Fossils, by Linda Faris

"I would rather have a mind opened by wonder than one closed by belief."

-Gerry Spence-

One of the "things you can look for this year" on the blog I failed to mention, is that I'd like to open it up to those of you who like to write, but as yet have no public venue.  I know at least three people who have wonderful skill at putting pen to paper and I've encouraged them all to share their creations.  After a little prodding, I have my first taker.  For anyone else reading, I'd love to read what you have to say.  If you'd like it posted to the blog, simply attach it to an email addressed to me.  I promise you'll get full credit.   Thank you Linda, for getting things started.  I know everyone else will enjoy this as much as I did.  Ladies and Gentlemen..............Fossils.



Ahhhh, it’s a beautiful summer day at nearby Memphis State Park. The breeze rolls off the lake and caresses my face and hair just as a young mother lovingly draws her fingers over her newborn’s face. I sigh with complete contentment, looking forward to a relaxing day with friends and family. As usual, I drop to my knees and begin scouring the rocks remaining from a mostly forgotten camp pad.

“What are ya lookin’ for, Linda”, my stepfather says with a cross between a wink and a scowl (because he full well knows what I am looking for).

“Fossils.” I answer in the same sing song voice each time he asks, then….wait….wait….wait for it…..

With a snicker and a grin he snorts, “then why don’t you just go look in a mirror?!!!”.

He chortles with delight at his customary retort, I smile back.

There is just something about fossils that delight me. I’m not sure what it is, but as long as I can remember I have had a love affair with them.

In my later teen years, I lived in a house alongside the distant end of the Platte River.  As one can imagine, the river was a most excellent place for fun, exploration, meditation and my favorite, “hunting for fossils”, as I call it. I’m not really sure if “hunting” is an accurate term for my pastime…but this is how I fondly consider it.

I would either sit on a log or just crouch down low and peer at the sandy silt until the perfect roundness of a crinoid would catch my eye. A bit of excitement passed through me each and every time I would find one of these treasures…a sigh of contentment, a smile of knowing, a softening of my features as I would more closely examine my newest find.

The river was rich with fossils, especially crinoid stems, as the entire midwest region was once covered with shallow seas of water which gave rise to underwater forests of the graceful and beautiful crinoids. Crinoids are one of the oldest fossil remains that we know about…dating back at least 450 million years ago. Get that???? 450 MILLION years ago!!!! I find that fact staggering. Especially when I am holding one in my hand and gazing upon it. To think that this remnant has been around possibly 450 million years and all that has transpired around it and now, at any given moment, I am holding it in my hand. Absolutely blows me away!!!

There are good explanations of why these delicate gems have fossilized so well, but that is not my topic today. The crinoids I find are just parts of a larger organism…what I actually find are more specifically “crinoid stems”. Crinoids are also known as “sea lilies” or “feather stars”, both appropriate designations for these lovely animals. Sea lilies, while looking like sea plants, are actually animals of the phylum Echinodermata, the same from which starfish and sand dollars belong. They actually look like a flower, a stalk holds them to the sea floor, at the top of the stalk is a radially symmetrical array of “arms” that have filters attached. These arms filter algae, larvae, crustaceans and so forth from the water as food sources. I like to imagine the crinoid swaying to and fro in the water, turning its crown in the direction of food material…just as land flowers turn their heads to the sun for sustenance.

Even more amazing about these gorgeous creatures that lived 450 million years ago is that they exist even today. True, they are not exactly the same, but the species living today is a close enough relative to my ancient friend to allow scientists much study material.

I have hunted for fossils in each and every place that has limestone rocks. I have even hunted for fossils in areas of rock without limestone, just in case! At the end of my runs on the Mopac trail, I spend a few minutes searching for fossils as I stretch my legs…sometimes a few minutes turns into an hour. But it is all good, the more fossils I find, the happier I feel. I have cases full of my finds. There are other fossil freaks out there, I understand them. Any friend of fossils is a friend of mine.

-Linda Faris-