"It is a comfortable thought that we have so much wildlife around us. For as houses go up along the country roads more and more, the wild ones tend to fall back into the forest.
...a pair of young rabbits playing on the lawn on a dewy morning is a charming sight. They spring so lightly in the air, their long ears quiver, they look like creatures out of an ancient fairy tale."
- Gladys Taber
When I'm not too tired, I go out after dark (a little after nine), and look for the fireflies. This is their time, the peak of firefly season. I stand on the bridge and look to the left; I see flashes of light here, there, near, a way off; I turn right and they are flashing among the tall weeds along the brook's edge. I look up and see some in the tree-top and sometimes they come along the grass near my feet. I wonder why I don't get a chair and just sit there for a length of time? But it's hard to burn the candle at both ends at my age.
Like children we stand and stare, watching the field
that twinkles where gold wisps fare to the end
of dusk, as the sudden sphere, ivory shield
aloft, of moon stands clear of the world's far bend.
- from Fireflies, by Fred Chappell
We're in a drier spell right now, except for when there's a thunderstorm, and in hot, humid weather, thunderstorms will occur. What I'm getting at is water in the basement. We have had a couple of instances of it, and it's not from a crack in the foundation but is seeping up from a saturated soil around the house. It wasn't much, but my brother decided to dig a hole outside, let it dry out and then paint it with tar.
When the tar dries, he can fill up the hole and things should be all right. Here he has plywood over the hole, in anticipation of some rain. Last night there was a storm we didn't expect, and while it was thundering and pouring, he realized the hole was uncovered. The other day he scooped out eighteen gallons of water - it's ongoing.
So, the ground is saturated, but the brook is sluggish - figure that out! It's been very hot, but considering the wet weather we've had in past months, is it possible the brook can dry up so easily? It has dried up in late summer many times, in a drought, but not in rainy seasons.
So I put away my green linen dress and am working on a blue lawn skirt. It's a pretty blue - what would I call it? - I don't know, a cool medium/dark shade. I'm usually drawn to prints, and it's strange working with a solid - almost boring, but that's ridiculous.
"When he gave us our air-rifles Atticus wouldn't teach us to shoot. Uncle Jack instructed us in the rudiments thereof; he said Atticus wasn't interested in guns. Atticus said to Jem one day, ' I'd rather you shot at tin cans in the back yard, but I know you'll go after birds. Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird."
- To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
Midsummer Day. We had an early supper: baked salmon, with a topping made of wholegrain mustard, lemon juice and zest, bread crumbs, feta and pepper. Stovetop mac and cheese, and a green salad. A summery meal. After a week of hot and humid days, today was not so hot, and drier. Very welcome.
Lo, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me;
And suddenly there will come to the temple the Lord whom you seek,
And the messenger of the covenant whom you desire.
Yes, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts.
- Malachi 3:1
There's not a plant or flower below,
but makes thy glories known,
And clouds arise, and tempests blow,
by order from thy throne;
While all that borrows life from thee
is ever in thy care,
And everywhere that we can be,
thou, God, art present there.
- Isaac Watts
When you have a garden, you always notice how much more the plants respond to a rainfall, as opposed to the water they get from the hose. After a couple of thunderstorms, I won't have to water for a couple of days, at least.
And I never put on my little wellies without feeling around inside them first - you never know.
There's a bird who seems to sing when it's getting dark. He's the only one singing, and it's nice and loud, very melodious. Tonight, it made me turn to the window and there I saw a peach sky! I knew I wouldn't be able to capture it, so I just sat there, enjoying.
I think I saw our little patient in the garden this morning - at least, it was a small rabbit; there's no way I'll ever get close enough to tell if it's him.
It's very much like summer now. We are going to have days in the nineties for the next five days; they're warning us to be careful. I made dinner early in the day, and that was the smartest thing I did. It didn't heat up the house much, and I had that work behind me.
Somebody just set off something quite loud out my window. It's nine o'clock, and dark. My brother said it sounded like a cherry bomb. It sounded to me right out my window! Well, as long as they don't do it all night.
I am putting the green dress aside - in this weather, it seems heavy. I can't stand the thought of it! I've got some pretty deep blue lawn and I'll choose a skirt pattern for it. Something nice and floaty, I hope.
I discovered a new bread cookbook, and the method is quicker and with a much wetter dough. The loaves are small but I don't care about that. This is something I won't mind doing in summer, if bread is needed.
Have mercy upon us, O God of all, and behold us, and show us the light of thy mercies. And send thy fear upon the nations that have not sought after thee, that they may know that there is no God besides thee, and that they may show forth thy wonders. Lift up thy hand over the strange nations, that they may see thy power. For as thou hast been sanctified in us in their sight, so thou shalt be magnified among them in our presence, that they may know thee, as we also have known thee, that there is no God besides thee, O Lord.
Renew thy signs, and work new miracles. Glorify thy hand, and thy right arm. Hasten the time, and remember the end, that they may declare thy wonderful works.
Gather together all the tribes of Jacob, that they may know that there is no God besides thee, and may declare thy great works, and thou shalt inherit them as from the beginning. Have mercy on thy people, upon whom thy name is invoked; and upon Israel, whom thou hast raised up to be thy firstborn. Have mercy on Jerusalem, the city which thou hast sanctified, the city of thy rest.
