Phew! What a week! My spring
allergies were acting up, so I’d been sneezing, coughing and snuffling all week
long, broken up only by the discomfort of a tight chest. My eyes had been
aching, too. Too much time in front of a computer screen, says my doctor. On
top of everything else, I woke up with a nasty crick in my left shoulder blade!
Not enough to stop me from moving, but more than enough to remind me of every
tiny twitch I made.
I
almost considered offering a polite decline when a friend invited us to her
acreage for dinner, but it had been a long time since I’d had a chance to go to
the countryside. So, I went.
It was
a beautiful day. There was hardly a breeze, and the sun warmed us so nicely
that we had to take off our jackets. Someone had taken a butter knife and
spread the blue sky with a light layer of cloud, and the air was alive with the
voices of Mother Nature’s wild creatures. In my first five minutes there, I
saw, several Canada Geese and a whole mess of Coots and Mallards scattered
across the lake, two butterflies flutter by, and a great soaring hawk overhead!
Not to mention the distinct trill of the Red-Winged Blackbird that came from
somewhere among the reeds.
I was
happy to stand in the grass with a spotting scope and look out over the water.
In a couple of places, I watched as male mallards smacked each other silly. It’s
that time of year where everyone needs to pick a spot to build a nest, and
sometimes the competition gets a bit dramatic. It’s a necessary part of life,
but it’s kind of amusing to watch them slap each other with their wings. I
wonder how they determine a winner? Oh well. I’m sure that, in the end, there’s
a spot for everyone.
Thanks
to that spotting scope, I was able to see some of the results of the display.
Just beyond the reeds were several hummocks that appeared to be made possibly
of soil, rocks and a coating of spent reeds. In Mother Nature’s universe,
nothing goes to waste. I was told these hummocks are muskrat lodges. On top of
two of them sat geese, proud, tall, long necks erect. They were very still and
quiet. I don’t know if they already had eggs or not, but at very least they
were setting up their nurseries. On one hummock, a little closer to the water,
sat a Mr. and Mrs. Mallard, close together but facing opposite directions. His
stunning colors glistened in the afternoon sun, and I almost missed her
entirely, because her brown plumage blended so nicely with those reeds! Amazing
to see how Mother Nature cares for her own. I could have stared at them all day
through awe-struck eyes that, suddenly, didn’t seem to ache anymore.
Later
we decided to go for a walk. First, down to the water’s edge where we could see
millions of little bird prints all over in the muck where they’d, apparently,
come exploring recently. Then we retreated to the woods where we were
surrounded by towering aspens and spruce which let the sunlight shine through
in speckles. The air was sharp with that wonderful, beautiful aroma of evergreens
and fresh vegetation - - which I suddenly realized I could smell sharply through
sinuses that suddenly seemed clearer than they’d been in weeks. And, in fact, I
suddenly realized I hadn’t even sneezed in quite a while!
We sat
down on little benches that surrounded an unlit fire pit, and, here, we settled
in a while. We just sat and looked up at the trees towering above us and listened
to the awesome, unbelievable sound of what must have been 100 Red-Winged
Blackbirds chirping and singing endless songs high above us. They were amazing!
A huge, great dark flock would suddenly, randomly rise from a tree, move almost
singularly across the clearing, sometimes swooping and circling like one big bird.
Then, just as suddenly, they’d scatter themselves among the branches of another
tree or two and resume their choir.
Finally,
we had to wander back to the house to see to the supper hour. Out on the front
lawn, again, something unusual caught our eye. I crouched down to get a closer
look at a big, shiny, black ground beetle making its way over the blades of
grass. And as I kneeled there watching him, I suddenly realized my back wasn’t
objecting so much, either.
So, the
next time you’re feeling a bit icky, do yourself a big favor. Hop in the car
and take a drive out to the country, or even to your local park - - or even
your very own back yard - - and help yourself to a big dose of the best
medicine in the world: a great big spoonful of Mother Nature! She doesn’t
promise to cure everything, but she’ll sure make you feel a whole lot better!
Photo by Daniel D'Auria from Southern New Jersey, USA
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