floods, tornados, tropical storms, drought, hail storms, etc.? How’s your air quality? Have you had to curtail physical activity? Have you lost insurance coverage due to climate risks?

A Bloomberg article from April stated “White House officials have renewed discussions about potentially declaring a national climate emergency, an unprecedented step that could unlock federal powers…” I don’t have a subscription so could only read that opening, but it seems like a good idea to let Biden and the Democrats know there’s broad support for the declaration of a climate emergency that would unlock all sorts of powers to take action.

When I made calls today, I reported that despite it still being morning, the temperature in the Denver metro area was already above 90 degrees. I went on to say that while those elected officials possessed considerable power that could be used to mitigate the climate crisis, they were instead using that power to enable and support a genocide in Gaza, and total destruction of infrastructure via 262 days of nonstop bombing that was also accelerating the climate crisis. I pointed out that the majority of people do NOT want their tax dollars used to kill and destroy, and would prefer a climate emergency declaration that would get everyone working together to ensure the planet remains livable.

On a related note, last week organizer Kelly Hayes shared the link to a Truthout article Climate Refugees Are Occupying Abandoned Buildings in Southern Brazil. This not only ties in with Rosaliene Bacchus’s recent blog post, but also gave me a boost. People coming together to care for each other in time of tragedy.

“This is our lifeboat,” says Liziane Pacheco Dutra. She wears a thick black jacket. Her hair is pulled back in a pony tail. “We lost everything to the flood. We have nothing. We have no bed. No food. We were disrespected at the shelter, and here we have found a connection, care and open arms. We’ve made friends. The kids play together and we are looking after each other.”

People were not treated well in the shelters which are mostly run by middle and upper class people who show the working class little respect. Instead, people are forming communities in abandoned buildings.

It’s a profound sentiment and a symbol of what the occupation means for the nearly 60 families that live here.

I recommend reading the entire article which shows what happens when people come together for the common good. Reading it warmed my heart and filled me with hope for the many possibilities available to us. Shared humanity for the win!

Wherever you are, I hope your local temperatures and weather are moderate. I’d love if you shared details of your June in the comments and/or comments made to your elected officials. Either way, please take care and stay safe. Solidarity! ✊🏽