The Snow Fly's Wisdom on Helping Others

                             

Last winter, on December 23rd, I was standing outside in the snow with a very good friend of mine. It was one of those unreasonably long Minnesota goodbyes. The air was cold as always, but the sun had come out and felt so nice on our faces (every other inch of skin being covered to protect from the chill, of course). Finally having a clear day made the snow glow extra white, and as the sun sank lower in the sky, it highlighted the tree trunks against the backdrop of white.

Just as I was about to get in my car and leave, we spotted something small and dark moving on the pure white snow. The thin top layer had been melted and refrozen into a hard crust, a reminder of a warmer day. A tiny black spot was scurrying across the surface of the snow like a spider. We looked closer and saw that it was indeed some sort of bug, still moving despite the cold. Where had it come from, this thing that was so out of place? Did it crawl onto my jacket when we were inside, and fall down onto the cold ground? I lifted it gently with my warm gloved hand, knowing that it would freeze in moments if I didn't. I used to keep bees. Sometimes, when the sun warms up a hive just enough in the winter, bees go outside for a brief cleansing flight which means that sometimes their small bodies got too cold, and I'd find them, little dark spots in the snow. Sometimes, If I found them in time, I could pick them up gently and warm them back to life with my hands, then drop them off at the entrance to their home. But I didn't know where this strange little guy lived, or even what it was. Still, I felt that we needed to save it. Rescue it from these unfortunate circumstances. But we needed to find the best way to help. So we tried to identify it, and quickly found that it was a wingless species called the Snow Fly!

If you look closely, you can see the notches where wings normally would be on a fly. 

 A quick google search and we'd found some basic Snow Fly facts. Snow Flies, or Chionea, live in northern MN and other snowy areas with healthy woodlands. Having no wings, they live on the ground and are probably quite common, though are rarely seen, especially in the summer. This is most likely due to their size and effective camouflage in the summer months. They are most active in October through November, and February through March. These are very cold times of the year for insects to be active! Apparently, it's not at all uncommon for a Snow Fly to be spotted casually strolling through the snow. Most bugs die off in the winter, or at the very least they find warm places to be. So how can these weird little creatures be most active during these harsh times? According to Wikipedia, Chionea's bodies contain a sugar trehalose that keeps them moving even when the temperatures drop. They have their own antifreeze!   

Another picture where camera decided the texture of my glove was more important than the insect on it. 

We quickly realized that our assumptions had been completely wrong. This little stranger didn't need our help at all. He was perfectly comfortable out on his own in the snow. In fact, it's believed that Snow Flies might be more active in the winter in part because of a lack of predators who can survive winter conditions. So really, he double didn't need our help. He was in his element, exactly where he wanted to be. 

My friend and I had made an assumption about what this little creature needed to survive and be happy, but we had based that assumption on all the wrong information. We went into 'rescue' mode, when no one actually needed rescuing, because we thought we knew what was best for a creature we really didn't understand yet. 

There is a lesson here. Some people might not look or act the way we expect them to. They might eat lunch alone, spend more time on-line than we do, dress differently than we do, or smile less. Any time people act differently, we're tempted to assume that they are unhappy or unhealthy. I'll strive to catch myself in those assumptions, and work to treat people in ways that are helpful to them, not just the ways that I assume are most helpful. It might suit someone just fine to be a little different. Something that would be unhealthy behavior for me might work great for someone else. When in doubt, I can always ask, as long as I follow through by listening. If we can listen to ourselves about what we need, and listen to others when it comes to what they need, we can truly help each other. It doesn't really matter what our society says we should want, we know what suits us best. Just like the Snow fly knows it's safe and free in the snowy woods of northern Minnesota.

.  

Stop and Smell the... (An Accidental Foraging Story)

If you're like me, it's easy for you to get caught up in a project. If something captures my imagination I end up overly focused on it, sometimes to the point where I accidentally skip a meal. It's wonderful when we find something we love so much, isn't it? This can take any form. A book you've fallen in love with. A new show on your favorite streaming service. A new hobby like painting or running. In my case (most recently), it was a writing prompt that got out of hand and became a storytelling project with a new format that is taking several weeks to complete.

