The dog hurt his knee while running around wildly, leaping, and barking at the dogs next door (who spend their time barking yo mama jokes at him until he can’t take it anymore). Now he’s supposed to be resting while he heals. Only he doesn’t know that. He thinks I’ve gone lame, and not in… Continue reading Intensities
Author: Nancy J. Moncrieff
Beebalm, Bergamot, Monarda
Gardens are a means of time travel. You only need to be close enough to a garden to smell what’s blooming to know this is so. The scent of lilacs, wafting on a spring breeze, transports me to early childhood. Mom and Dad had planted a row of lilacs and other flowering bushes in… Continue reading Beebalm, Bergamot, Monarda
Cicadas and Safe Places
According to a Michigan State University entymologist, Washtenaw County is the favored Michigan location for Brood X seventeen-year cicadas. Throughout our neighborhood, we have cicada emergence holes, exoskeletons, and cacophonous jubilation. People have mixed feelings about all this. One neighbor in particular is less than thrilled. Her yard is like other yards. In… Continue reading Cicadas and Safe Places
Beginnings
Brood X, our batch of seventeen-year cicadas, is getting easier to find, especially in Cherry Hill Nature Preserve. This 160-acre park owned by Superior Township is heavily populated by Brood X and people there to see and photograph Brood X. Sue and Tesla and I went walking there yesterday—Sue and Tesla’s second visit this week. … Continue reading Beginnings
Contact
Small, tender trees near us are sporting costumes of fine white mesh, secured around the trunk. They look like not-very-scary-sized alien life forms. In fact, the netting is to protect them from nearly-alien life forms. The 17-year cicadas called Brood X are beginning to emerge. They’re pretty benign as invaders go, but can be tough… Continue reading Contact
Drama, Subtlety, and the Long View
Drama and subtlety have been the watchwords this week, and Baltimore orioles have starred in the drama department. With their vivid markings, all they have to do is show up to create drama, and they’ve just returned to southern Michigan. I came upon one in the woods yesterday that was so gorgeous, the sight of… Continue reading Drama, Subtlety, and the Long View
In Motion
Whether critters going about their business, a truck moving about its appointed rounds, or excited children, this was a week in motion. The freezing weather seems to be behind us at last, and the world is busy. When the dog and I were out walking in Sugarbush woods, we came upon a garter snake. … Continue reading In Motion
Migration
Spring is a time for seasonal migration. Books and magazines from our Wyoming daughter chronicle the movement of large animals—bison and mule deer—around her state. Michigan’s lifeforms move, too, although the migrations are more apt to be winged than quadrupedal. From raptors to smallest songbirds, migratory birds are arriving in our state. We read… Continue reading Migration
Chatting
Tuesday was a wonderful day, sunny and warm, a welcome relief after our late snow. Trees were blooming. Flowers were blooming. The grass was so green now that it reminded me of Ireland. Cardinals had built a nest in the rosebush twining around our porch, and Mrs. Cardinal was already sitting on eggs. … Continue reading Chatting
Late Snow
We had a late snow this week. Television meteorologists had been daring to hint that we might have had an early last snowfall, and then, late in April, along came this winter storm. A couple more inches of snow is no big deal after months of wielding a snow shovel. We didn’t even need… Continue reading Late Snow