Fox Haven Journal

Beau May 31st, 2009

Last week was all about rain, but now it’s really starting to feel like summer.   I must forget each year but it seems like there’s more insect critters about than I’ve ever seen.  Great hoards of gnats and other flying bugs all about during the day.  Maybe the rain really helped them along a bit.    

Thankfully the garden has been relatively pest free.  See?  We have a little garden angel to protect everything.

Except it didn’t work very well for whatever bugs kept eating the beets!  I planted a huge row, and only about a third of the beets made it to a larger size.  Something came along and ate them at the base of the stems or chewed the leaves off.   I’ve planted more starts to transplant in a week or two, along with some turnips.  For now the beets look a little sad between the potatoes and cucumbers.

But everything else is coming along, and we’ve got an experiment going with planting squash near some lemon balm (Melissa officinalis).  The lemon balm has a wonderful lemony scent when you crush the leaves, and some of the same compounds as citronella.  I’m hoping the citrus scent repels a few insects and that there won’t be as many squash bugs around.   The lemon balm is at the back along the fence, with the squash and lettuce in the front.

I’m really looking forward to the tomatoes- they’re growing well and have quite a few flowers already on several varieties.  The boy pointed out a small tomato- it sure seems early.  How long it takes to turn red is the question.  Appararently researchers have found that reddish colored mulch or something under the tomato plant can modify the light spectrum enough to actually enhance carbohydrate uptake resulting in earlier fruit production and development.  I haven’t modified our tomato plantings with red colored mulch or anything, but the mulch is brownish.  Maybe that’s helped, I don’t know.

Something else I’m trying this year- planting all the tomatoes along the south and east sides of a little fence.  I’ve read that soil temperatures above 90 degrees F can really slow tomato production in mid-summer. Last year the ones along the fence did really well in part because the moisture drains that way.  But I’m hoping that during the really hot days of summer the small fence will help shade and cool the roots from the southwest sun while the leaves and fruit up top get all the light they need.  Just a home-grown experiment, but kind of fun to see how it works out.

It seems that Quackers likes to patrol the shoreline of the pond looking for tender plants to munch on.  He also likes bread… okay, I’ll admit it- I walked down and fed him last week.  Now whenever we are near the pond he comes over looking for a handout.  He’s a very relaxed duck, and seems quite proud of himself.   I found him taking a break near the shoreline one day and he didn’t seem to mind my curiosity.

Watching him paddling around evokes a certain lazy feeling, just right for reading under the shade of a tree.  In a few weeks we’ll hear the drone of cicadas high above as spring gives way to summer.
 
 

• Family and School , Gardening , Rural Living
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Beau May 28th, 2009

The last week of school for our 2nd grader.  It’s been a busy time, and a rainy one too.  But it looks like the sun may finally be coming out for a few days tomorrow.   But the magic of late May includes fireflies!  We saw great numbers of lightning bugs come out for their annual twinkling festival a few days ago.  I awoke past midnight the other night and it was like some dazzling array of fairies dancing over the fields- sparkling and twinkling everywhere.

Like clockwork too the young boy dreamed of a chance to go catch a few.  He wanted to stay up late then, but it was too late for a school night.  We waited until last night, with today his last, half-day of school.  At dusk last night we head out searching and didn’t see any at first.  Finally one appeared before us, flashing its luminous signal to others of its kind. 

“There’s one!” I yell, and I try to grab it as it flies higher and over some rose bushes just out of reach.  “I see it!” he yells, and with a singular intent that made my heart swell the boy locked his eyes on that firefly and gave chase with cup and lid in hand.

With complete abandon he sailed over the rose bushes at a full run toward the patio and made one great, flying leap higher than I’ve ever seen- and bam!  He captured that firely right in his cup!   My jaw dropped open as he landed, and turned around triumphant, with a great smile on his face.  “I got it!” he says with glee.  I tell him I’ve never seen him jump so high and we exchange big high fives.  As if that’s not enough, another firefly appears a few feet away and he turns and quickly grabs it barehanded in mid-air. 