We all know the old saying about how important it is to stop and smell the roses once in a while. When we're focused on work or expectations from others, it's easy to realize we've spent a little too much time there and to remind ourselves to stop once in a while. It can be a little more difficult to keep this in perspective when our focus has fallen head-over-heals for something we ourselves have chosen. Don't get me wrong, it's great to dive in deep head first, however, an experience I recently had reminded me of the importance of taking a breath and seeing the world around me.

I have a little blue kayak. Most of the time, this kayak is propped up against the porch at my parents house, waiting to be used. I've been so focused on my most recent project, I suddenly realized that I was letting the warmer months slip away from me. There also happens to be a little pond down the street from the house. One so small that no one seems to think of it as a place worthy of spending time. Joke's on them, after last year's drought this summer the pond was filled with so much fresh new water that it actually made for a lovely swimming hole. I am fine with keeping that secret from my neighbors. I've had a private place to swim all summer. So why not take it one step further? Why not let my little kayak carry me around my little pond for a while. The idea might not seem like much, but it ended up being lovely. In fact, the little pond didn't seem quite as little once I was on the water. 

It was so quiet. So isolated. I decided to paddle all the way around the perimeter, get closer to the shore and see the things I didn't bother to see when I was swimming. I quietly glided over water plants and rocks, so slow and still that the wildlife didn't bother to run away. I stayed still so long that the water bugs returned to their slow circling cluster communities in the water next to me. There really is something wonderful about being on a body of water that is undisturbed by motorized vehicles. In this case, I was the only human who ever really visited at all. As I made my way around the pond I started to notice a plant underneath the water that looked oddly familiar. Though I love to learn about foraging, I don't know very much about plants that grow under water, and this plant wasn't sea weed or anything slimy. Why did it look so familiar to me? I couldn't place it. So I reached into the water and plucked one green leaf off the stalk and gave it a sniff. 

Mint?!?!

What the what? I tore the little leaf into little pieces and... yes! it smelled very strongly of mint. Mint and things in the mint family have square stems, so I reached into the water again to check. Yup, a square stem. Once I paddled around the sunny side of the pond and confirmed that these plants were indeed everywhere, I gently tugged one out of the loose underwater ground with roots in tact. This pond has a forest on one side and a vast hay field on the other. Why would there be mint here? How could there be mint randomly growing under water?

I paddled around a while longer as it got dark around me. I heard a very creepy sound which just turned out to be a deer waking up and stretching out before wandering away from the pond and through the night. It began to rain gently, which made the most lovely gentle sounds on the water all around me. Bats started to flit around in the dim sky above me. I stayed on the water until it was completely dark. Some nights it's amazing what you can see out in the country without streetlights and such blocking the way (see my article on light pollution, lol). 

I'd kept the root ball of my new mint smelling buddy wet by dunking it in the water every few minutes, and after I'd carried my kayak back up the quiet dirt road I googled what I'd found. There is, in fact, something called Water Mint (Mentha Aquatica) which likes to grow along the edges of bodies of water.

Water mint is known for having a stronger smell and taste than most garden mint varieties. It can be used in the same ways that regular mint would be used, though a little goes a long way. I love a good mint tea, personally. Now that I know what to look for, I've found it along the shores of area lakes as well. It's amazing to find out that something so cool (and obvious) has been here the entire time, I just didn't know to look for it, so I never saw it. 

I decided to keep my little buddy water mint on the windowsill in the most suitable container I could find on short notice, a coke bottle. I've since kayaked on a local river only to find a leach on the car when I got home. I didn't want to kill the leach. That's not who I am. So water mint has a buddy living in his coke bottle with him now. An accidental terrarium is developing. 

The accidental terrarium. 

This discovery reignited my passion for foraging. If I hadn't taken a moment to stop and smell the water mint, I never would have discovered another forage-able plant that lives essentially right in my back yard, and I never would have had the energy to finish the project I cared so much about. The lesson is to take that moment for yourself in whatever form it might take for you. Find your meditative moment. Don't skip it. It's so very important, and i can guarantee that there will be unexpected benefits. 

Since it has been re-homed, 

my water mint has doubled in height.

If you've recently found such a moment or been working on a project you love, let everyone know in the comments. We're all proud of you and would love to see what you've been working on and what you've been inspired by! 

