周六8/22

中午12：30才出门。骄阳照耀着大地，空气干燥炽热，感觉飓风伊萨耶重袭东海岸前持续着的恼人热浪再度袭来。广播里说这个夏季被HOT WAVE袭击，温度比往年高，持续的时间比往年长。 我原本不是个关注天气的人，今年因为开始关注自然了，所以也开始留意天气温度，才发现四季里的风雨阴晴。

正午时分，路上几乎没人，路上只见到两个像是专门挑选在烈日下挑战自我的跑步者。林里的所见，让我心惊。才隔一日，林子像变被变了魔术似的，一下子稀梳得不成样子。林间的树木下的落叶积实成了厚垫子。原来大隐于林木后的那片草场尽现。原来隐于林叶后的景象暴露出来，一览无疑得没了密秘。人类和自然如此相似，从某个年龄开始，衰老的速度便加速了。

林稀了，现出了林间多处被从腰间吹断的树木。难以想像着两周前的那个傍晚，我呆在舒适的家中看书写字，大自然里却是狂风怒号，树摇枝折。植物被摧残，小动物们又是如何躲避这场浩动的呢？

趣塘里的水又浅了，一棵老木横倒在水塘边的黑泥中，棕灰色的树干被黄绿色的水草和夏萍衬着，强烈的色彩反差，让老树断枝得更显沧凉。我多希望此时能有一只小鸟飞落到老木上，再不然有一只乌龟爬上去，甚至是一只蟾蜍跳上去，那感觉便会不同了。自然界中各物种的存在都有其存在的美意，就好像人们总是为美丽的花朵，高大的树木欢呼，我却也时不时时地会被那些生在大小树木下的苔鲜，菌类，及其它伏地生植物所打动。

趣塘如此，小溪又会是何模样？

溪水干涸了,现出了棕灰色的溪床。我静静地立在跨溪的小道上，望着溪床。看着溪底那两块没有一点水泽的棕色大石，我心生悲悯。我怀想着旧时它们被清灵的溪水轻轻抚过的时光，想着何时那美好的时光会再度归来。 

没见到BLUE HERON的身影，但我仍心心念念着它，我决定去看看它是否会在那处路边的隐塘。于是我没有折返头，从2号出口出林回家，而是背离返家的方向，继续向前，朝3号出口走。

快到3号林口时，我心中又是一惊！这里的树木就像条破棉絮，棉絮被撕扯后，一处处的大洞，现出了林外一灰一白两处房子。路边的一只小松属，见我经过，忙着往林里跳，但已没了隐藏。少了树叶作掩护，现在至明年春天这段时间，松鼠，野兔，花栗鼠们一定会更加警惕天上的飞鹰了。前辈们一定教授了它们自然界中的生存技巧。

让我惊喜的是，隐塘里立着一只BLUE HERON。只是今天，塘面一下缩小了许多。它独立在浅塘里，望着那片失水了的黑色塘底。同样的蓝鹭，同样的池塘，我的心情却是不同了。心怀凄怆，我又望了一眼蓝鹭和黑泽，转身离开。

I haven’t gone out for a walk until 12:30. Unexpectedly under the brilliant sunshine, I am feeling the same dry and hot air as I did before hurricane Isaias which hit east coast in early Aug, caused huge damages, leaving hundreds of thousands people without power in CT.  In the past more than two weeks, the weather was pretty pleasant with the highest temperature between 70 to 80F and occasionally drizzling rain. The Tropical Storm finally ended the hot wave which had been lingering here for almost three weeks .One day, two days, three days… I have been counting, and thinking the continued pleasant days reassured my predication. But now I realize I was wrong, the hot wave is more determined than I expected, it comes back again.

I always know weather is a safe social topic with anyone. But I never knew listening the weather forecast from a meteorologist in NPR can be pleasant till this spring when I started becoming more aware of and feeling closer to the nature.  

On the road and in the park, there are few people, two runners seem like challenging themselves by running in the fierce heat of the midday sun.  Scenes in the woods are stunning. Only one day, the woods has changed dramatically, it gets much thinner, like being magicked. The fallen leaves on the ground in between the trees layers up like a giant bouncy cushion. All of a sudden, the ever-hidden scenes in the woods are revealed to the outsiders, the ever-existed feeling of mystery to the wood disappears. Human Being is so similar to Nature, at a particular age, the speed of aging gets accelerated.

The stream dries up, the brownish grey streambed is completely exposed in the air. I stand on the trail, look at the two big stones on the streambed, thinking the good time when they were caressed by the smooth water flow, thinking when will the good time come back again?

Blue heron’s elegant body and behavior has been lingering in my mind, won’t go. The obsession changes my mind. So instead of going home directly, I am going to visit the Hidden Pond from the road behind the woods, to see if I can see it there.

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万圣节前的两三场秋雨秋风带走了绚丽繁华的秋叶，还好昨天万圣节天气转晴，阳光明艳，让孩子们可以高高兴兴地出去讨糖过节。广播里说今年美国每个家庭用在万圣节消费上的支出是100美元，而有孩子的家庭则是150美元，比过往的年份都要高。初听这有点不合理，再想又觉得合理。去年疫情，人们没过成万圣节，今年算是报复性反弹？等车子供应正常时，想必也会是一飞冲天。小孩穿着戏装和另外四个男同学去逛了，对于青年少，要糖不是他们的目的，穿着戏服游荡才是目的。不干坏事，开心就好。不像有人说“青少年偷车对社会危害不大”。小偷不管，将来就成大偷。看看书店的架楣上也有竖着PARENTING标签的，不知书里都写了什么.

在网上看了GENSHIN CONCERT 2021，好看好听。越发明白为何在西方青少年中刮起了亚洲风。也顺带学了历史知识，知道日本有过锁国的历史时期。

MALLARD DUCK:

mallard ducks are widely seen in Northern hemisphere.  usually the male duck has a dark green head and female has brown one, but I saw this with purple head, don't know why. 通常情况下，FEMALE 是棕色的头，MALE是绿头，但也有像今天见的这种紫头的。不知是何原因？