Later that evening he fell asleep looking at his two new friends as they flashed and glowed near his bed.  He lets them go in the morning, but they bring such joy and magic to our lives each year. 

And I’ve got visions of my son leaping over challenges in life, intent on achieving his goals.  I know it won’t always be that simple.  He’s reaching the age of measuring ”self” and has begun to wonder about the larger world around him.  I hope he remembers the fireflies.
 
 

• Family and School , Passing Thoughts
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Beau May 23rd, 2009

It was time to set up another bee hive this week.   Probably should have set it out earlier, but I wanted to have an extra on hand as a bait hive in case a swarm was looking for a new home. Sometimes bees just pack up with the queen and move away, taking half to two-thirds or more of the hive workers with them.  If there’s a ready bait hive nearby, they may just move into that.  Otherwise I’m setting it up to add another hive to the mix either this year or next.

Here’s the pieces laid out for a basic hive. I’ve assembled some of the products and painted them- they don’t have to be white, but I like it that way.  I’ve set my hives up on concrete blocks to keep them off the ground. I just arranged the blocks to make a rectangle, and spaced them between the other two hives.  I use a level make sure the blocks lean slightly forward and to one side to ensure rain falls off the front corner of the hive, and so water cannot drain into the hive.  We’ve got a few skunks around too, and I think the height of the blocks can keep them from getting to the entrance.  I’ve read that skunks love to claw hives and suck on bees like candy… I’m not keeping Jujubees thank you very much :)

I use roofing shingles on top of the concrete blocks to protect them from moisture, freezing, etc. and maybe reflect a little warmth to the hive. There’s a downside in terms of the hive becoming too tall to handle the heavy supers comfortably, but I’ve got them on gravel and should manage okay- I can drive up behind the hives if necessary in a truck.

I’ve assembled the hive stand and bottom board here, and like to place a screened bottom board on top of a regular bottom board. The screened boards help with ventilation, and theoretically reduce potential mite problems on the bees allowing the mites to physically fall off and through the screen where they can’t get back to the bees. Many beekeepers only use the screen, with no other bottom board. I like it this way though- and the bees have done well with it so far. I can put a tray or sticky paper in at the back and check for mite populations.

Next comes the hive body, and then the inner and out covers and the hive is ready! Empty, but ready. I’m thinking of trying a split off one of the other hives, using some frames of brood and honey, and getting a new queen for the new hive. It’s getting late in the season though, because the hive would start very small. The bees need time to build up their population while gathering enough honey to take them through winter. We’ll see.

Three busy hives would be nice- in a year or two I could have a good bit of honey. Can you tell what’s different about the third hive setup below (besides being smaller)?  Bees can actually use pattern differentiation to tell their hives from others. Some folks paint them different colors or paint a pattern on the front. I thought maybe the trees on different sides of the first two hives would help, so that’s why I put them there. But adding a third hive introduces a new factor, so I wanted it to look different.

With three hives closer together, I wonder if I’ll get some drifting of bees from one to another? I’ve spaced them more than three feet apart to minimize the likelihood, and the different patterns should help. But sometimes the wind blows them around so much they become confused or go right to another hive. I doubt it is fully explained- some research indicates that young bees may also join other flying clouds of bees and go right in to a different hive thinking it’s their own.  And if worker bees come back drifting to a different hive with pollen or nectar I think they become assimilated… kind of like the Borg or something.  But do they go back to their own hive later? Don’t know.

And why are drifting bees not stung when going into a new hive?  Some say it’s because they act like it’s their own hive, not giving any behavioral cues to the guard bees to think otherwise. But robber bees are different, displaying some furtive intent or behavior to steal honey, and the guard bees are alerted to their presence. I find it all so fascinating- there’s so much to learn, and much that researchers still don’t know.

The hives look settled on the edge of the woods, facing south toward the pond. I like them to have a little shade for the heat of summer, although some “beeks” believe full sun is best.  If they stay healthy and make honey, that’s about all I could ask for.

