glide across the glassy surface of the pond like little children on their new skates, while just beneath them lie patiently in wait the dark shadows of trout who spring up to grab the dragonflies with their iridescent wings sparkling in the bright sunlight at noon.
I watched one large electric blue dragonfly darting back and forth just above the water dipping down dangerously close to the mouths of two fish hunters who had somehow synchronized their movements zooming together mimicking the movements of it's fast flying prey.
It's a particularly buggy day in Berry Creek.
Several species of butterflies are darting , flitting, landing and circling around each other and the blooming wildflowers in the meadow. I stopped transfixed by one common black butterfly with orange poppy spotted and butter yellow markings on her outstretched wings, sitting there on a rock in the meadow stretching and fluttering in a drawn out and repetitive sequence , signaling to a mate who landed instead on my leg and tickled me while licking the salt off of my skin with its long narrow thread of a tongue. Until i laughed out loud at the quick and spastic jack rabbit who ran by so close to me i could feel the wind in its wake but froze in its steps when it realized i was there.....and turning its ears backwards to listen for me to make another sound. Then jumping up and turning mid-air and running back to where ever it had fled from in the first place.
There are tracks around the pond which has receded quite a bit, maybe 3 feet now, although the water is still flowing out of the pipe. Because of the claws i think it could be a small bear, or a very very large raccoon.....no, not a raccoon.........the claws are too wide even in the soft gushy mud.
The french prunes are still tart. The pears still a little hard, and today the figs are too high for me to reach. The lettuce is bolting now. The string beans almost done producing. By the weekend though it looks like i will pick half a dozen tomatoes, and a peach or two.
There has been quite a lot of activity in the sky the past two days. Though i never get a peek at the aircraft its presence is evident due to the booming tree shaking roar. I'm guessing military practice maneuvers like Erin and i witnessed several years ago at a remote corner of Bucks Lake. Also helicopters. Yesterday i heard it coming, i didn't pay much attention as I've heard them around flying by all summer. But this one didn't fly by. It was hovering and flying back and forth and back and forth somewhere south and east of the meadow. I noticed it because it was so loud i could tell it was low, and because it didn't just fly by.....it stayed loudly right here in the area and i knew it was kind of low, when it finally moved it moved slowly north but still so low i couldn't catch a view of it surveillance for sure.
Im watching a black and white hummingbird perched outside here on a branch that is shimmering with the light reflected by the water in the little pond below it in the back yard, i think the teeny hummer wants to approach the feeder here but sees me through the window.
Yesterday i startled the deer who I failed to notice when i came outside with my book to read, late in the afternoon, they were grazing here just on the other side of the garden gate and hopped away through the leaves, crunching and scraping but not going far. They may have perceived that i am no threat to them.
Its warm, 85 and low humidity of 29% with a nice constant breeze today. The acorns are dropping heavily on the roof and rolling down to the cement slabs of the patio , the dried leaves of Madrone clacking together like bamboo wind chimes. I think it will be a nice afternoon to watch the sunset from Bald Rock. But maybe ill save that for when Erin is here.
Well, I'm going back to my patrol of the property, maybe blow some leaves off the deck, wash the car? and I'm still struggling to finish the book.
Hope you're all well.
love and miss you.
Mom/Sal
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