May 17, 2009

Through the kitchen window
-or- There goes the view

Tree reflection

Sycamores are among the last to leaf out
(zoom to admire the bark)

Butternut catkins

Ragwort growing wild along the road

6 flowers on this Wild Geranium plant, and 6 bees

Nannyberry flower, the aroma wafts about the yard on a breeze

Cornus alternifolia, Blue Dogwood, Pigeonberry, Alternate-leaved Dogwood

Among my favorites, the scent is sweet and lemony. The flowers, berries, leaves and overall form are really breathtaking.

Why I Don’t Hate Snakes

Years ago, when we were planting native trees and shrubs and flowers, naturalizing the property, we would occasionally go into town, visit a pet store, and say, “Give me all of those.” Whether or not we had any money, we felt the need to free the poor captive turtles or snakes, and would make 3-digit credit card purchases in the name of freedom. (We now see the foolishness of our ways, knowing that a) we could have spread pet store diseases into healthy wild populations, and b) credit cards are best left in drawers at home for real emergencies.)

But back then, one fine Spring day, O purchased a dozen Garter Snakes and--thinking the offer would be a great gift--made me promise to release them. I agreed, thinking it would be easy enough to dump a bag o’snakes on the ground, then run like hell. I was apprehensive on the long drive home, the brown lunch sack squirming and slithering between us on the seat. I steeled myself for the drop ‘n’ run when O informed me that I had to release them one by one. Manually.

There was nothing I could do to save face except agree. And so we parked the old black pick-up, I reached into the bag, grabbed one small snake gingerly between my thumb and index finger, pulled it out and let it go before I could register the slimy creepiness. The next one I was able to hold a nanosecond longer. It wasn’t so slimy. The next, even longer. Not so creepy. And by the time I got to Snake #12, I was thoroughly entranced with its lithe grace, was sad to let it go, and wished for a dozen more.