Fill Sion with thy unspeakable words, and thy people with thy glory. Give testimony to them that are thy creatures from the beginning, and raise up the prophecies which the former prophets spoke in thy name.
Reward them that patiently wait for thee, that thy prophets may be found faithful, and hear the prayers of thy servants, according to the blessing of Aaron over thy people, and direct us into the way of justice; and let all know that dwell upon the earth, that thou art God the beholder of all ages.
- Sirach 36:1-7, 10, 13-19
Yesterday evening I heard my brother say that the gray cat who wanders around our property (but who I assume must belong somewhere) had caught a small animal. I looked out the window and thought it was too bad, but what can you do when they're running fast and you'd never catch up with them? This is what one thinks, isn't it? But my brother ran out.
I saw the cat turn this way with its prey dangling - I could see that it was too big for a mouse. The cat ran off and my brother was searching the grounds for something; I assumed he looked for the little creature. He walked back to the house, and laid a small rabbit on a beam of wood on the driveway. I assumed it was dead, but he said it wasn't - I didn't know how he knew, but he was rubbing it, perhaps trying to revive it - ? Anyway, he told me to call the emergency animal clinic a couple of towns over, to see if they would take it. He said, "I suppose they'd put it to sleep", and I said, "not if we insist we'll pay - why would they?" * I called; they said they don't take wildlife, but she gave me a website address with all sorts of contact information, so I picked one and began to call, but then he remembered something: he has a client who lives in town and does wildlife rehab, and she even hand feeds rabbits in her yard! She feeds them bananas, in fact! Yes, I guess it's well-known among rabbit enthusiasts that they love bananas. So I held the little one while he drove down to his business to get her phone number and call her.
For a good ten minutes I held a baby rabbit. I saw his little ears, felt his soft fur, held tight while he periodically struggled to get free. He had two areas where the fur had come off, and the bare, raw-ish skin was exposed. There was very little blood. So, I petted him, talked to him, told him I was sorry for the whole business, and tried to avoid touching those bare places, but that was hard - he was little. But he never cried, or made the slightest sound. Then my brother returned.
The lady said to put Vaseline on the skin and try to put the fur back over the areas. Yes, in one of them the fur was still there, just loose; the other part was gone. She said, "Put him in the garden where he may have been born (because they do go in and out of that place), and give him some banana and carrot, and some water, because they tend to get dehydrated. We brought him out, and set him down with the food. He didn't move, of course. We went off, but my brother went back there just a few minutes later and he was nowhere to be seen; he didn't eat the food.
She happened to have a hair appointment today, and she told him that rabbits have fur which will peel off in that way to enable an escape. So, we are hoping this little one will heal over and be all right. Because his family won't help him. He is on his own. She said a grown rabbit will fight a young one over food, so there is no real family feeling.
big rabbit relaxing - not our little friend
But this is their life, and what they're used to, what they expect. But anyway, back to the beginning of the story, when my brother chased the cat, it dropped the rabbit and it darted to and fro. My brother was searching for two sticks, to pick it up with. But that didn't work well, and when he brought it over near the house, it must have fainted for a while. So, that's how he knew it was still alive.
*A few years back, one of Diane's cats somehow got a baby bird on the ground in our front yard. He brought it to this veterinary hospital, and they euthanized it. So this is what he was afraid of, but they must have misunderstood him when he brought it in.
The birds are quieter, the fireflies are increasing and a mockingbird sang a brief concert on the power line. The air gets more humid, but nights are still pleasant; the rabbits are more used to our human noises - there was one out my window yesterday afternoon while my neighbor was mowing nearby!
My little garden crops are getting bigger and there aren't any weeds due to the grass clippings all around.
My dress needs the side seams sewn and then it will look like something. I wake up with the sun in the mornings, but am too tired at the other end of the day.
I want to plan a menu for the longest day of the year, which is next week. It's supposed to be hot. I'll have to take that into consideration.
I was just watching an adult rabbit and a young one grazing in the lawn. Then the baby hopped right through the fence around the garden, and disappeared inside. Maybe he was born in there, as happened a few years ago. Anyway, we'll see.
I have four squares in that area, and plants in only one (weeds in the other four). There are curly parsley, red onions, Italian beans, cabbage and a butternut squash plant. There were two of those but one disappeared shortly after I planted the two. It's quite overgrown in here, especially around the perimeter, where tall grasses are growing. But I saw a rabbit reaching up and eating those, so now I'm almost glad they're there.
To live a contemplative life is to live at depth;
to live below the surface in the world of faith,
the world of reality and not appearances.
- Sister Ruth Burrows, O.C.D.
In between reading more weighty books, I picked up Pat of Silver Bush for a more soothing experience of beautiful scenery, etc.. And I came upon a quote:
"No matter what dreadful things happened at least there were still cats in the world."
But when I re-read something, it's the same passages which pop out at me every time, so I checked my previous posts, and yes, I posted this ten years ago. And there was this picture, too.
Forever in our memories.
Yes. This is an amaryllis growing on our property. I am as surprised as you are; we're in zone six.
And here we are - it bloomed. I can't say I like amaryllis. But it is rather fantastical looking, here in New England. I feel like we should move it to a spot where it will "fit in". But it's a southwest exposure, and near to the house - it wouldn't do better anywhere else.