While setting up the hive, a friendly little tiger beetle stopped by. Well friendly is a bit emotive, but it stayed still long enough for a picture. It’s probably looking for it’s next meal, and I’m glad tiger beetles are really small! This little guy is the six-spotted tiger beetle and he has some good sized chompers.

I’ve learned a lot more about tiger beetles (and other insects, trees, plants…!) thanks to Beetles in the Bush’s amazing pictures and information.  I can’t say for sure, but I’ll bet he’s got a big smile on his face while testing out his new DSLR photo system.  His picture of the six-spotted tiger beetle is awesome!

• Beekeeping , Wildlife, Insects and Pets
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Beau May 21st, 2009

With the demands of spring outdoors, we also have the need for taking care of those things that make a house a home.  This week included replacing air filters in the ventilation system, and turning on the water valves inside the house to a couple of outdoor faucets that we finally need.   It’s time to set up the watering system for the garden again.  Also time to clean out a few more gutters, and clean up around the air conditioning systems.  The garage still needs cleaned and the weeds are going crazy now.  Of course the washing machine started leaking too, why not right?  We finally fixed that last night with a hose replacement and a sigh of relief that it wasn’t something else.

I also had the chainsaw out and some helpers last weekend, and finally decided to cut down a few dead trees that I’ve been watching for at least a year.  Warning!  If you’re a died-in-the-wool tree hugger (I am!) this may be difficult to read.  I love trees too, and I assure you that no living mature trees were harmed during the photography or production of this blog post.   Sometimes dead or hazardous trees simply have to come down, and for us they will serve a purpose in providing warmth for our family next winter.

It’s a little tricky, but after you figure out the “fall line” of the tree based on its growth form, the natural slope of the land and gravity, then you pick an axis that you want the tree to drop along, making sure of clearances to other trees or obstacles,  power lines, etc.  If I was doing this near a house or a neighbors house, I would call in a professional and maybe some tree climbers to cut from the top down.  And if the tree has been dead for a long time, it may be too dangerous to cut down without extensive cables or other safety devices.

We’re cutting on open, sloped land, and like saving money, so it was just a matter of using the chainsaw safely.  I first cut a large notch on the face side of the tree that opens along the fall line.  This notch is a little deeper than I wanted- about 40% into the tree instead of a third of the way, and not quite as open as I would have liked, trying for around 70 degrees.  But the corner is connected and it worked just fine.

After the notch cut, you come in behind on the back of the tree, and make a cut just at or above that notch angle corner, cutting slowly toward the notch and making sure to leave a hinge, or a strip of wood along the notch corner that connects the tree.  The tree should start to fall toward the planned fall line, and you can use a wedge to help start it falling if not.   Many things can  happen of course, and you can also slightly influence the fall by cutting one side toward the hinge a little more than the other.  Fortunately this tree fell right where it needed to, between the septic observation pipes.

Which brings up the real reason we were out with the chainsaw.  Yesterday I had the septic tank pumped out (woohoo!) and it’s now clean and refreshed, enzymatically speaking.  Which really is good news.  It had been three years since the last time and I wanted to make sure it was in good shape.   Nothing like making sure the toilet flushes like you want it to!  To go along with the the septic maintenance, we really needed to clear some vegetation surrounding our drainfield, and that’s what we started doing that day.

For those who have sewers or are not familiar, the septic drainfield is a system of underground pipes that help drain and distribute water filtrate / effluent that comes from the septic tank over a large ground area (you can see one drainfield line with those pvc pipes sticking up out of the ground in the picture below).   The septic tank holds the solids, and the liquid drains out slowly into pipes buried in long gravel channels and soil while becoming purified by good bacteria, plants, etc over time.  The septic tank and drainfield actually serve as a functional biological system- as long as it’s working properly.  

