just another day in paradise

Happy (is that the right word? Maybe “reverential” would be a more appropriate word?) Memorial Day. I believe the nearest parade around here is in Wilmington – I knew for sure that neither Brattleboro nor Saxton’s River has a Memorial Day Parade. We’re saving all our juice for Strolling of the Heifers this upcoming weekend. At any rate, we celebrated in the usual fashion: a day at home. Joy!

And now, a science quiz. We’re going to test your knowledge of the concept of triangulation. Given the position of Charlie and Maggie in the picture below, where is The Chipmunk?

 

Not sure? Care to see it from a different angle?

I commented to Kevin that I was glad the cats are focused on the lawn and the woodland at the top of the picture, above, which is a hillside leading down to the driveway we share with our neighbors. Because otherwise, they’d be oriented up the hill, to the hundreds of acres of woods, which I can only imagine is populated with evil fisher cats. So Kevin pointed out that hey, we DID just build them a chipmunk house to play with, and I guess that’s about the most use anyone’s gotten out of the firepit so far this year.

Hummingbirds have spotted the feeder. We’ve seen a ruby-throated male, and a female. I’ve been spending a lot of time on the deck, and paying attention to bird song. What I don’t know about whose song is whose could fill an encyclopedia. Nevertheless, I am learning: I am learning that none of the birds, from here to the wetland a quarter mile away, like it when motorcycles go down the main road. Everyone shuts up for a good minute or two.

What else.

SNAKES!

“Hmmmm” says Charlie.

 

“Uh oh” says the snake.

 

The infernal raspberry bushes, which I keep meaning to kill off, are in bloom. I need to remember that I like eating the raspberries, and to only get upset when I see them in, say, the middle of the lawn.

A subsequent investigation of the flowers, with this camera that cannot deal with close-ups, shows that there is a very cool puff ball stage of flowering which is extremely fascinating. WAAGGHH!!! BZZZZZZZ!!!! The male hummingbird just swooped in for a swig.
HUL-lo! This is a lovely time of day – it’s when the wood thrush sings. Never heard one? Think of John Coltrane, “Love Supreme”, second movement – seemingly random, but coherent, sets of notes…very haunting. Here.

Oh, hey, Ma: be sure to scroll down to where you see this

to play the call.

Various things a-blooming that I haven’t keyed out yet. Some purple and white something-or-other.

 

Here’s the apple tree along the shared drive – that’s our local fire substation on the right, always handy to have those boys nearby. Our town’s trucks are glow-in-the-dark green – how cool is that?

And here’s my buddy, the baneberry – done flowering, and starting to grow little berries.