Sanctuary at Crowfield Farm

Feathers

Steve Aman — Fri, 04 May 2012 00:43:36 +0000

The large dark object caught my
eye as I was driving down Rt. 88. One glance revealed a large tom turkey in
full display, a couple of hens pecking breakfast from the ground nearby,
oblivious to his preening. Springtime was arriving in upstate New York, and the
tom’s display of bronze, green and blue feathers was a reflection of the winged
ones intentions all over the land.

It is ironic that I have a wood
duck house in my garage that I had wanted to put up on the edge of the pond
back by the lean-to this winter. Because
of the unusual warm weather, the pond never froze over in a manner that allowed
me to put up the house. I was walking back in the woods, a mere shout from the
pond a few days ago. I wanted to see what wild flowers were emerging for the
upcoming wildflower walk. Seems the deer have taken a liking to the trilliums,
and there are a million stubs where they have nipped off the leaves and
blossoms. But the walk was rewarding as I looked up at the motion in the trees
and my eyes landed on a pair of perching wood ducks about forty feet up in a
maple tree. I wonder if they were looking for a nesting box.

After I burned off our farm
brush pile a number of years back, our resident mockingbirds left for greener
pastures. I was elated a couple of weeks back when I first saw that distinctive
spotty pattern on a bird, and quickly heard his amazing array of mimicked
songs. Dang, my beloved mockingbirds were back for a visit. Even better, they
were there in the back yard repeatedly for the next several days, and then I
discovered that they have decided to grace us with a nest in the Austrian pine
trees on the south edge. Man, can that bird sing!

I love seeing kestrels. These
little hunters can so easily blend into the landscape and go unnoticed, but
they have a mighty heart, and are so cool to watch fly. I had never heard one
give a mating call until a couple of days ago. I had to look three times to see
that it was indeed a kestrel, and it’s single note call was obvious even to my
weak ears. Sure enough, looking in the same direction that he was looking, I
soon spotted his intended across the back yard.

Two days later, I was looking
out the door over the deck and saw a bird inspecting one of the various bird
houses attached to the old beech carcass. Damn if it wasn’t a kestrel, checking
out a potential apartment for springtime occupation.

All my relations, Steve

Perspective

Steve Aman — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 13:10:26 +0000

My friend Jen told me about a new program a month or two back, Super Soul Sunday. It is produced by Oprah. Now, over the years, I’d heard many folks rave about Oprah, but I’d never really paid attention, nor watched her show. Something made me take a look at Super Soul Sunday, however, and I’ve been a fan since I watched my first episode several weeks back.
Today, I watched an episode that told the story of a couple that had lost their 21 year old son in the Twin Towers tragedy. Eventually, they were awarded 1.2 million dollars as loss compensation. The dad said they should take the money, but the mom said that they could not do that without making it stand for something that their son, Peter, would have been proud of. So they took the money and they began a series of clinics in Uganda, home to some serious trauma.
I was shocked to learn today that the vast majority of the citizens of Uganda suffer serious trauma in their lives, and that the average number of times that they suffer serious trauma is seven! I sat in awe as several folks were interviewed and told their stories through someone else, as they were too affected to even look at the camera.
We all get one life to live, and how we spend it is up to us. And, there are so many who face such amazing obstacles and challenges that it boggles the mind. At home, I sometimes fret about the price of gasoline, or worry about what retirement might look like. Having crossed the 60 year old threshold, I am more aware of aches and pains. But the reality is that what most of us face in our everyday lives here in America is like a tiny ripple on the pond of life. There are so many that face not only one tsunami, but repeated storms throughout their lives. Thanks, Oprah, for putting things in perspective.
All my relations,
Steve

