“Hot and dry. Those words described the summer of 2026.”-John W. Garbutt- Class of 2019
My Favorite Things through the Four Seasons
By John W. Garbutt, Class of 2019- “The first thought of spring usually occurs mid-winter when my sister sends a photo of a small green growth which is a Texas bluebonnet in her yard beginning to awaken. –
My Favorite Things through the Four Seasons
By John W. Garbutt- Class of 2019
“As meteorological winter began, North Texas was awaiting a 3rd front of arctic air. Though it was only the beginning of December everyone was dressed as if they lived in Chicago.”
Letter to A Friend
By John W. Garbutt- Class of 2019 “I wrote this in January of 2020 on a lazy Sunday afternoon while watching football and glancing out the window at the American Kestrel below.”
The Sunrise
By John W. Garbutt- Class of 2019: “From the earliest faint light of astronomical sunrise through civil sunrise, to the sun cresting the horizon; witnessing the start of a new day has always been my favorite time of day.”
My Favorite Things through the Four Seasons: Autumn
John W. Garbutt, Class of 2019 – It was the day before the autumnal equinox, and I noticed the Barn Swallows were gone from around my home. Perhaps it was oversight and they had been gone for a couple of weeks. Regardless of the exact timing of their departure, when the harbinger of spring departs, autumn is near.
My Favorite Things through the Four Seasons: Summer
John W. Garbutt- Class of 2019- “On June 20th, about 20 minutes before the summer solstice, a long day of work was complete. As I was leaving and looking westward, a large bird flew over. It may have been the tiredness, but I was sure it was a Barn Owl chasing the last few minutes of spring as it flew toward good hunting grounds.”
Finding Happiness Through Sharing Nature
John W. Garbutt – Class of 2019- Over time, I learned to find happiness alone through nature. A majority of the learning has been from behind the camera’s viewfinder, the eye piece on my binoculars; and through contributing to the chapter’s monthly newsletter, Shaking the Trees.
My Favorite Things through the Four Seasons: Spring
John W. Garbutt- Class of 2019- It was near the end of February when my sister brought up the imminent arrival of Barn Swallows. Usually the first migrant, the avian harbinger of spring arrives in early March. A couple of years previous, I had seen my first one on the last day of February. It was a day or two later that my sister had the same experience with a February Barn Swallow.
My Favorite Things through the Four Seasons: Winter
John W. Garbutt- Class of 2019-
It was the first day of winter. It felt like winter but still looked like autumn. Christmas was a few days away and I knew with the forecast that it would feel like spring by the time I arrived at my parents. Like Irving Berlin in 1940 on that 80-degree Southern California winter’s day, I also dreamt of a white Christmas.