Pigeons and the Importance of Doing Things Badly

We tend to think of nature as a force separate from ourselves. When we think of nature, we often picture forests, fields, rivers, and oceans; we think of spaces removed from human influence. On an intellectual level, though, we know that we are actually a part of it, that it is all around us even when we are in the middle of the city. Sadly, modern life is so busy that it can be difficult to find opportunities to appreciate the beauty of the natural world we live in. I believe we should make a conscious effort to include nature appreciation in our daily lives. It is healthy for us, and there is so much we can learn from it. 

One way I try to include nature appreciation in my every day routine is by spending time reading a good book on my balcony. While doing so, I recently befriended a pigeon who visits for the seeds that messier birds drop from the bird feeder. Apparently, I am a calm enough presence that Herbie (yes, he has a name ) has decided I'm not a threat. He likes to chill out on the balcony less than a foot away from me, just soaking in the sunshine. The way he acts around me made me wonder what I might learn from him, and if there's any chance he'd nest on the balcony, meaning I'd have something like a pet. My apartment obviously doesn't allow pets because the world is cruel and unfair. 

My friend Herbie is camera shy.

Let's not underestimate pigeons. They are so smart that they can learn every letter in the English alphabet, and are even capable of learning to read some words. They've also been influential in human history. A carrier pigeon was responsible for delivering the results of the very first Olympic games. Another historical carrier pigeon named Cher Ami, carried important wartime messages back to his home in France during WWI. Despite being shot by the enemy he managed to deliver his last message, and was decorated as a hero when he died. 

Baby Pigeons and those used for food are called 'squab' which, you know... isn't creepy at all.

Pigeons are very sociable. Not only can they recognize themselves in a mirror, they recognize humans by their faces as well. Pigeons, like many other birds, mate for life and are great co-parents, taking turns caring for the eggs and chicks. They take their relationships very seriously. Unlike some birds, they will often find another love if their partner dies before they do. Good for them. Nikola Tesla, the famous engineer, physicist and germophobe, used to take injured pigeons home with him to help them recover. One pigeon who visited him frequently formed such an intense bond with him that he referred to her as his wife.

Image often used to depict Tesla's wife

I get a bit caught up in the fun facts, but the most important thing I've learned from Pigeons has to do with their nesting habits. Many birds are known for making beautifully intricate nests. Not pigeons. Some pigeon nests are comprised of only a handful of sticks tossed into a circle on the floor. It's easy to take a look at what a pigeon considers a finished nest and feel better about the mediocre results of our own efforts. But there is, as always, more to it than this.

Weavers are known for intricate nests. Hummingbirds for tiny nests.

Pigeons are known for their lazy nests. 

What is a pigeon parent trying to accomplish by building its nest? The only thing they really need is for the egg to not roll away from them. It might not be pretty, but their goal is accomplished. The first layer to this pigeon nest lesson is that any effort is better than no effort at all. Better to get things done poorly than to never do them. The perfect is the enemy of the good. 

Pigeons are lovably bad at building nests.

Here comes the second layer. Pigeons literally build a second layer of nest on top of the first. They have such a strong sense of home that they tend to use the same sight for nesting again and again. Before each new set of eggs is laid, the parents build up a fresh layer of twigs to keep their new hatchlings clean and safe. After a pigeon family has added to their nest a few times, it can become quite impressive. 

The pigeon nest can have a minimalistic beauty.

Pigeons make their first attempt, and it's very rough around the edges, but it gets the job done. They make their second attempt, and things are starting to come together, but the seams are very much still visible. They don't care. It gets the job done. So they just keep working at it and working at it, building one nest on top of the other until they've created something to look up to. Literally. Pigeon nests can grow to be around 8 inches tall. 

If you keep working, you'll make something you can be proud of. 

So take a note from the pigeon. Whatever that thing is that you want to be doing. Just do it. Keep doing it. It really doesn't matter if your first attempt looks like a random pile of sticks. You still did the thing. The only way to get good at something is to be bad at it first. Continue to practice and you'll have built something to be proud of before you know it.

I believe in you, and Herbie does too.  

Herbie says 'byeeee'

For more information:

For random fun facts about Pigeons. 

