Author Archives: Melissa Fischer

Maine Retreat

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Wrapped in the warmth of a wonderfully soft, fleece blanket, steaming mug of green tea in hand, I settled on the deck and watched. Watched Chickadees, Titmice, and Nuthatches at the feeder just feet from me. Watched two loons swimming a ways across the lake. Watched the morning light transform the distant mountains from misty outlines to purple splendor to the full glory of fall colors.

So began my days last week while on retreat in a cabin on Wilson Lake in central Maine. This wasn’t my typical solitary retreat, as I went with a close friend, but it also included time for private reflection, personal evaluation, and contemplation. How could one not become quiet and thoughtful before such a magnificent display of God’s creation?
My friend Sarah and I took a week away as a writers’ retreat, and write we did (and cook, and eat, and hike, and sit on the dock star-gazing, and canoe on the lake, etc). Every day we did one or more ten minute writing exercises, which we then shared and discussed. Those conversations led to discussions of our writing styles, subjects, and goals, and to mutual encouragement as we enjoyed each others’ strengths in writing. Sarah made some long term plans and got a good start on her next writing project. I worked on various writings, including some memoir-type selections and a short article about how crating can be a stress-reducing haven for a dog, with my old dog Bilbo as an example. That article is posted on the My Smart Puppy blog.
As I always do on retreat, I spent much of my time in silence, sometimes reading, sometimes journaling– either in my private journal or my artist’s sketchbook/journal, and sometimes just quietly observing nature and musing. As I started this retreat, a friend, Cindy Steffen of the Prairie Pond Woods blog that I follow, emailed me some questions that she had recently used when she led a retreat, and I pondered and wrote on these questions throughout the week (the questions, with some modifications, come from the book The Questions of Jesus, by John Dear):
  • What are you thinking in your heart? (a clearing of the mind exercise)
  • What are you looking for? (passions? desires?)
  • What do you want me (Jesus) to do for you?
  • Did not the maker of the outside also make the inside? (dealing with integrity)
  • Will you lay down your life for me (Jesus)? (what does that mean, etc?)
  • What is your name? (playing with God’s proclivity to rename and Jesus’ to nickname)
As all retreats come to an close, this one did too, but, as usual, I have come home with an inner peace and quiet that has me listening more than speaking and that holds me calm and steady in the midst of the storm raging outside.

Lake Wilson Sunset (plein air watercolor)
Artist’s journal pages (click to see larger image) 

Maine Colors– Scenery and Birds

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Today was one of those crystal clear days when I can’t get enough of the fresh air, the sunshine, and the scenery. From the moment I woke up and looked out the window of my bedroom (the window is right over the bed, so I can look out without even sitting up), I was entranced with the colors. At first the sky was just brightening up and there was a long line of orange over the hills opposite our cabin. Soon the sky was a soft pinkish, with violet clouds across the lake and dusky rose-colored clouds over the mountains at the north end of the lake. All day long the lighting and colors shifted. I did several sketches as I sat and pondered the thoughts and questions that came to mind throughout the day.

Yesterday when Sarah and I were walking in some nearby fields, we saw our first Bohemian Waxwings– a flock of about six were flitting from tree to tree! I have seen Cedar Waxwings many times, and when I saw these I thought at first that was what they were, but then I noticed the different color of the undertail coverts and the white on the wing edges. Their voice is also a bit different. While we were watching these pretty birds, a Bald Eagle soared far overhead and disappeared into the colors of the hills.

Maine Night Sky

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The Big Dipper hung huge above the far side of the lake, each star punctuating the indigo of the night sky. I followed the end of the dipper out to the North Star– bright and clear, with every point of the Little Dipper visible. 


When I woke during the night last night, I lay on my bed in this beautiful rental cabin on a lake, looking out at stars more numerous and twinkling with more brilliance than I have seen in a long time. I couldn’t sleep for some time, but I didn’t mind; it was worth a few hours of lost sleep for the opportunity to savor the tapestry before me. Opening my window, I lay listening to the lapping of waves against the dock, while filling my soul with the light from above– a wonder-filled night.

O Lord my God! When I in awesome wonder
Consider all the works Thy hand hath made.
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.
Refrain:
Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to Thee;
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to Thee; 
how great Thou art, how great Thou art!

