"The Land of Little Rain" by Mary Austin describes the desert of Southern California as a land where everything struggles. She describes it as a place, "that supports no man." It has no water to spare, but "brackish and unwholesome, or maddening" springs and "lost rivers." The desert has three seasons: "unbearably hot," chilly, and then hot again. She describes the flowers as resilient, shaming us "with their cheerful adaptations to the seasonal limitations." She calls "the real struggle for existence" as being underground needing space and moisture, not taking advantage of the desert's above ground spatial potential. She mentions meeting a man named Salty Williams, and how "the land had called him" and her as well. She cautions us a visitors, saying, "the more you wish of it the more you get, and in the mean time lose much of pleasantness." "A Sand County Almanac" by Aldo Leopold is his observations of marshlands, wolves, ethics, communism, and conservation. He describes the crane's survival skills in the marshlands, being threatened by "glaciers, emperors, or pioneers" invading their land. Leopold tells us his first time, shooting wolves, and how he now regrets it, wishing he would thought, "like a mountain." He goes on to describes ethics needed for survival as being "the relation between individuals," "the relation between individuals and society," and "the golden rule." He also insists, that just because things in nature don't have "economic value," doesn't mean they are any less important. "Love in the Desert" by Joseph Wood Krutch is about the mating habits of plants and animals in nature. He writes how flowers and apes exposing their sex organs to brag when they are in heat and how other species cover them. He explains that each species lives on, in difficult decisions, surviving to bring "prosperity." Though he covers the mating habits of several species, it is the tarantula's way of life that is the most intriguing. He says, the tarantula is "one of those creatures in whom love seems to bring out the worst," because the male shortly dies, often being senile, after procreating. Krutch also writes about sex in the human world and the eyes of the animals, as having a different view.
I had never heard of any of these three authors before reading their essays, but all three has very interesting lives. Mary Austin's introduction tells us about her impressive resume as being, "a novelist, a poet, and a essayist; a student of Indian culture, an advocate of native peoples, and a feminist; a pioneer author in the areas of science fiction and the nature writing of the Southwest." She is also a writer of timeless subjects, appealing to the "challenges of our own day." Aldo Leopold's introduction tells us his essay, "A Sand County Almanac" was published after his death from "fighting a fire" which is interesting because he writes about fire destroying the marshes in his essay and how he doesn't like it. It's interesting to learn, "he gives to chickadees and pine seedlings the same attentiveness other nature writers bring to a sperm whale or a sequoia," making us believe he realizes the impact and importance of every living thing, no matter the size. Joseph Wood Krutch's introduction tells us, after he read Thoreau, Krutch moved from New York to Arizona to "concentrate" his writing on "the desert environment" instead of having "a pessimistic view of modern civilization and its discontent." He traded being a "drama critic and professor of literature" to carve a new passion for writing. I thought it was interesting how someone could be so impacted by writing, he would change his entire life and outlook. It shows how powerful writing is, and how sometimes a change in life is all we need to keep going. I can't help wonder if he told his students to read Thoreau before he left. One of the best compliments Krutch receives is, "his natural history essays, full of wit, wide-ranging allusions, and a compassion for all forms of life, made him one of the most popular and influential nature writers of his time," which compliments the influence of Thoreau as well.
In "The Land of Little Rain" by Mary Austin, she writes "the palpable sense of mystery in the desert air breeds fables, chiefly of lost treasure." Most westerns I have seen, deal with cowboys fighting Indians over gold in the desert and it is interesting as to why people would think there was treasure in a dry land. I would assume that if someone was going to bury their treasure, it would be a place they would want to visit again, such as a tropical climate. In "A Sand County Almanac" by Aldo Leopold, he writes, "Our ability to perceive quality in nature, begins, as in art, with the pretty. It expands through successive stages of beautiful to values as yet uncaptured by language." I agree that not everything in nature is beautiful, but everything has value. Leopold talks about the effect of man on the marshlands, saying, "No man raised his voice against the waste, only his nose against the smell." Leopold says, "Man and beast, plant and soil lived on and on with each other in mutual toleration, to the mutual benefit of all," which is how the world is supposed to work, with both sides sharing, instead of taking. He tells "only mountains has lived long enough to listen objectively to the howl of the wolf," making the mountains seem wise for not wanting to kill the wolves but co-exist with them, unlike human predators. In "Love in the Desert" by Joseph Wood Krutch, he writes "there is no justification for assuming, as some romantics do, that the one is actually more 'natural' than the other. In one sense nature is neither for nor against what have come to be human ideals," making us believe love is in the heart of the beholder and no one can define what exactly love is.
After reading this essays, it made me more aware of certain things, such as the desert and marshlands. I drove from Utah to California a couple of weeks ago to attend a graduation. One of the most interesting route markers is a water park on the right side of the freeway between Las Vegas and Barstow. I often question the creator's thought process in opening a water park where there is no source of water, and in the middle of nowhere. Unfortunately, the water park has been closed for years, so evidently there were people like me who didn't think it was a great spot either. After reading Mary Austen's essay, where she says, "there are many areas in the desert where drinkable water lies within a few feet of the surface" made me realize the creator's initial idea of using those hidden resources. Her essay, on the harshness of the desert, made me appreciate the drive through the desert more, as being able to see its amazing landscape, while still being in my air conditioned car, as sad as that sounds. I often wonder why people who live in Barstow, don't choose to live closer to the beaches such as Newport or San Diego. I guess Austen's defending that decision, saying the desert has just as much value as the ocean. Aldo Leopold's essay made me think more about the value of land, in terms of energy and ethics instead of monetary gain. A tree may not have monetary value, but needs to be preserved to make other little trees. Our world needs all his natural parts to keep working. Joseph Wood Krutch's essay made realize the blossoms and petals on flowers are "glorified sex organs." I guess I didn't realize that before, just concentrating on their beauty and sweet smells.
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