Category Archives: rural doctor

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sober garden

For the Ragtag Daily Prompt: garden.

We have beer gardens at many local events. Centrum music, the Wooden Boat Festival. People have to show identification to get into the beer garden and must keep the drink in there.

I want to start a Sober Garden as well as a Beer Garden. Let’s have a substance free area, roped off, for families and those who are choosing not to use substances, alcohol, opioids, tobacco, meth, whatever. At the events with families, the Beer Garden is roped off, but let’s rope both off. Let us have a Sober Garden and have food trucks and drinks and welcome families and welcome people who are not drinking alcohol or using other substances.

Let’s bring children out to the music and let families set a conscious example. There is no stigma if it is a Sober Garden for families and to support the whole community, including those recovering from addiction. Let us make it conscious and attractive.

When we rope off the Beer Garden and check identification to get in, aren’t we sending the message to the youth, especially teens, this is special, you are not allowed. Let us reverse that and have a bracelet for those going in to the Sober Garden. A sticker, a garden for families, a garden for people healing, a garden for making a different choice.

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music by Mike and Ruthy: simple and sober. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsFlHuhDP0A

My garden waiting under snow for spring.
Spring buds in the ornamental plum, with a bird.

Sometimes it takes a while to warm up to an idea. But spring will come and warmth.

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scarcity

The robins come in early. The tree looks like one of those find it games, or a puzzle where the pieces all look the same. They fly in and out of the tree and sometimes all take flight at once.

Others wait in the tall trees across the street, alert for danger.

robins on guard and waiting to eat

At home I saw another smaller flock in a tree in my yard. A flock of smaller birds joined them. It is the silhouette that tells their story.

Cedar waxwings join a flock of robins.
Cedar waxwings join a flock of robins.

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flare

For the Ragtag Daily Prompt: flare.

Tictoc’s ruff of feathers look black from the side, but flare to scarlet and pink when seen straight on. That flare must help this small bird chase the larger ones away.

"Tictoc", a hummingbird, in a snowy lilac.

Tictoc has been chasing chickadees and towhees away over the weekend, no respect for larger size. But I had a second hummingbird sitting in the lilac at the same time.

Female Anna's hummingbird sitting in a snowy lilac bush.