Tuesday, June 5, 2007

Another day

This morning's cool temperatures and breeze called me out to walk. On so many summer days, the air is so heavy and still--the thickness makes walking seem more like swimming. Today, though, it was delightful.
The pasture's long, waving strands make a nice fringe for the chicken coop--empty of chickens for the last 5 years. Now home for a phoebe. She comes and goes through the open window on the end.
The Eastern red cedars are loaded with fruits--it seems this year more than before. Or maybe its just that I'm walking and looking more, and its as it has always been.
I do know that for the first time in ten years we've seen the Cedar Waxwings in our yard. Every other day or so, a small flock settles in. I never made the connection before with their name--cedar for their love of the cedar berries and choice of the tree for nesting. Perhaps they're visiting us now, because these trees are flourishing.
The grapes are flourishing, too. These Concord vines need serious pruning this fall--we know we need to do something, just aren't sure exactly what we need to do. But, for now, we'll hope some fruit remains and ripens.The tendrils and their grip make vines seem so alive...how I will feel about chopping them waaaaaay back--I don't know.

One last peek at the pond, where the breeze had pushed aside the green blanket. What I first thought were tadpoles, on second glance had little whiskers. Baby bullheads? Swirling around what must have been their nest, a depression in the shallow water. And I thought we only had bass.

Another day's walk, along the same path--but always something new.

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5 comments:

KGMom said...

My goodness--you have a phoebe that lives in a building with an open window?
That's what Julie Z. painted and showed on her blog.

Susan Gets Native said...

You need to buy a print of Zick's phoebe!
Why no chickens?
I would love that. But we have too many Cooper's hawks and chickens are like fast food for them.
: (

cestoady said...

They say that "Variety is the spice of life" -- with a Phoebe in the chichen coop (and barn too),Cedar Waxwings in the cedars,Concord grapes waiting to be pruned , and a family of catfishes in the pond -- plus all the other events,(Field Day, nestings, and so on) and wonderful experiences we have enjoyed with you-- I would say you live in one spicy place.

Come to think of it,I guess one can think of the natural world as our spice rack. And you have a full rack Nina.

nina at Nature Remains. said...

It's funny you immediately thought of Julie's painting. (I can't walk past the coop without thinking about it--and almost wrote it that way in this entry--I "watched" her paint that, too--and will always think about barns, phoebes and openwindows (and lilacs!)

Lynne at Hasty Brook said...

What a wonderful place you have there! I really enjoyed the walk with you. When I was a little girl we would catch baby bullheads with minnow nets and let them tickle our fingers with their whiskers.