Tag: Simone Lipscomb
For the Love of Rain

For the Love of Rain

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The past several days have been intense all over Western North Carolina. Wildfires have been burning thousands of acres. Very dry conditions, unbelievably low humidity and wild winds have created a nightmare for residents, firefighters, and wildlife.

One of those fires is only three miles from my home. It sounds like a long way, but with steep, mountainous terrain, that is mostly inaccessible for ground crews, and high winds pushing the flames, three miles doesn’t seem that far away at all. 

When the Alarka fire started on Tuesday March 25th, it moved so fast that residents had no time to do anything but respond to firefighters beating on their doors, grab their dogs, and leave.

I have two large dogs and three cats. Those kiddos are my first concern. So the cat carriers came out of storage, the dog harnesses placed on the dining table, and I packed the very smallest amount of possessions I could. The dogs get the backseat, the cats the far back of the Subaru, and I get the passenger seat and floorboard for whatever I decided to take. 

Deciding what possessions to take is a wonderful exercise in what is important in life. Of course, my furry kids, but what else? Camera gear. A couple days worth of cloths. Favorite hiking boots. Checking account ledgers and info. Passport. Tiny safe with deed and other important papers and of course dog and cat foot. A couple of work notebooks. That was it. It all went into the car except the live critters. (Thankfully photographs are stored in the cloud).

I wasn’t under evacuation orders but I’m the only person responsible for my five kids and getting them together is like…well…herding cats. And wildfires can move incredibly fast with winds like we had. So I opted to live in a bit of chaos for a few days to make sure I could devote my full attention to saving my dogs and cats, if need be. 

I took Thursday off work to clear all leaves from my yard, which was already mostly fire-proofed. I keep it that way. But one area I left natural for the last five years, so there were considerable leaves within 40 feet of my home. I raked and hauled leaves for hours that day, which actually helped dispel some of the emotions that were spiking. 

There wasn’t a lot of information coming out from Swain County Emergency Management then, but in looking at weather and fire apps, I decided I could leave for a few hours Friday afternoon to attend the birthday celebration of a dear friend. That much-needed visit with friends helped me release stress I’d been carrying.

Gray Team
Gray Team
NC Forestry Service

And then Saturday evening, there was a community meeting at the Alarka Fire Department. Before it started, I spoke with residents who had incredibly close calls with the fire. They said firefighters were beating on their doors and insisting they leave without being able to gather anything but their dogs. The fire started and spread very fast. They spoke of firefighters defending each home, with fire coming within 15 feet of many homes and within two feet of one home. All of those homes were saved. The only home burned was where the fire started, by an undetermined cause.

According to the state forestry commission investigator, there was a small half-acre fire that started from a power line and that was extinguished by firefighters. The big fire started at a home and the cause is under investigation.

Our local firefighters and state forestry commission did a great job but needed backup as the fire grew from 85 acres to over 750 acres in a day. (That’s why I was packed and ready to leave). They asked for more assistance and the Southern Area Coordination Center sent the Gray Team. I heard several members of this team speak at the meeting and they are an incredible group of people.

I learned so much about this national group that is called the National Interagency Fire Center after I got home and started reading their website. They are professionals from several agencies including the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Land Management, National Association of State Foresters, National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and USDA Forest Service. The guys and gals are top notch in their respective fields and mobilize to help when local and state agencies need help. The last time the Gray team was in this area was during Hurricane Helene when they operated a mobile medical unit based in Hickory. They respond to emergencies. I could go on, but for those interested, please explore their website at www.gacc.nifc.gov.

After the meeting and what I learned about the team’s efforts, I unpacked my car. And Sunday, I spent digging in the garden, transplanting mountain mint, under a misty rain. I wasn’t about to miss celebrating the rain. And as I write this, it’s actually raining steadily, this Monday at 7am. 

I love my little home, sitting atop a small 2050 foot high mountain. But what I love more are my furry kids….and camera gear. That’s what I chose to save. And that informs me greatly about my passion in this life: To document and share beauty. And that has never waivered. 

To the amazing fire suppression teams working 24 hours a day on these fires, thank you so much. The Alarka fire has burned 1511 acres as of Sunday, March 30th. The Table Rock Complex Fire was declared the #1 priority in the nation on Saturday night. The fire size is 10, 904 acres. My supervisor’s husband is working the Tablerock Fire and I think of him and her often…and all firefighters and their families. The Rattlesnake Branch fire near the Shining Rock Wilderness as of Saturday was 1200 acres. 

There are four teams in the Southern Area Coordination Center. All four teams are here working these fires. This is the first time this has ever occurred. So as North Carolina burns, we have exceptional help with these teams and now, with rain, we are hoping the fires will be greatly diminished.

I leave you, dear readers, with a question. What would you save? Let that be a contemplation that takes you deep into your life.

Thank you for so many friends, family, and chosen family that have sent up prayers, support, and offers to house my zoo and me if the need arose. Much love and gratitude to you all.
Spiraling Star Dust

Spiraling Star Dust

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M 81

I laid on the porch, gazing into the clear sky, as Orion slowly moved across the sky. In another area of the immenseness of space, my little smart telescope took 10 second exposures for 1 ½ hours of a small section of Ursa Major known as M 81 or Bode’s Galaxy.

The stars seemed to enhance the stillness of the evening as I allowed my mind to wander through constellations and galaxies. All chaos of the external world dropped away and the ‘I’ slowly dissolved into the vastness of the heavens.