Our drainfield is probably at least a hundred square yards in area.  The reason you have to monitor the tank and drainfield is not only so that your bathrooms function normally(!), but also because repairs and replacement are very expensive- to the tune of thousands of dollars.  We even monitor what goes into the septic tank in terms of chemicals and such to make sure we don’t hurt the system.   Thankfully the previous owners had the foresight to upgrade the drainfield and make it larger to support future demand.  Just to be sure it was working properly, I opened up one of the “distibution” boxes to see how things looked, and cleanish water was flowing slowly into the pipes like it should.  That was good news too.

But I realized that we had too many small  saplings that had grown up closer to the drainfield than they should, and we needed to clear them.  Left unchecked, those trees could develop very strong root systems that not only seek out water, but rich and fertile water coming from the drainfield.  You guessed it- those roots could take over the drainfield and pipes, eventually clogging the system and requiring replacement costing mucho dinero of new digging and pipe replacement.

So for some fun excitement last weekend we got the whole crew (three of us!) out to cut down and clear the brush and saplings.  Yipee.  Fortunately it wasn’t too bad, at least after I got out the chainsaw, and the Mrs. and the boy helped carry off the cuttings to the burn pile.  It was really great to have their help.   

I spent the next day cutting more saplings all around the bordering woodlands and the drainfield itself, after I realized how large it really was.  In fact there’s more cutting and clearing to do just to make sure.  But for the trees already cut down I painted the little stumps with herbicide so they don’t grow back.   It really looks a lot more open now, and with a little luck our drainfield should last for at least 15-20 years.  I suppose keeping the brush and shrubs cleared will be something we need to do each year- the joys of rural living.

Then we began work on those large, dead oak trees that I’ve been wanting to cut down.  By the way- I use a lot of cordless electric power tools including hedge trimmers, weed wackers, pruners, saws and drills.  They’re quiet, simple, portable, they save on gas, and theoretically pollute less.  I even have a cordless chainsaw.  But to be perfectly clear- cordless tools are for small jobs that require short duration of power and strength.  If you’re going to cut firewood often, you need a strong, reliable gas-powered chainsaw- get the best you can afford.  I would even say a weak or underpowered chain saw is a safety hazard for the operator.   So while I very much support the cordless and alternative energy powertool bandwagon, you’ve got to know your needs.   For our acreage we use a host of tools- and make sure they’re appropriate to the job at hand. 

The tree below was actually leaning out over the pond… it had already lost many large branches last year.   I didn’t really know how to get it to fall correctly, but tried notching it to the left side parallel to the shoreline, and gradually cutting into the lower side of the notch first to start it falling from that side and holding on more to the upper corner.  

I was really surprised that it fell exactly where it was supposed to- right on the bank!  It rolled and settled, finally stopping before continuing into the pond. Hooray! I really didn’t want to have to drag it out of the water and leave a lot of branches in the pond.   If this was golf  I felt like it was a hole-in-one… small victories in the country.

 I don’t cut down live trees on our property, at least the big ones.  These large oaks died over the past few years, hit especially hard during the drought seasons in 2006 and 2007.  We don’t cut them all down, and still have several large dead snags standing upright near the woodlands for the woodpeckers and such.  But these trees were safety hazards- too close to the areas we live and play in, with many large branches falling to the ground over the past year. 

I was a little hesitant to fell three large oaks by myself…  not that I couldn’t do it, but if for some reason I ended up under a big ‘ole oak tree with my arms sticking out I wanted someone there to know about it!  :) 

So the boy stood way back holding a dog or three and watching as the Mrs. stood behind me, ready to yell if the tree started falling the wrong way.  I’m not sure I would have heard her over the chain saw, but you’ve got to have a plan.  If I saw the tree even waver in the wrong direction, I was running away at an angle.  Fortunately luck and a little experience helped win the day and the trees went where they needed to go. 

This tree already had a nice lean close to the right direction, and dropped nicely toward a picnic table near the pond- it fell between two other oaks so it wouldn’t mess up their good branches.  The Mrs. stood by with the camera and took some neat photos of the action as I made the last few cuts.  I raced back a bit to stay out of the way… 

“Timberrrr!”   