Location

Steve Aman — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 13:50:21 +0000

Mary and I raised our kids in a wonderful setting. We lived on 6 acres, with three ponds in the back that were created when miners used horses in the 1800’s to strip mine for iron ore. Some of the pits filled in with water, and it was a great source of joy in all seasons. Spring would bring forth the serviceberries growing all around the hills, summer was always open season on the bass that populated the ponds. Fall brought out the glory of the smattering of sugar maples surrounding the ponds, and the water always reflected the majestic colors back twofold. And winter meant hours of ice skating for the whole neighborhood.
I thought we were blessed with a multitude of wildlife for the whole family to enjoy there, as we saw deer, an occasional turkey, ducks on the water. And it always seemed as though there were plenty of flocks of geese to see in spring and fall. Little did I know what real numbers of geese looked like.
Nearly ten years ago, Mary and I decided to move 20 miles further east, as our old town was getting pretty built up and we found ourselves longing for more space. We ended up in a great town, Arcadia, New York, which is just that much closer to the amazing Montezuma Wildlife Refuge. Montezuma is considered a major flyway for all kinds of birds, and geese are far and away the most numerous.
If we saw 5,000 geese in a season at our old digs, we now easily see 100,000 geese flying over, around, nearby and landing on the 120 acres that we now live on and call Sanctuary. With global climate change now an undisputed reality, I am seeing the numbers of early migrating geese increasing as well.
This morning when I took Trip for his morning walk, it was one of those magical days when it seems that all is right in the world. There were at least a dozen large flocks of 100 or more birds flying in sight, with 30 or 40 smaller flocks intermingled. I could feel the warmth of the sun melting the frost off the grass, and it raised my spirits along with the temperature. Looking to the south, I could see the buffalo grazing on exposed grass, no snow to paw aside. A pileated woodpecker hammered out his cadence in the woods, and the redwing blackbirds were calling, a sure sign that spring is here. What a great gift from Creator starting a day like this.
All my relations,
Steve

Mornin’

Steve Aman — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 15:24:40 +0000

My daily early morning walks with Trip are becoming a wonderful gift to me. We first
step outside when I rise and let him out of his crate so he can relieve himself. At 12 weeks today, I am delighted that he is doing
so well with his potty training. We go back inside and continue the ritual with me making a pot of coffee while he
sits rapt two feet away, knowing what the next step is: papa makes kibble breakfast!

When we brought the little munchkin home four weeks ago, he knew nothing of the outside
world, just time in his crate with his littermates. Now, in this brief span, he
has immersed himself in a world of new experiences, smells, sounds, sights,
feelings. At first, when we would put his food dish on the floor, he devoured
it in a short moment. Now, he takes his time, eating a portion, wagging his way
over to me for a scratch behind the ears, or a nibble on my pantleg, then back
to the food bowl for another taste. He actually takes around 15 minutes to
enjoy his cupful of kibbles.

We’ve had a mild winter, though there has been plenty of precipitation, mostly in the form
of rain. The water table should be in good shape going into spring planting
season. We’ve also been blessed with an abundance of sunshine, and this morning
was a glorious preview of spring right around the corner. It’s late February, and there is a couple of
inches of fresh snow on the ground. This morning, Trip and I took our second
walk, a longer, more leisurely stroll after he has finished his breakfast and
given it a few moments to digest. Galakwa, brother sun, is out bright, and we
could hear a cardinal calling it’s spring mating call. As we walked past the
lone, majestic sycamore tree that is my emotional anchor for the direction of
the east, I could not help but say an outloud “Mornin’” to that relative. It
got me in the mood, and I found myself talking aloud to the maple, the pine,
the robin, the milkweed, the few clouds in the sky and the spruce trees.

I learned the value of starting each day with an attitude from my Dad. He taught me to
comb my hair, wash my face, brush my teeth and to say good morning to anyone
within earshot. Today I am grateful for the teachings, as I put an emotional
smile on my heart, greeting these relatives with an attitude of joy.

All my relations, Steve

Following Intuition

Steve Aman — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 15:07:58 +0000

It’s been a long time since I wrote an entry in this blog. Since the last time, my good, good friend Nell has crossed over. Mary and I have been moving through our grief and loss of this exquisite spirit being present in our lives in such a profound way.

We knew when Nell left us in September that at some point in the future, we would bring another dog home with us. And, I in particular needed every one of the days that have ensued to get to a point where it did not seem disrespectful to Nell to welcome another canine into our home. As my friend Tom recently pointed out, Nell would want us to be happy, and if that means a new hound, then okay, bring it on!

We’ve been looking online at kennels for a month or more, and had our eye on two in particular that seemed to have breeding programs that appealed to us. Last week, we decided to drive to Penn Yan to visit one of those kennels, just “to look”. Well, you can guess what happened. We saw the pups, the parents and the other dogs and ended up putting a deposit on a male yellow lab. We never “intended” to leave there with a commitment to a dog, but we followed our hearts and got our result! Mom and Dad dogs really just caught our attention, and we decided that we needed to have a pup from that particular litter.

