The sun is
filtering morning rays through the kitchen window, bathing my plants in a gentle
hue. It’s 48 F, a bit chilly for June and global warming. The Christmas cactus on
my counter soaks in the light – it has three pink blooms that keep turning
their heads with the sun.
A heron
flies from the river and lands at the lake’s edge with a flurry of wings and
pollen. Thousands of little parasols float in the air, dancing up and down,
carrying a small dandelion seed. There is no breeze but the air pushes them up
and down in the dance of life. The sun’s
diagonal rays are outlined and punctuated by thousands of fluffy umbrellas.
A scrawny
fox I’ve never seen before is walking slowly at the edge of the woods, bushy
tail moving rhythmically. I can’t tell if she is stalking a prey or just wandering
back to her den not far from the narrow boardwalk, the slats squishing softly
underfoot.
We got so
much rain in the last few days that the low terrain is murky and soggy. The
deer must be taking a different route, I have not seen them in days. Their
hooves would get stuck and unstuck in the mud, making popping sounds with each
step.
A very fat
racoon was waddling last night down the hill and disappeared into the thick forest
behind our house. Not sure if she was pregnant or just obese – there is plenty
around to eat.
The fox has
finished off the snapping turtle eggs in the nest she kept digging up for at
least three days. She finally realized all the eggs were gone so she stopped
digging up my flower bed. I had covered the remaining eggs with a protective
net but the shrewd fox dug under it. We
kept playing a cat and mouse game – I would rebury the empty shells and the fox
would dig them up each time.
I don’t need
to go very far to visit a zoo – I have my own in the back yard. All I have to
do is pull up a chair and wait for the critters to emerge.
It's wonderful that you have all the wild creatures around you and are able to interact with a few.
ReplyDeleteI do feel lucky in that regard, DeWitt. I love animals, even the pesky fox that dug up my potato plant last night. I must build a fence to keep my plants.
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