Whump!  The tree hits the ground with an enormous thud you can feel in your feet.

With the tree down it was time for a break.  Being curious, I counted the rings on the stump- this tree was over 180 years old!  Hard to imagine, but there are much larger oaks around the property.  I just love thinking about history from the perspective of a tree.  It brings a little needed clarity to the context of our own life, and the pace of the seasons that took this tree so long to grow.  

While I was daydreaming, the boy found a cool seat to imagine riding a Star Wars speeder bike (remember the Empire Strikes Back?) with his light saber in hand- it even bounces up and down a little bit!

Then the little shiba had to get in on the action too, the basset and yellow lab were having too much fun.  He’s the foxy looking guy that I use for the site’s browser icon.

So now the real work begins in cutting up, or bucking, the trees.  I’ve written about bucking a log before- it takes some time but is rewarding with the knowledge that the wood from those three trees above will help heat our home for at least one, and maybe two winters.  We try not to waste too much, and nearly all the branches will serve a purpose.  I know trees are a renewable resource, but I treasure the ones we have living on our little acreage.  They may be renewable, but it takes many human lifetimes to see an oak tree mature. 

I hope we don’t have to cut down many more trees, but there are a few more oaks in decline around the property- I suspect we’ll have firewood for a good many years still.   To help make up the losses, I’ve planted many other trees over the past few years, including oaks. Whoever lives here in fifty years may get to see a red or white oak rising to the sky.

In more amusing news, it looks like Quackers the Duck still patrols the area.  Apparently he was seen on a neighbors pond, but he was roosting here again last night, and then paddling around this morning.  I think he decided to pose for this picture. Now I wouldn’t exactly call him pretty or handsome, but he certainly looks the picture of health and has a fine figure!

• Family and School , Rural Living , Trees
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Beau May 17th, 2009

It’s been a busy week, especially with all the rain and thunderstorms but fortunately lots of water and some windblown debris was the only result in our area.  This morning was very cool, waking to temperatures around 42 degrees F.  But the sun is out and the week promises to give us a warming trend.  Grow tomatoes grow!  And everything else too… aside from cutworms chopping off a few beets and pea plants at their base, everything seems to be doing very well.

The sugar peas are already two inches taller than this picture from a few days ago.  They were planted a few weeks late so I’m not sure how long our harvest will be. 

And the potatoes are going crazy- about twice as high as this picture already.  I planted a five pound bag (20+  tubers) of red pontiac seed potatoes… so how much will that make?  With fertilizer and good moisture, I’m hoping we get 40-50 pounds this year.   Do you harvest your potatoes right after the flowers bloom?  Or do you let them grow bigger until the stems wilt in the fall?

The bird life continues to amaze me- this Baltimore Oriole was singing high in the treetops.  They’re usually more bright orange, so I thought the yellowish coloration of this one to be interesting.

And the bluebirds have already fledged their first batch of youngsters- this young bluebird was waiting for mom or pop to come by with a juicy snack. 

Yesterday while cutting down some trees we found two cicadas that had just emerged from the ground.  This one climbed up the outside of a beehive, came out of its pupal shell and sat drying its wings.  If it isn’t eaten by a bird first we may hear it calling high in the treetops next month.  I love how things change and emerge through the seasons.

Other than that, our wayward duck Quackers appears to have left us. He stayed for a couple of weeks and either the thunderstorms ran him off, or maybe my negative duck energy! We’ll see if he shows up…

• Birds , Gardening , Wildlife, Insects and Pets
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Beau May 11th, 2009

Lately I’ve been so appreciative for all the changes spring has brought forth- the warmth, flowers, green grass and leaves, gardening, birds…  It’s really neat to see things growing again, to watch and hear the wildlife, especially the song of birds.  This morning very early before dawn I awoke to a whippoorwill calling loudly in a tree top near the house… “Whippoorwill! Whippoorwill! Whippoorwill!…”   I had to smile, because it sure wasn’t the mysterious, far off call of summer that I remember so well, but instead an energetic call for a mate or territory.  It was actually loud enough to be an alarm clock, so I finally got up.  After which the whiporwhill stopped calling and went somehwere else.  Someday I’d love to see one.

