Category: At The Seams
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Jade
The Tang Dynasty, which ruled China until the 10th century, marked a high point in Chinese civilization, entering China into a golden age of cosmopolitan culture, new technologies, and a flourishing economy. Their territory reached far and wide, with the southern border reaching past An Nam territory, now Việt Nam. Under the Tang, An Nam…
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Amber
“And I looked, and, behold, a whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness was about it, and out of the midst thereof as the colour of amber, out of the midst of the fire.” – Ezekiel 1:4 Traded between the continents as early as 12,500…
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The Cat
Ever since the Stone Age the cat has adopted man for companionship. In an excavated grave in Shillourokambos, Cyprus were found skeletons of a cat next to a child’s, dated 9500 years ago. That Cyprus has remained separated from the mainland since its formation suggests humans brought cats along with them to the island. Unlike…
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The Jungle Book
“Now this is the Law of the Jungle — as old and as true as the sky; And the Wolf that shall keep it may prosper, but the Wolf that shall break it must die. As the creeper that girdles the tree-trunk the Law runneth forward and back — For the strength of the Pack…
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Jungle Love
To speak of jungle love is to speak of lawless love, and few if any rival that from a Wild Western in this genre of romance. Among the Western love stories, the most legendary is that of Bonnie and Clyde, having crossed cultural boundaries to capture the world’s imagination. It is said that Serge Gainsbourg…
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The Jaguar
As the lion is of the desert and the tiger of the jungle, the jaguar reigns supreme in the woodlands of the Americas. Equal in fierceness to the Asiatic tiger, the jaguar possesses enormous strength, with jaws powerful enough to pierce through the skull between the ears, delivering a fatal bite to the brain. These…
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Spirit of the Forest
“There is a brave traveler who dares to venture into the dense tropical forests of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta to admire a pre-Hispanic city…the type of hike undertaken by hardy individuals with legs resistant to mud and heads that are not so sane if they truly enjoy the situation.” So it was written…
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The Butterfly
This is the first summer that a pair of white butterflies have become regular residents at the garden. Naturally it makes me look into what has changed from the previous years, and truly the biggest difference is that I have left the garden more unkempt. Much of the vegetation blooming during springtime has been left…
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The Dragonfly
The Brazilian poet Mário Quintana was quoted to have said, “Don’t waste your time chasing butterflies. Mend your garden, and the butterflies will come.” As a gardener, I can say that birds will come as soon as there’s a slightest sighting of fruits, flowers, a water puddle, or even just freshly tilled soil, but it’s…
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An Insect Parade
Long before any other societies appeared on earth, there were termites. In the shadow of dinosaurs, the earliest termites formed the first social networks. To make the most of food resources in a nutrient-poor habitat, these insects evolved to feed each other portions of their waste through a process called proctodeal trophollaxis. These symbiotic associations…
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