National Audubon Society on why we sometimes think of pigeons in such a negative way

Skyglow Flyglow, Fireflies and Light Pollution

Imagine a late evening walk in mid June. The sun has just set, leaving behind the feel of the warmth of the day. A breeze gently rustles fresh green leaves that have become silhouettes of themselves. The faintest glow that the sun has left behind on the horizon has just begun to disappear. First one, then two, then three blinking lights floating through the air. Before you know it you're surrounded. All around, in the trees, the grass, the sky, fireflies dance gently in unexpected patterns, blinking in and out of existence. It feels like you've entered into some secret, magical place. A fairy garden where everything is just as it should be.

Fireflies and stars, mirroring one another.

Those of us who are lucky enough to have experienced this know how impactful it can be. Fireflies have always captured human awe and imagination. They are like living stars on earth, and just like the stars themselves, they are beginning to go dim. Where I live, fireflies are most active in June and July. We have moved into August now, and I haven't seen as many as I used to. Studies by the Xerxes Society indicate that firefly populations are indeed in decline, and that at least one species of firefly is in danger of extinction. So let's take a look at these fascinating creatures, and then at a very simple way that each and every one of us can ensure that it survives. 

*Skip ahead to the next asterisk if you're here for the wonders of nature and conservation tips, not the icky bug stuff. 

There are about 2,000 known species of firefly, and each is unique. Adult firefly eating habits are a good way to see just how different these species can be from one another. Some simply sustain themselves with pollen. Others cleverly stake out spider webs. Then, when the time is right, they battle the spider for its neatly wrapped to-go style meal. One species in particular has a rather disturbing dining habit. The females of this species mimic the flash pattern of smaller firefly species, tricking unsuspecting males into coming closer. When they do, they are quickly trapped and eaten by the larger, trickier firefly. In contrast, some species of firefly eat nothing at all once they reach their adult form. 

The Photuris Firefly, known as the femme fetal of the bioluminescent world

* Okay, you're safe. Please come back! Thank you for sticking with me <3

Fireflies are most famous for their glow, or bioluminescence. It's probably the reason they strike so many of us as magical rather than just another freaky beetle. But fireflies don't glow just to entertain and inspire us. While we don't know everything about firefly behavior, one thing is clear. Fireflies use their lights for mating communication. Scientific observation, documentation, and research on firefly behavior is not yet robust enough to rule out other topics of conversation hidden in their flash patterns. One phenomenon that has now been officially observed and documented, but is yet to be understood is the synchronization of entire fields of fireflies in places like the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. There is more than one mystery here. How, mathematically, can these fireflies coordinate their synchronized light show? Why? What biological benefit could this type of broad cooperative behavior have? Or are they, in human terms, simply making music?

One species known to exhibit synchronizing behavior is Photinus Carolinus.

I was surprised to learn that it's not just adult fireflies who glow. Many species of firefly have bioluminescent capabilities during every stage of life. This means that when disturbed, even their eggs can glow. 

Glowing firefly eggs.  

Fireflies and their glow have even helped to save human lives. The enzymes that cause their bioluminescence have various medical applications, including an effective process for detecting blood clots. At this point, humans have managed to artificially replicate the enzyme, but we used to get it directly from fireflies. 

We still have more to learn from them. Fireflies are more efficient at producing light than humans are. Even with the advent of fluorescent light bulbs, about 90% of energy from artificial bulbs is released as light, leaving 10% to be released as heat. Fireflies produce light at 100% efficiency. And it turns out that light is exactly the issue. We live in a world of ever increasing light pollution. This really doesn't sound like a big deal, until we start to look at the scale of the impact it has. The excessive lighting used in and outside of cities has caused "sky glow." This means that most stars are obscured by the light of human civilization reflected back on itself. According to National Geographic, 80% of Americans can no longer see the milky way dusting across the night sky. Those of us who were born and raised in cities might not even realize what we were once able to see in the sky on a dark starry night. 

Nasa's visual representation of sky glow for stargazing reference.

Since the natural night and day lighting cycle has been foundational in the development of life on earth, it is likely that all living things exposed to excessive light during the night are adversely effected in ways we do not yet understand. We've already found that several animals are directly affected by the lack of a dark night. Humans rely on the absence of blue light at night to produce melatonin and have healthy sleep. Frogs rely on the dark hours of the day to know when to begin their chorus of croaking, the disruption of which prevents them from mating. Perhaps even more sad is the way that sea turtles can be affected by unnatural light. According to the World Wildlife Fund, nearly all species of sea turtles are now endangered. Newly hatched sea turtles head straight for the ocean, using the light of the bright horizon between water and sky to guide them. Unnatural lights can confuse them, causing them to crawl away from the safety of the water. The International Dark Sky Association claims that, due to light pollution, millions of hatchling sea turtles die on the Florida coastline every year.