As the sky grew lighter I went outside to see if our new guest was still at the pond.  The Canada geese and goslings were gone, off to some other hideaway since last week sometime.  We’ve had a new visitor on the pond since Saturday morning.  At least I hope it’s a visitor. 

I was reading something when the young boy ran in with excitement in his voice… “Daddy!  There’s a bald eagle or something on the pond!!!”   He and his mom were in the other room, and I just had to see what this new something was.   Sure enough, if bald eagles were waterfowl it sort of looked like one, at least far off… paddling around the other side of the pond.  A big brown bird with a mostly white head.  A funny looking bald eagle if I ever saw one.  Hmmm… a long white head, with red on its face…  “What in the heck is that?!” I’m thinking. 

The thing is the size of a goose, and best I can tell it’s a big ‘ole duck.  A big domestic duck.  Like a red-faced muscovy duck.  On our pond.  Where in Marlin Perkins’ Wild Kingdom did that thing come from!!!

Later that afternoon the boy walked up to me… “Guess what Daddy?!”  he says.  “Ah, I don’t know, what?” says I.   “I just squirted that big bird with my new squirt gun!” he gleefully shared.  He had just come back from a classmate’s birthday party.   “You mean he let you get close? What did he do?” I ask.  “Oh, nothing.  He just sat there and fluffed his feathers,” he says nonchalantly, walking off.   “Oh…” and it hits home that this ducky thing is pretty tame. 

To prove the point we walked down to the pond yesterday.  The big duck is sitting on the bank on the other side.   It sees me… and jumps in the water and comes swimming over to me.  “Hi duck,” I say.  It just looks at me with this big funny head and paddles back and forth.  “I’m not feeding you!”  I say with conviction.  I walk back up the hill, and see it swimming over to our little stump.  The same stump where we found the wood duck egg last week.   This thing fluffs all its feathers around like it’s taking a bath, dunks its head in the water a few times, and then jumps up on the stump, waggling its fat tail with pride.   And then it tucks its head into its wings for a nap…

Later again the young boy walks down towards the stump to see the bird.  The duck lifted up its head and watched him.  He talked to the duck, and the duck faced him, and fluffed his feathers.  The boy giggled, and came back up the hill.  The duck stuck his head back in his wings for the night.   He was still there this morning.

And it likes that stump a lot.  Matter of fact, its goes from paddling around the pond, to back on the stump many times during the day now.  I think it has adopted us.   I don’t know if I want to be adopted by a duck.  Never quite pictured myself as a farm-pond, ducky kind of guy.  Not that there’s anything wrong with that mind you.   But I’d like to get some chickens or something first… you know, something productive, or that the boy can learn about in 4H?  Besides I have a labrador retriever to train!  And a reputation to uphold!  If my yellow lab starts looking at  ducks like one of the family pets, then where will I be?  Sheesh. 

The boy has started calling it Quackers.  He  (or she?) looks more like a Henry or Fred to me.  Thankfully it hasn’t made a sound yet. I don’t think I want to hear it anway.  I enjoy listening to the calls of bluebirds, towhees, hawks, thrashers, catbirds, cardinals, phoebes, orioles… and… “Quack!”   No.  I’m just not ready for that.  The boy wants to put up posters for a lost duck, hoping that nobody claims it.   Could somebody really have lost their duck?  More like he found us it seems.  

Maybe I could knock on doors.   “Pardon me Ma’am, have you lost a duck?!”   Could there be a reward for something as, ah, interesting looking as this?   Maybe it’s just visiting, you know, passing through or something…?  And if it sets a single webby foot in the garden…!

