Saturday morning has rolled around. Mark Knopfler and Emmylou Harris are singing me a song on Pandora, and the sun's edging up over the hill. I am officially on spring break-a long-awaited few days away from my desk during which I'll head to NC and hang with Mom. There are several chores to complete before leaving, but the corgis and I are ready to hit the road and have some time in the mountains.
I have no idea what the energetic implication is, but I continue to have close encounters of the Great Blue Heron kind. Two flew directly over the house the other afternoon, squawking along the way as if to say "howdy...any good ponds around?" A couple days later, the corgis and I were on a walk off the beaten path downtown, and as MerryBelle went to get a drink out of the river, I turned to the left and found myself within 10' of one. It was as surprised as I. Our eyes met for a mili-second, and it squawked at the same moment I jumped at the unexpected meeting. It took off, and I watched it tuck its neck and head off across the river. And then yesterday, I walked to across the pedestrian bridge for breakfast at The Busy Bee, only to see one perched on a piling near the dock beneath me. With its neck gathered close to its body, I initially thought the bird was a green heron, but this guy/gal decided to stretch, and yep, it was another GBH. I don't think it was quite awake, for it just looked at me and returned to snooze pose.
In other farm news:
a. the first little yellow crocuses I planted over three decades ago in the south side bed are up and opening to the warm sun....
b. the Red-Winged Blackbirds are back, and all the birdies are getting pretty frisky....
c. I've started some seeds and transplanted indoor plants that were up for some fresh dirt, marking the first dirty fingernail week of 2014...
d. my upper level students had a very enlightening conversation with John Suarez about the success and power of non-violent opposition.....
e. out of the 500+ pictures I took this week, I came up with a couple that I think are suitable for submission in a local show coming up soon....the photo above is just one I like - a button from the flea market placed on a piece of grate from I found at the ruins of my great-grandparents' home in Matney, NC....
f. the box of handmade paper under my bed has been calling my name, and I have a project idea for it....
g. the late-planted amaryllises I set last week are pushing up some leaves, hopefully as forerunners to bud shoots....
h. Samuel and Eliza have both checked in for extended conversations this week --always special moments when we have a chance to really talk....
i. last Sunday's snow has melted over the course of the week. I LOVED what could be our last significant visit by the snow fairies....
k. Mac and MerryBelle would report that they're quite the tag-team duo when it comes to treeing raccoons and hassling possums. My neighbors would report they're pretty much an annoyance when they do so at midnight.
j. It won't be long until I'm pulling up the thousands of shoots that will spring from the seeds that have fallen from seed pods like this one. Datura is a POWERFUL plant. One learns a quick lesson about awareness of these pods when he/she starts to mess around where they're resting on the soil.
k. It's been a good week, and I am (as always) struck by my many blessings. I have nothing about which I feel inclined to whine.....
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