Ann

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My dear friend Ann passed away recently. Ann was one of the building blocks
of who I am, not in large dramatic ways, but in so many small ways that, when I
think about it, I see her imprint all over my days, affecting in some way or
another how I raised my children, how I relate to Stephen, the ways I pray and
meditate on Scripture, my willingness (that has never come naturally) to speak
up when someone is headed for trouble.
Ann and I met shortly after she
moved to the Ithaca, NY area, when she came to our small house church one
evening. I don’t remember first meeting her, but I would guess that she introduced
herself to me—she is far more sociable than I, and I was probably hanging back,
a bit shy and reserved. Right from the start, she became family to us, mostly
as a much-needed source of wisdom and encouragement to me, a young wife and
expectant mother at the time, but also a warm and loving person in our
children’s younger years, and a fun, wise friend for all of us. One of my
children said he always had a sense of “her support, and a sense of her love,
faith, and very profound kindness when she visited. It seems like she was like
an aunt or grandmother to us…”
And there’s so much more—Ann’s
openness to reading all sorts of books and the many recommendations she passed
on to me, both classic literature and interesting new books on all sorts of
topics. We probably talked about what we were each reading in every
conversation we had. The fun we had cooking together in my kitchen when she
would visit, companionably sharing life. The wonderful stories of her children
and extended family members, most of which in some way or another exemplified
God’s faithfulness and Ann’s trust in him. Her insights into each of my
children’s personalities and strengths and into mine as well.
It wasn’t that we always saw things
the same way, because we didn’t. Ann was adventurous in her thinking and
attitudes, while I am more skeptical and cautious by nature, but we always
loved and respected each other and were always interested in each others’
thoughts. To hear that she is no longer here is hard to believe and very hard
to accept. I will miss her always, but will always carry with me some of the
ways she influenced my life and who I am.
Perhaps foremost, Ann’s example of
faith, no matter the circumstances, influenced me deeply and helped me grow in
trusting and loving God. She was never without Jesus, not just in the sense
that he was always with her as he is with all believers, but also in the way
she was constantly aware of his presence and in open, easy communication with
him. I got to know him better through spending time with Ann. Perhaps that is
what I will miss the most. Ann’s wonderful smile must be brightening heaven now
and I look forward to a joyful reunion when I see her again. We will have much
to catch up on.
This passage comes to mind when I think of Ann and her abiding
faith in God:

Though
the fig tree does not bud
    and there are no grapes on the vines,
though
the olive crop fails
    and the fields produce no food,
though
there are no sheep in the pen
    and no cattle in the stalls,
 yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
    I will be joyful in God my Savior.
 The Sovereign Lord is my strength;

    he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
    he enables me to go on the heights.
                                    Habakkuk 3:
17-19


Here are a
couple of poems that Ann wrote on scraps of paper when she was visiting us:

Crocuses
Beneath the Snow






Crocuses beneath the snow, 



     
do you know- do you know


How near is the sun,

That winter is done,
And you will tiptoe forth
With a sudden golden sound,
Crocuses beneath the snow,
     
Do you know?     3/21/89
Hemingway’s
Heroes
Hemingway’s heroes move me, but not in
the way you might think;
His lovers don’t move me to love-
            His
drunkards don’t move me to drink;
With his anglers I’ll not go a
fishing,
            With
his hunters not follow the trail;
His men can have all of his women,
            His
women each bull fighting male.
His boxers can box themselves silly,
toss each other right out
of the ring;
When they land with a thud in a puddle
of blood
I personally don’t feel a
thing.
Yet Hemingway’s heroes move me to
            Cry
out with all of my might,
“If I earnestly try, I wonder if
            I
like Earnest could learn to write.
(written July 1999?)

 

“Connecting with Nature” Exhibition in Wayland, MA

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My second solo art exhibition opens this Saturday at the Wayland Public Library near Boston. I’m busily getting ready now, matting and framing paintings, printing out labels, planning for the opening reception, and getting ready to travel to Wayland.

I’ve just cut the mat for a triptych of Alaska paintings– that was a time-consuming operation!

 I’ll have several other landscapes from our trip to Alaska, as well as some landscapes from various spots I’ve painted around this beautiful country.

Vassar Farm (plus goats)

James River in Buchanan, Virginia

New Hampshire Fields

And, of course, some bird paintings…

Barred Owl

Burrowing Owl

Loggerhead Shrikes

This is a small sampling of my works. If you want to see more, come on out Saturday afternoon for the opening reception or anytime until September 26th.

Saturday, September 8, 2012
3:00-5:00 PM
Wayland Public Library
5 Concord rd
Wayland, MA

Outer Banks: June 2012

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Pink and orange streaks spread from the sky to color the glassy still open waters of the marsh that are broken only by a snake swimming, head held high, from one bank slowly across to the reeds on the other side. Five wild horses- one chestnut, two blacks, and two palominos- smooth flanks and flaxen manes glowing in the evening light, graze peacefully, heads deep in the reeds. A frog breaks the silence, and suddenly an exuberant chorus is filling the evening with the music of the marsh, accented by the nearby singing of a Common Yellowthroat from atop his wax myrtle tree. The Yellowthroat, and another across the open water, continue proclaiming their territories in song, but the frog chorus waxes and wanes repeatedly during the time we spend on the boardwalk.

Swimming snake

In the morning, a little ways inland from the marsh, I see the bright yellow-orange colors and domed shell of an Eastern box turtle in the muddy undergrowth- the second I’ve seen while here this week. A female, I think, since the eyes are brown, not red. I love these slow moving denizens of the land, so vulnerable to habitat destruction, cars, and collectors that is a somewhat rare treat to see them these days. 

Box Turtle in the sand near our house here
Such a pretty pattern!