• Reflections
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Beau May 9th, 2009

It rained so much yesterday that I saw a creek running through the garden.  Thank goodness I made the rows perpendicular to the slope below… the water just ran out the ends and under a fence.  We previously had a nice dry couple of days, but now I think it has rained non-stop since yesterday. Finally the sun broke free of cloud this afternoon and it was a beautiful evening, transitioning to a full moon… I love bright, full moon nights in the country. It’s almost like stepping back in time, or looking into some strange other world.

It’s not a strange world here for the geese- they seem to have made themselves right at home, and the little goslings are growing bigger everyday.  They had the nerve to be up near the top of the hill yesterday, a stone’s throw to the barn, ripping out grass by the rootfuls!  With visions of eroding hillsides in mind, I called our little hunter, the foxy looking japanese Shiba, and ran around toward the barn hoping he could chase the geese into the water.  The geese knew something was afoot and half waddled and bumbled their way down the hill to the pond at high-goose-speed.  They would never have let him get very close- a big 30 pound goose will beat a dog up pretty good with it’s wings and beak!  I knew they’d make it to the pond as the shiba took his time, trotting toward the water with a gleam in his eye. 

After the geese plopped into the water, the Big Daddy Gander puffed up and stretched his neck, honking loudly in protest at this intrusion by such a fox-like creature, with Mother Goose and the goslings following a few yards behind.  The shiba wandered along the shoreline, looking wistfully at these floating bundles of feathers, and the big goose followed him step-for-step just out of reach off shore badgering the little dog.  Eventually the shiba tired of the noisy scolding and went on his way.  The geese seemed “proudly placated” and swam away.   They seem to know we’re only temporary guests in their native aquatic home. 

Birds are making quite a showing this spring, and yesterday was no exception as I saw a flash of red behind the house.  After a quick double-take, I realized it was brighter than the red of our resident cardinals.  And there he was- the Summer Tanager was back, calling and watching me.  I was admiring his color and sound when I remembered I had a camera in my hand!  Such a beautiful bird, they really only pass through for a couple weeks, and eat many bugs- especially wasps and bees!  “Look out girls, the tanagers are here!!!”

Almost exactly two years ago, I wrote about Summer Tanagers on a Warm Day, and was lucky to have captured some of the most beautiful bird pictures that I’ve taken- those of the male and female Summer Tanager sitting in an oak tree near the house.   I had never seen the female’s yellow green coloration before, and those pictures are two of my favorites.

Not to be outdone by the geese swiming in the water, the young boy seemed to think summer was already here.  School’s out in a couple weeks, so that’s understandable.  But he wandered down near the pond a couple days ago while I was planting tree seedlings…  all he had on were his swim shorts and he carried a floatie.  There I was- shovel in hand, covered in dirt, sweat and untold chiggers and ticks, and all I could think of was that I’d really like to be swimming too (the pond wasn’t my first choice).  

Actually, I chuckled when he said “I’m going swimming!”  And I said, “In the pond? Now? It’s kinda cold in there…”  He didn’t seem to care and I didn’t want to discourage him.  The geese have really only been here a few times, and the area was clean enough.  Otherwise I wouldn’t let him swim.  “Well, what did Mom say?” I asked.  He said, “Well, she was in the asparagus patch and I just kinda walked by her and waved.”   She later thought he was very cute in his swim shorts, not thinking he was serious about swimming in the pond just before dinner.  We went back and got his life jacket since he’s not really at deep-water swimming strength yet.  We let her know, and then back to the pond where he got a good 5-10 minutes of paddling fun in the water.  

He didn’t say, but it sure looked colder than he thought it would be…  Of course the yellow lab wasn’t just going to watch,  he dove right in too!  I had to give the boy credit- it’s a little early in the season for pond swimming in my book, but he sure had a quick bit of fun.   And me?  I’ll get there this summer, but for now I wasn’t quite ready to make the Leap of Faith into that cold water!

• Birds , Labrador Retriever , Wildlife, Insects and Pets
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