I was sitting out on the backporch this afternoon having my last cup of coffee for the day. I had walked out to let my eyes enjoy focusing on something further away than my computer screen. Sitting there, enjoying the relative quiet of the afternoon I noticed a very strange thing… Here we are mid-week, mid-winter and the smell of fresh mown grass prevails on the breeze (I mowed yesterday and so did my neighbor). And what struck me was the background noise…Lawn mowers running in the distance.
Now thinking back through all of the years we’ve been on this place, I can’t think of another year when I’ve had to mow weekly through the winter.
On another note…Why are the small birds I keep seeing all named Carolina something or other? Today I had a Carolina Wren playing on the front porch right under my window. You should have seen the way he was looking at the window when I played the recordings of his call from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. He was cocking his head back and forth looking for a rival. Then when I was sitting out with that cup of coffee, I spotted a Carolina Chickadee in the oak tree out back. OK…It’s just two species, but it seemed strange to me.
I know the mowing’s been happening around here, but last week I smelled “cut green” for the first time in months. The clover crop is suddenly lush, and nothing smells better when it’s cut.
The wrens are so cute – I had a pair in my ficus tree a few years ago. They aren’t common right here, so it was a delight to have them.
In my yard, if it weren’t for the clover and “other” spring weeds, my ground would be bare. We lost most of the actual grass to last years heat and drought (and construction vehicles). With the rainfall uncertainty, I’ve been slow in trying to put real grass back out.
Funny thing, I have probably had these wrens here forever just haven’t been observant enough to put a real name to them. I have been amazed this year at the diversity of birds in my yard when I actually stop and looked.