I’m finding the night sky my haven, my place of refuge and safety, during these times of social discord and unrest. This quote I came up with sums it up for me:

The image I see on my iPhone–as the telescope works its magic–is below, but what I see when I look into the night sky is pure awe sprinkled with the stardust of Oneness.

If you want to know how the Hubble telescope sees in the M81 galaxy…..

M 81 is 11.6 million light years away and is a 6.9 magnitude spiral galaxy in the constellation Ursa Major. In the center is a black hole 70 million times the mass of the Sun. This image taken by Hubble uses visible light and infrared light. Ultraviolet light from hot, young stars is fluorescing the clouds of hydrogen gas. M 81 is 15 times the mass of the Milky Way, our home galaxy. Thanks to NASA for the information and image.

My images won’t be perfect. I do very little post-processing because I want more moments under the sky and less hours in front of a computer. Some amateur astrophotographers devote hours to stacking, color correcting and come up with lovely images and that’s their bliss. I’m super-grateful there are those who choose to push the boundaries of software and computers to show us even more beauty. I’ll just sit outside as long as I can with a far-away look in my eyes and an open heart to the magnificence of the Universe. That’s my bliss.
The 1.15am Alarm

The 1.15am Alarm

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Cloudy conditions were present when I went to bed, but my Atmospheric app insisted that by the time the lunar eclipse started, the sky would be clear. With complete trust, I set the alarm on my iPhone for 1.15am.

When said alarm gently awakened me, there was some grumbling perhaps akin to that of a black bear awakening in the spring. But I put on warm clothes and fleece-lined slippers and grabbed the telescope case and heavy tripod I left by the front door. The dogs joined me but only the hound decided to remain a faithful guard against mice rustling in the leaves of the woods or ‘possums ambling around outside the fence. My Buddy dog child returned to his warm bed inside the house.

The app was right. The sky was crystal clear and beautiful. The eclipse was already in process as I set up and fussed with the smart telescope a bit. It can be a bit sassy when I’m trying to hurriedly set up. There are always lessons in patience in astronomy.

Screen shot of what I see with the iPhone app while using the telescope

The Earth’s shadow gradually covered the full Moon and in that space of time, I became more joyful and filled with awe, a side-effect of watching objects in the night sky.

The end result was not only the beautiful, red color generated from the dance of the Moon and Earth. Millions of people came together in time and space to witness this wonder of Nature. In this time of chaos and conflict, that was perhaps a true miracle.
Stillness

Stillness

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Telescope and the Orion Constellation

I was sitting under a blanket of stars last night. The milder winter temperature made it pleasant. The waxing crescent moon wasn’t too bright, so I could observe stars, and the moon gave enough light to see the gray shadows of rocks and trees.

Crab Nebula

Since playing with a smart telescope begin in December, I’ve learned the art of stillness. Perhaps it’s more accurate to say I am learning the art of stillness. Taking an image of a far-away galaxy or nebula takes a while. Sometimes hours…but I’ve only done a 31 minute exposure thus far. There’s so much I want to see out there in the Universe so staying on one object for more than half an hour is challenging.

And I don’t want to go back inside the house while the telescope patiently records the stacks of images. Otherwise I could just rent telescope time from some far-away observatory while I sit in my home drinking hot cocoa and eating scones (as if I could afford that….but people do that…the renting telescope time, not eating scones and drinking hot cocoa). I want the experience of stargazing from underneath the sky, not my roof. The images are part of it, but the experience of awe under night skies…that’s my kick.

I always sense trees I connect with while hiking ‘say’…why are humans always in such a hurry…slow down and listen. I pause and stand with them, but rarely sit and ‘listen’ for more than a few minutes. 

Last night, I realized I was receiving the same message from the stars. So, I set up shots with the telescope, made sure it was working correctly by viewing it on my phone, and then placed my phone down on the ground under the tripod and watched the stars move ever-so-slowly across the sky.

Orion Nebula

Thirty minutes is a long time to sit and observe an image come into being. I’ll be honest, five minutes is a long time if you are used to being active person. Stargazing is helping me learn to slow down and operate from a different speed. 

My assignment is watching the stars move across the sky. Literally. Tracking stars reminds me that even the slowest, almost imperceivable movement is still movement and progress is being made. These experiences help connect me to deep time, that vast expanse of cosmic time, and that helps me move beyond the trappings of the chaos happening now in our world.

My growing edge is to embrace stillness…wherever I find myself. If possible, put my bare feet on the ground and connect directly to Her. Our Mother. Our Home. 
Open the Door

Open the Door

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I was a bit overzealous in piling the incense blend I made onto the glowing charcoal. My home filled with the sweet smoke, which is awesome. But I was concerned it would cause the smoke detectors to start blaring, which would make my dogs lose their minds…not so awesome.

It was 26 degrees outside, but the wood stove had us nice and toasty. I opened the back door to allow some of the smoke to escape.

Sunlight was streaming in at the exact right angle from the high window. The smoke turned into a living, breathing thing as it slowly drifted out the door, wafting towards the brisk air and open space.

I considered how our thoughts are like smoke. They go out into the world, creeping along, harming or healing.

What we think about and dwell on grows. Ponder wisely, the smoke said, as it meandered out the door. Sometimes it’s good to open the door of our mind and let thoughts go.