Put our deposit down, pulled out the driveway, and Mary asked me: what do you think we should name him? Honestly, it was as though a voice was speaking in my head: Trip. Now, I’ve been working real hard on listening to the voice of Spirit, following intuition, or gut, or heart, or whatever you want to call it. Usually, it’s not so obvious, but this time, it came through loud and clear.

We go to pick up Trip in 13 days. I keep catching myself projecting way out, comparing Trip and Nell, and when I do, I have to fall back on some of the wisdom I’ve accumulated over the years. It’s never fair to anyone when I compare, especially not fair to me. It puts unnecessary and imposing expectations on people/dogs, and it also removes a lot of the opportunity to live in the moment.

I have no doubt that Trip will turn out to be exactly what we are supposed to have in our lives at this point in time. I’m not so sure that Pete (the cat) will feel the same way!
All my relations, Steve

Mid-Winter Blessings

Steve Aman — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 15:01:00 +0000

I live in an area where the glaciers left their mark in obvious ways those thousands of years ago. Behind our house, we have a hill that runs north and south, the direction that the glaciers moved on their slow, determined journey all those millennia ago. These hills are called drumlins, and they give our neighborhood tat character of rolling farmland, woods, meadows and marshlands that make it so attractive.

Early this morning I took our new lab puppy, Trip, for our morning walk out back. It was one of those pristine early spring mornings that begin to wake up the feelings that shirtsleeve weather is right around the corner. Problem is, it’s only early February.

I am blessed to live on the edge of the Montezuma flyway, and that gifts me with many sightings of migrating birds of all sort, especially Canada geese. Now, I have always lived in an area where geese were fairly common, but until I moved here to this land, I never knew the sheer numbers that they can amass.

The sunrise was beautiful, the wind calm. Robins called in the early morning, perhaps being lulled this far north a bit early because of our mild winter.

I heard them before I could see them, but I looked to the south to try and locate the flock. The first thing I saw was the bison standing on top of the drumlin, just off the edge of the beaming sun. Another of my blessings is that I have these American buffalo as neighbors, and depending on their mood, sometimes they are in sight, at others they prefer to go into the woods portion of their fenced in pasture.

In a moment, the scene of the sun, hill and buffalo became a moving display as a flock of a hundred or so geese flew across the view. Trip briefly stopped his puppy ramblings and sat down beside where I stood looking, he too marveling at the sight. This is only his tenth day of being out in “the real world”. It’s the beginning of my seventh decade. No doubt, both of us felt the blessings of this moment deep in our center.

All my relations, Steve

Drumming for Peace 2011

admin — Fri, 27 May 2011 15:36:07 +0000

Title: Drumming for Peace 2011
Location: Crowfield Sanctuary
Description: Drumming for Peace

SECOND ANNUAL BENEFIT FOR SANCTUARY
Dream it, experience it, believe it.
Join us in a prayerful expression of peace:
24 hours of drumming on the drumlin at Sanctuary.
Start Date: 2011-10-23
End Date: 2011-10-25

Raw

Steve Aman — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 16:08:02 +0000

I was in the vets office picking up meds for Nell when I saw them. Fiftyish, dressed kind of shabby, a bit scruffy looking. She checked in at the desk while he sat down on the bench, clutching something small wrapped in a blanket. At first I thought he might be drunk, or drugged up. I couldn’t help glancing in their direction as she sat beside him, took out a Kleenex and handed it to him. He quietly blew his nose, then wiped tears from his eyes. I realized that they had come to give the hardest act of love a pet owner can give to their four legged.

As tears welled up in my own eyes and I swallowed the lump that had suddenly appeared there, I was struck by several things at once. First, I realized how quickly I still jump to judgment. This is a piece I have worked on for years, and am so aware that I have miles to go. I also realized that I am emotionally right on the edge at this point in my life.

I wanted so badly to come up with some profound words that I could say to this couple, yet I did not want to intrude on their grief and sorrow. They had each other, as was evidenced by the lady putting her head on the man’s shoulder. A door opened and they got up with their small bundle and walked through that portal into the next part of their journey.