When shopping for outdoor lighting fixtures, look for the
 International Dark-Sky Association seal of approval 
to help decrease light pollution in your neighborhood.

Consider what we know about the firefly, combine that knowledge with the effects of light pollution, and you will realize how devastating artificial light can be for fireflies. A nocturnal creature using its glow to attract mates has no chance of mating at all when it finds itself living in a well lit night.

For many species affected by light pollution, research has shown that the colour of light makes a huge difference. Humans who avoid blue light before bed, for example, tend to get a better night's sleep. Red or yellow light tones (long wavelengths) are generally healthier than blue light tones. The firefly itself has a wide range of light tones. Some species glow blue, some green, others orange or yellow. Is it possible that taking advantage of the broad spectrum of light available to us and focusing our outdoor lighting away from blue tones could make a difference? For many creatures, yes! Unfortunately, this rule of thumb does not apply to fireflies. A study conducted at Tufts University last year, found that no colour of artificial light is unharmful to fireflies, and that amber light (which for many creatures is most helpful) might actually be the worst for fireflies. 

Firefly with yellow glow

The good news is that there are still some very easy things we can do to help these fascinating creatures. Something as simple as turning outdoor lights off at night when they are not in use, or closing window blinds after the sun goes down is all it takes to improve the fireflies chance of survival. Every little bit counts. You or someone you know may already have outdoor lighting set to motion sensors or timers, so that they are only lit when they're in use. This is a great way to save on the electric bill, but the fireflies are thankful for it, too! 

                                  

I think it's exciting to hear how much we can help in little ways that don't even inconvenience us. If only every act of conservation were so easy. A lot of the lighting we use is inefficient. Pay attention to billboards the next time you're driving at night. Unless you live in an area where billboards are regulated to decrease light pollution, you'll likely see that the lights used to illuminate them are pointed straight up from below. This means that light is being directed at the sky and diffusing away from the billboard. The simple switch of pointing billboard lights downward instead would decrease light pollution drastically. It's all about being just a little bit smarter than we were yesterday. The same line of thinking applies to lighting outside people's homes and businesses. Intentionally directed, shielded lighting ensures that lights are effective where we need them to be, and allows wildlife to coexist with us.

 Shielded lighting has the added benefit of avoiding the decrease

 in dark vision that unshielded lighting often results in for humans. 

This resource from the Xerxes Society has great information on how to minimize your light pollution impact on fireflies (note that some of the information regarding light colour is outdated). 

Thank you for taking the time to consider the fireflies. A little mindfulness about our effect on other creatures goes a long way. 

More on Light pollution             Bioluminescence and other fun facts.              

Behavioral firefly facts               More on fireflies and light polution

Unique Bee Nests We Didn't Know Existed

The artful home of Osmia Avosetta

I recently made the mistake of moving a bumblebee hive that had so quietly and politely established itself in a loose pile of hay that I hadn't noticed it was there until it was too late. When the forager bees began to return to the spot where their hive used to be, I noticed what had happened, found the clump of hay that buzzed when I poked it, and tried to put it back where I'd found it. I am very much hoping that these bees will be able to set right everything that I destroyed. Bees are known for being industrious and efficient hard workers, so I think they'll be okay. However, this is not what impressed me most about my newfound backyard hive. What impresses me most is that though their home had been literally tossed aside, pulled apart and tossed again, the Bumblebees did not become at all aggressive. The only emotion I sensed from them was polite confusion. 

Their gentle demeanor and total lack of desire for revenge or retaliation almost made me cry. They are such sweet little creatures.  

I couldn't believe that I, a former beekeeper, had never noticed a bumblebee nest I walked passed every day, but it is amazing what we notice when we're tuned in to it. Walking around outside after putting my new friends back, I noticed little mason bees slipping into holes in the wood, wasps disappearing into openings in the dirt, and even a bumblebee waddling into an old rodent burrow along the side of the garage. 