Walking further, Stephen and I are surrounded by loblolly pines and widely spreading, shade-casting live oaks, replete with birds– Robins, Carolina Chickadees, a Red-eyed Vireo, numerous Pine Warblers singing their musical trill, and a red-bellied Woodpecker moving up a pine trunk. A young Boat-tailed Grackle in a treetop begs his parents for food and a Great Egret passes overhead, croaking deeply as he flies.

We step out of the woods to the marsh edge to see rusty red dragonflies zipping over the reeds, devouring mosquitoes. We love dragonflies! Looking across the sound, we see Monkey Island, an isolated island that hosts breeding Egrets and other birds– a rookery. 

All those white spots are Great Egrets- hundreds of them!
Osprey

Alaska: June 11

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Last full day in Alaska (for now). It was misty and drizzly this morning– perfect for me, since my face is rather sunburned and I’d prefer to stay out of the sun today. We hiked down to Horseshoe Lake- a short, easy hike– this morning and again this evening. The whole time we’ve been in Alaska I’ve been hoping to see one of the other chickadee species than the Black-capped Chickadees we have at home. This morning at Horseshoe Lake we saw a pair of Boreal Chickadees and I was hoping to see them again this evening. They were hiding when we went back, but the reflections on the lake were worth the trip back. I had also been trying to find a Swainson’s Thrush since our first morning here at Denali, and we saw one posing beautifully for us right at the trailhead of the Horseshoe Lake trail.

This time in Alaska has been a dream come true, and I suspect that after we’re home, it will be hard to imagine that it was more than a dream. I have loved the cool temperatures, the rain and mist, the sunshine on the mountains, the snow- especially on the mountains, the friendliness of all the people, the spruce fragrance of the taiga forests, the gray color of the glacial streams, the variety of birds, the hiking, and so much more. Most of all, the time together with Stephen in these beautiful places has been wonderful; I am so thankful we have been able to do this!

Gray Jay

Swainson’s Thrush
Spotted Sandpiper
Beaver dam
Arctic Ground Squirrel
Misty rock formation
Taiga forest- like a fairy land

 New birds today: Swainson’s Thrush, Boreal Chickadee

Alaska: June 10

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“Congratulations on being alive!”

That’s how a ranger greeted me when I stepped from the willow-filled river Savage River basin onto the road. Apparently there was a large grizzly moving rather quickly in our direction, as I sat by the river painting and Steve sat quietly nearby. “Quietly” was our mistake; we knew we needed to be making noise as we hiked, so that we wouldn’t come upon a bear and surprise it, but apparently we also needed to make noise when sitting still, so that a bear wouldn’t inadvertently come upon us and be surprised by our presence in his space. Thankfully we are here to tell the tale!

Moose
Savage River
A small glacier in the Savage River valley

Wolf Tracks along the high, narrow trail
Wolf track and my hand

Stephen on the steep slope
Trail on STEEP, HIGH slope

This V-shaped valley was carved by a river, hence the steep sides.

Tundra wildflowers beside trail

Aza

White-crowned Sparrow- they were ubiquitous
Willow Ptarmigan
Snowshoe Hare
Painting beside the Savage River in the U-shaped valley

This U-shaped valley was carved by a glacier, hence the broad, flat valley.
Stephen resting beside the Savage River
Grizzly bear track!
New bird today: Willow Ptarmigan

Alaska: June 9

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I’ve been doing better with my fear of heights and can now climb pretty high on a ladder, hike on some fairly high, steep slopes, or go up on our roof. Today, though, my acrophobia was tested, and I think I nearly poked holes in the bus seat by clenching it with white knuckles, as we rode the shuttle bus (a school bus) through Polychrome Pass on our trip to Eielson Visitor Center and back on the Park Road. The road is narrow, gravel, and has shoulders that slope downward and outward, with no guard rails. Here is something I found online about Polychrome Pass at Denali National Park:

Once you cross the East Fork River at Mile 44 (there is great hiking out onto the flats from here), you begin your ascent of Polychrome Pass, one of the most spectacular and sphincter-clamping sections of the road. If you’re scared of heights or become frightened at the 1,000-foot drop-offs, just do what the driver does—close your eyes. From Over Polychrome Pass to Eielson

Caribou
Stephen on the Alpine Ridge Trail

I love the misty mountains!
Caribou
Dall sheep on a high pasture
Dall sheep on rocky ledges

Caribou are some of my favorites here
Toklat River Valley

New birds today: Rock Ptarmigan, Golden Eagle

Alaska: June 8

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Click on the photos to see them better…

Arctic Ground Squirrel
Stephen on the trail
Gray Jay
Spruce Grouse
Just above the Mt. Healey Overlook
That white dot is me painting (from where Stephen hiked farther up)

Steep trail
Stephen at Mt. Healey Overlook- he actually hiked much farther and higher

View from Mt. Healey (where Stephen hiked while I painted lower down)
Caribou in the valley

New birds for my life list today: Bufflehead, Spruce Grouse