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August 21, 2004
very good grasshopper
Spent yesterday afternoon hobnobbing with Audrey! Having taken the literary world by storm, she is currently found making etchings, working on her second novel, and chilling at Ragdale. Stepping into Ragdale is always a catapult to the late 19th century as well as the late 1990s (June of '97 and September of '98- the times I went there). Thus I forgot to bring the digital camera for our walk in the prairie, which is in its explosive late-summer phase. It vibrates with living things, plants which climb over one another to touch the sky, humming insects, all kinds of flitting butterflies, shuffling, scuttling, jumping grasshoppers, buzzing bees, chirping and singing birds-including one tiny yellow one who perched on a twig next to the path and asked us the same funny question over and over again until we scared him off. All kinds of other critters live in the prairie and woods, critters one would never expect to find so near to the city. On other walks in Ragdale Prairie I have seen a snake, a mole (dead, unfortunately) and a thing that I think was a crawfish by the creek. Not so surprising, but still exciting to see are the deer, sometimes with babies hopping through the plants beside them. In winter you can see their hoof-prints in the snow on the paths. This time I saw some prints in a muddy part of the riverbank in the woods. Some people have seen foxes too but I never have.
On this walk I felt a big bug brush against my leg, then stick to the inside of the long skirt I was wearing. I shook the skirt a few times but I still felt that it was stuck there.
Audrey suggested I turn my skirt inside out, but I was afraid to look! Then I did it anyway, and a huge (huge!) bright green grasshopper stuck there against the black material for a moment in the bright sunlight and then sprang off into the plants! Eek!
Two other memorable visuals of the day- giant salmon red geraniums overflowing in pots next to the doors of the Ragdale House, and Audrey coming down the hill, across the lawn with the sun making
her hair look like orange flames.
This morning I finally finished sewing and stuffing Samkat's head! Photos are to come, but not downloaded yet! Soon I will have to start knitting again. That's all there is to it. Thursday we are having our Knit Wit Nite, maybe then I will get out the blankie, or start a hat. There is money burning a hole in my checking account, its for groceries really but I am hearing the siren song of Manos del Uruguay...
and thinking I will just have to build a catapult if I want to get myself the Savannah before school starts.
Poor Marcel has required sedation to cope with the noise from the air show! These terrorist alerts and whatnot I think really have the little guy spooked! Its rough being a nervous little dog.
Posted by pippypippy at August 21, 2004 04:46 PM