Hard working bumblebee with lots of pollen on its leg

My worry for the bumblebees who had been so nice to me after I disturbed their home lead me to research bumblebee hives, which are quite different from the honeybee hives I'm familiar with. Bumble bees hives have less than 1% of the population of a honeybee hive and they are often found in abandoned burrows made by other animals, or old hay bails (like mine was). Honeybees and bumblebees are fascinating enough on their own, but there are so many types of bees, all fantastically varied in appearance and behavior.

Here's where I got sucked into the rabbit hole and couldn't get back to sleep. I'd like to share with you 5 crazy bee nests that sound like something out of a fantasy novel. 

Houses Made of Flowers

Osmia Avosetta, a solitary bee (meaning it lives on its own and not as a part of a hive), carefully cuts flower petals, then glues them together with mud, to build its home. Each nest is a unique work of art! 

The artist, Osmia Avosetta

          

Bees Who Burrow Through Solid Rock

No exaggeration. Anthophora Pueblo actually does use its mandibles to dig through sandstone and build its nest. Sandstone is soft as far as rocks go, but it's still rock. Because this bee's home is so strong, it can safely wait out unfavorable conditions for up to 4 years before emerging from the rock when the time is right. 

Anthophora Pueblo peaking its head out of it's sandstone nest. 

Australian Spiral Hive Bees

These sweet little stingless bees build beautifully intricate spiral comb propped up on stilts that look like some sort of science fiction nightmare. Tetragonula carbonaria is native to Australia. At this point, nobody knows why they build their homes this way. 

Australian native bee hive viewed from above

The Giant Bee

Fee, Fi, Fo, Fum! this is the largest bee in all the known world. Megachile Pluto is about 4 times larger than a normal honey or bumble bee. It's pretty rare, and for 38 years it was presumed extinct. It was just recently, in 2019, that it was rediscovered on an Indonesian Island. These are the only bees I've heard of who prefer room mates! They tend to make their homes within active termite nests high up in the trees.

Giant Bee outside the home it shares with thousands of termites.

The Cuckoo Bee

The cuckoo bee is an impostor. It infiltrates existing hives and lays its eggs there, to be raised by other bees. It's very difficult to identify, as 'cuckoo bee' is an umbrella term, referring to many different species of bee, each mimicking the appearance of the type of bee it targets. How strange that this bee has no home at all. 

The cuckoo bee could resemble any of these bees.

Have you encountered any unexpected insect homes?

For more information on these amazing creatures, you can check out some of the websites I sourced for this post...

Bees living in stone     Cuckoo Bees     Giant Bees     Spiral Hive Bees      Leaf Cutter Bees

Another beautiful flower nest, just for fun.

If You Love Running Up That Hill, Here Are My Top 10 Weirdest Kate Bush Songs That Could Be Your Next Obsession...

With the recent release of Stranger Things Season 4, Kate Bush's epic song, Running Up That Hill has skyrocketed in popularity. Though the song was first released in 1985, last month it hit number 1 in the UK charts, outshining even it's original popularity. 

The emotional scene.

Firstly, let me say that if you haven't seen the original music video for Running Up That Hill, do yourself a favor and watch it now. Beginning with a close up of her own hand reaching out to another dancer, followed by some truly unique dance moves, and ending with her desperately reaching out for connection, carried away in the impersonal sea of other people wearing crude paper masks of her own face, the video compliments the song perfectly. Personally, I think this song was a great choice to represent Max's struggle in Stranger Things season 4, since my interpretation of it has a lot to do with people trying and failing to connect with one another. 

A scene from the Running Up That Hill music video. 

Kate Bush really does whatever she wants to do no matter how weird it is, and it's a beautiful thing. She never lost that childlike creativity that seems to be unrestricted by expectations. In fact, she wrote the initial versions of some of her most popular songs when she was only 13 years old. 

 

So, let's get to it and take a look at Kate Bush's top 10 weirdest songs and music videos.

10 

Them Heavy People

This one is beautiful, but almost tame by Kate Bush's standards. "They arrived at an inconvenient time. I was hiding in a room in my mind... Rolling the Ball..." I can't quite put into words what this means, but still: Same, Kate. Same. Really good art communicates a feeling that can't be as purely or truly communicated in any other way, and Kate Bush does this with every song. 