I finished my business and got in my truck. My best friend Chris had called a few moments before, and I wanted to wait until I was out of the vets office and in my truck, sensing what was coming. I called him back, and started telling him the story of what I just witnessed as the tears and sobbing began in me. I needed to share this story with someone, and the Universe provided Chris at this moment. When I told him I didn’t know why I was reacting this way, he said: “I think you have a pretty good idea. It might have something to do with the fact that your Dad just died, and that Nell is dieing.” Of course I knew he was right. I shared that I felt like going up to that couple and giving them a hug, but just couldn’t bring myself to do it. Chris commented that wouldn’t it be a great world if we could see more of that.

It feels like a missed opportunity to me that I did not convey my empathy to these two grieving human beings in some way. And maybe I’m just raw from events in my life. I will offer tobacco and say a prayer for these nameless folks. And I will pray that the next time I will have the words and the courage to speak them. After all, they gave me a powerful gift.

All my relations,
Steve

Dog Medicine

Steve Aman — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 19:37:13 +0000

I have an opportunity once each week at my men’s circle to claim a “stretch”. This is simply me naming something that I will do, setting a time deadline, and usually making it a goal that feeds me in some manner. It also helps that by saying it out loud to the other men in my circle, I know that I will be held accountable.
Last Wednesday at circle I claimed the stretch to go and visit my sacred spot before next weeks circle. I’ve been feeling a bit ungrounded spiritually, and I know that my physical nature is out of balance, so this seemed like I could kill two birds with one stone.
I just got back from a visit to my SS with Nell. I woke up this morning, knowing that I would go today, but when I looked at the thermometer and it read 7 degrees, I decided to wait until after lunch and the cold had lifted a bit.
I left the snowshoes behind this time, a decision made easier knowing that we had a couple of dozen people tramping the snow down two days ago during our annual snowshoe day at Sanctuary. I also decided to take Nell with me, despite the fact that she is suffering from that tumor in her hip. I figured a bit of exercise would be good for her, and that with the packed trail, she would not have to bust through much deep snow and perhaps aggravate things.
I sat in my sacred spot, contemplating a bit about Sanctuary and sundance. Nell eagerly investigated the various smells that permeated the area, tail wagging a steady rhythm to some tune beyond my hearing. Occasionally she came over to me, insisting on a rubbing of my mittened hand on her muzzle. Tail still wagging! Off she went to sniff that track over there. Tail wagging!
It struck me how happy she is. She is dieing and still finds joy in life. I love the teachings of the elders, and was reminded of the one which says that we are all teachers for each other. One of my teachers also says that humans are the only animals that do not remember their original instructions from the beginning of time to be joyful. Nell has been a good mentor for me, teaching me the art of being joyful and alive. She demonstrates over and over again what it means to be living in the moment. It is good dog medicine. Nyaweh for the gifts, my friend! Today I am more joyful.

All my relations,
Steve

The Invitation

Steve Aman — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 18:43:35 +0000

We held our 5th Annual Sanctuary Snowshoe Day yesterday, had a great turnout of about 22 folks of all ages. These events are amazing opportunities to form community for a weekend, a day or even a few hours like yesterday.
Our good friends, Chris and Sharon, are hosting a young Indonesian exchange student this school year. Angie has been a guest in our home a number of times, and she always brings a special energy with her. She had never seen snow before this year, and she is certainly getting an eyeful! She is game to try many new things, and yesterday was snowshoeing with us Sanctuarians.
A few of us sat around the dinner table while Mary served up fresh homemade pizza last night. As is our custom, we tend to invite someone who doesn’t live under our roof to say a blessing. I got a pretty clear hit to invite Angie to give that blessing last night. At first, she was very hesitant, shaking her head. Then, Chris invited her to share something from the Koran with us, and she said “is that okay?”. We enthusiastically encouraged her and the look of joy on her face was astounding! I don’t know what she said, as she spoke it and prayed in her native tongue. I know in my heart that it was a blessing indeed, fore all I needed to do was to see the bliss on her face. It was brief, a short acknowledgement of Spirit, and a great piece to add to the richness of the day. Nyaweh, Grandfather, for the gift of diversity.

All my relations,
Steve