The baby rabbits spent much of today at the nest’s entrance. I don’t know if they’re too hot in the nest, which lies in a section of the yard that gets very little shade, or if they’re curious about what goes on in the rest of the yard. I expect they’ll begin exploring soon.
The blue moon suits my mood. I’m tired and sluggish, ready to crawl off into some quiet corner and lose myself in a half-edited manuscript, one burdened with rambling paragraphs and boring verbs. It needs dragonflies.
A couple of spiders wouldn’t hurt, either.
Because spiders matter. Even the ones that eat butterflies. (I believe this was a Cloudless Sulfur butterfly.)
I want my story to feel real, so it can’t be all flutter and gleam. It needs sticky strands of web, for tension. And rough surfaces, for texture.
Now, if only I could find a way to add cicadas. Maybe just one. A late summer cicada, laying its eggs under the bark of a pear tree…
I caught a few video clips as the rabbits nursed tonight…
The days are definitely getting shorter, and the yard has changed accordingly. Tired leaves litter the grass. The roses bloom erratically, producing smaller and smaller flowers with less and less scent. Few dragonflies remain, only a handful of Blue Dashers.
Spiderwebs lend the yard an autumn feel, harbingers of Halloween and the brittle months to follow. And there’s a silence, under the muted cricket chorus, that sounds like an echo of winter.
No more robins, no more blue jays, no love-struck doves on the fence. Only an occasional mockingbird, and even they tend to hide from view, flitting through the wax myrtle as if they would rather not be noticed. Or photographed.
So the yard reflects summer’s dwindling hours, despite the lingering heat. And I’m torn between sorrow and anticipation, a permanent state in the last few years. Tomorrow is always exciting, mysterious and unwritten. But today is satisfying, too. As for yesterday? Well, yesterday wasn’t bad at all. In fact, I was kind of sorry to see it go…
I believe this is a Southern Leopard Frog. Frogs are rare in the yard, so I was excited to add this one to the archive. After getting these photos, I tried for a macro close-up. That was when the frog decided my paparazzi persistence was too intrusive. It quickly hopped away.
Actually, hopped is the wrong word. The first hop was a regular, modest jump with a lazy arc and about a foot or so of forward progress. The next jump was an impressive flat leap of at least three feet. Then the frog found another gear and zoomed off in grass-skimming lunges, each “hop” covering five or six feet. It disappeared under the deck in the blink of an eye, a beeline retreat that made me wonder if the deck is its home.
I haven’t seen the frog again, and I don’t expect to. Even so, I slowed my mowing pace yesterday, especially around the deck. Just in case.
I also made certain to mark the rabbit’s nest before starting the mower, because my mind tends to wander as I mow. Rather than mowing right up to the nest, I wanted to leave a wide margin. Hopefully, when the baby rabbits start exploring in a few weeks, the patch of grass around their nest will be tall enough to hide them from the sharp eyes of hungry hawks.
And now… a blogging meme!
Many thanks to Jackie at Swerving for Butterflies! Her posts remind me to look beyond myself (and my yard), to see the world’s tangled web of joy and grief, grace and suffering. She reminds me that I am not alone unless I choose to be. I’m honored that she thought of me, and that she enjoys my blog enough to encourage her readers to visit.
So, here are seven things about me:
1. I have registered for the Hampton Roads Writers 4th Annual Conference, which takes place September 20 – 22 in Virginia Beach, VA. I have not attended this conference before, and I’m looking forward to an inspiring weekend spent in the company of writers.
2. While my publication credits (so far) all involve poetry, I also write fiction. My first manuscript (a literary fantasy for young adults) has received positive attention from a few agents, but no offers for representation. Yet…
3. I recently submitted four photographs for publication in a literary journal. My first photography submission!
4. Submissions are the most difficult part of the writing process, for me.
5. I am working on a poetry chapbook, as well as a full-length poetry manuscript. Both will include photos.
6. My favorite piece of technology is my iPhone, and my favorite app is iBooks. I am learning to love eBooks.
7. When I grow up, I want to be a writer!
Finally, I’m supposed to pass along the “Seven things about me” meme, but I’m going to break tradition a bit. Many of the bloggers that I follow prefer not to receive award nominations and meme tags. So, rather than pursue the formal process of nominating and notifying, here are links to seven of my favorite recent posts. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!
Mystical Magical Mantis (The Iris and The Lily / August 24)
Cicadas’ Concert (Lynn’s Creativity Post / August 23)
In the Mirror (Momentum of Joy / August 23)
Seeing Things (random acts of writing [+ art] / August 23)
Rae Spencer 