Kate Bush staring you down, Them Heavy People music video.

9 

Sat In Your Lap

This one really makes us ask that all important question, "What the f***." It features demons, jesters, and (unless I'm seeing things) two guys who seem to be mixing the dunce cap and klansmen looks. Though I suppose that last part might be me mapping my American sensibilities onto things. Oh, and most of them are roller skating. But that's only number nine, so let's proceed. 

KB staring us down again.

8 

The Dreaming

An otherworldly reflection on our treatment of indigenous people, this song includes the bleating of a sheep, sounds of a car crashing, and Kate Bush literally breathing really hard instead of singing. "...erase the race that claim the place and say we dig for ore!" Way to go anti colonialist Kate Bush! 

There's an otherworldly vibe to the music and the video.

7 

Wuthering Heights

That's right, like the book. Apparently, a young Kate Bush became aware of the ghost story and obsession themes in the classic Bronte novel and just thought to herself, yeah, that's good. I could make something out of that, as if it's normal for professional musicians to just write fan songs about stories they like. Again, she really does whatever she feels like doing, and honestly it's an inspiration. This song and the strange dancing that accompanies it inspired her fans so much that huge flash mobs around the world gathered, dressed in red, to recreate the music video. This was in, like, 2018 by the way, though the song first came out in 1978.

The iconic red dress

6  

Under Ice 

I don't want to say much about this one. I just want you to discover it for yourself. All I'll say is it seems to work well as a reflection on the detachment people might start to feel from themselves when dealing with depression. 

Skating fast...

5 

Waking The Witch 

For those of you who know Kate Bush, yes... I'm falling into the trap of listing some of the songs from Hounds of Love in order. They're just really good, okay? This song connects with lots of different themes, and certainly one of them is the fear of women's power. She uses the history of witch trials to emphasize her point, and it gets pretty creepy. Take a listen, witches. 

We have a history of fearing feminine power.

4 

Cloudbusting

Here's where she starts to get funky with her choice in perspective. We'll see more of that later in this list. This song's story is told from the perspective of a young boy reminiscing about the father he's lost. She acts as the young boy in the music video. Things get even stranger with the addition of a fantastical element. Watch, listen, and see and hear for yourself. 

KB as a little boy in Cloudbusting

3 

The Big Sky

This one always makes me feel unapologetically optimistic and dreamy. It reminds me how unimportant the small stuff is when I manage to focus on the big picture. "What was the question? I was looking at the big sky." Very repetitive, but somehow never getting old, The Big Sky helps put things into perspective. 

Looking at the Big Sky 

2 

Experiment IV

Did anyone have 'science fiction story' on their Kate Bush bingo card? We often listen to music to help us work through certain feelings, or to help us feel a certain way. We listen to happy music at a party and we listen to sad music for the catharsis of fully grasping and understanding our more difficult feelings. Music often gets to the heart of us in a way that other forms of communication just can't. It does make some sense for Kate Bush, who's strength is in the music she makes, to reflect on this power. The music video also includes a surprise appearance from an actor I know you'll all recognize! Can you spot them?

 

It was music we were making here until...

  

1 

Breathing

Prepare yourself. This one is number one for a good reason. Remember how we talked about Kate Bush writing songs from different perspectives? Well, this is one of those songs.. She's telling the story of the effects of radiation poisoning after a nuclear blast. Can you guess which point of view she chose to take? It's the point of view of an unborn fetus, obviously. The music video reflects this, with Kate as the fetus and mother. Enjoy...?

Kate Bush on the dangers of nuclear war.

Kate Bush's work has always been unique. I'm inspired by her to make the types of things I feel like making, not just the types of things other people have been successful with. She is unapologetically herself, and I will be too. A quick thank you to my mom for introducing me to Kate Bush after I read Wuthering Heights. 

I'd also like to note that though I chose lots of songs from decades ago, Kate Bush is still actively creating amazing art today. As I've been writing this, I've listened to Kate Bush songs for inspiration. This made the writing process take about twice as long as it should have, because I kept getting emotional and obsessed over songs that weren't even going in the post. 

Which music have you found yourself connecting with or obsessing over? If I get recommendations in the comments, I'll be excited to check them out :)