nature

The Well is Almost Dry in Every Sense of the Word

/ inkspeare
In memory of Dolly (Photo by M.A.D.)

When I set out to write this blog, many years ago, definitely more than a decade ago, I wanted to write about my journey as an indie author, my journey from the Jersey shore to the Virginia countryside, and my journey fixing up a dilapidated farmhouse. Today, I am writing about all of this and my view/feelings about it.

It has been a very dry year; the Southside is still under severe drought, a step down from extreme drought. Other counties have seen rain and with it some relief; however, Southside VA has seen a few drops here and there. The clouds roll, the thunder roars, the wind follows, but the rain never falls. My water well has seen the effects of the low or already dry creeks around here. Months ago, an older Amish man mentioned to me that his son was having trouble with the well that was used for the cows. It has become drier since then. The garden is very dry, and we hardly had any blooms this year; some plants died, as these cannot be watered properly. Last year, I collected a wheelbarrow of grapes; this year, only a bowl.

This year’s grapes (photo by M.A.D.)

The drought started officially last autumn, but this writer’s inkwell has been drying for a while now, as far as my work in progress goes. Yes, as far as my novels, I cannot seem to unlock the gate that will let the flood through, and although I have plenty of ideas for other novels, it is the current work in progress that has become stale. I am not sure why and neither do I have a logical explanation that will appease my soul, other than I have realized and come to terms in accepting my dislike and disdain for Amazon, which is my only platform for publishing at the moment. I believe that it has deteriorated and degraded in a way that is plain and simple disrespectful not only to the craft, but to the millions of serious authors who trusted it with their works from the beginning. The gatekeeper failed writers, or maybe it was set up to “fail for profit” since the start. AI only adds another layer to the madness and chaos.

My love of writing has not been altered; only the venue to bring it to life has, and until I make peace with it, or step away to embrace another venue, I don’t know if my current work will see the light soon. I don’t even know if it will make a difference, after all, Amazon is still the number one venue for independent authors, even when more and more indie writers are leaving this venue. As of today, I don’t have an answer; time will tell. I will tend to my writing, as if it was my secret garden, even if I don’t decide to publish right away.

My love affair with this old farmhouse continues, and we (my husband and I) continue to make it better year after year, following the initial vision we had for it, but also making adjustments to the plan as needed. For example, converting part of the downstairs into a bedroom, a necessary endeavor after realizing that the stairs were too steep and difficult to climb when I injured my knee last year. It will be needed in the future as well, that is, if we age in place. Other important issues have derailed some of the work, such as an almost-dry water well, and the need to hook up to public town water in the near future, as well as new neighbors who do not understand private property boundaries, and continue to use part of our property as a football field, central park, or a parking lot, which has prompted the need to install a fence due to obvious liability reasons, making this, another big ticket item that has derailed the previous plans. The downstairs bedroom will be finished this coming weekend. On a positive note, all this increases real estate value. A time for everything and everything in its time seems to be my motto now. Either or, I will be glad to welcome a very wet and stormy autumn if we are blessed with it.

As far as this blog, it will continue its initial purpose, but also, it has become a very dear part of my journey, and a priceless way to connect with the rest of humanity. Human connection is one of the most beautiful gifts from God, and so is creativity. I will end this post with a few pictures I took this summer, moments that captured my attention for a bit.

Baby deer has grown quickly. He was born near the blue shed (Photo by M.A.D)
Mama deer teamed up with another mom, and both are raising their babies together. I guess it is a smart way to assure that either baby is safe or taken care if something happens to either one of the mothers. (Photo by M.A.D.)
Marigolds were the only flowers that bloomed in large quantity and were definitely a lifesaver for butterflies. (Photo by M.A.D.)
I decided to move the hummingbird feeder to the porch, and now humans and felines can enjoy the show. Also, it keeps the nectar a bit cooler. (photo by M.A.D.)
Always very happy to see one of these around – stik bug (Photo by M.A.D.)
And one of these as well (Photo by M.A.D.)
The old farmhouse today, and a work in progress (photo by M.A.D.)

Love and Light

The Way of Nature

/ inkspeare
Newborn fawn by the blue shed (Photo by M.A.D.)

Sometimes, nature gives us a glimpse of its perfection, and at the same time of its wisdom. Mama deer left her baby near the blue shed, where she felt it would be safe from predators. The fawn must have been born recently because its legs were still a bit unsteady. There was shade in the morning but was very hot under the sun by the afternoon. An entire day, no water, only sleeping and aware from time to time. I knew that Mama deer would return in the early evening as it is normal for female deer to do this when fawns are very little. I monitored the heat situation from my kitchen window, just in case, but trusting that Mama deer always knows best. Indeed, she does. Newborn fawns need a lot of heat in the first hours of life because their body temperature is not well regulated yet. She knew that the metal shed would provide sun protection for a good part of the day, but also much necessary exposure to the heat the fawn needed. I observed the fawn at several intervals during the day, and as instructed by its mother, the little one did not move from the space no matter what was going around. My husband avoided the area while doing outdoor chores. By the evening, Mama deer returned to check on her baby and feed him, she was around in the early evening, monitoring the fawn from a distance, but as soon as it was a bit dark outside, she reunited with her fawn. The next day, early morning, I saw her in the backyard feeding her baby. She has left him in the surrounding woods near the house a few times, for what I can tell by seeing her return in the evenings, and by now, the fawn is able to be with her during the day.

Mama deer feeding her baby early morning, the next day (Photo by M.A.D. taken through the kitchen window)

The way of nature is wisdom in itself. Sometimes, where we find safety and security is in the familiar.

The Miracle of the Luna Moth

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The story I am about to tell happened to me last year. I don’t know if you are familiar with the Luna Moth, but it is beautiful and large. Its wings are fluorescent lime-green, and it is supposed to be a nocturnal moth. Luna moths only live for 7 days, and although they are not rare, because of their very short life span, they are rare to see. I have only seen two during my lifetime. At night they seem to glow because their fluorescent wings reflect the light. When I first saw one, I was in awe at how beautiful it was, and I did not know what it was; I thought it was the most gorgeous butterfly. I looked it up and, in the process, learned about it. I learned that because the Luna Moth only lives 7 days, it doesn’t have a mouth; it doesn’t eat. During that time, it reproduces to continue the species. What a wonder of nature.

Last year, while I was walking around the garden, I saw a Luna Moth in very bad shape. Its wings were shredded into pieces, only a wing seemed almost fine, but not quite. The poor moth was struggling on the ground and could hardly move. It was trying to reach a part of the garden where there were more plants. I felt so sad for it, but I could not do anything to help because I was afraid to hurt it more if I picked it up or try to place her where she was trying to go. The Luna Moth reached a spot in the garden and stopped there. It stayed there. It did not move much. Feeling helpless, I said, “Lord, please, help this creature of yours; send your angels to help.” Then, because I did not want to see it suffering, I started walking back to the side entrance of my house. I have only taken a few steps when suddenly, I saw a Luna Moth fly by me fast; it just almost touched me. I watched it fly high into the woods. Immediately, I went back only a few steps to where I had left the injured Luna Moth. It was gone. I looked around and I could not find it. I looked around some more. I knew it could not have gone far in less than a minute or so. I couldn’t contain my tears, tears of joy. I was sure that God had help the Luna Moth and restored its wings. I was in the presence of a miracle. I gave thanks.

I thought about it the entire day, and night; I still think about it from time to time. That day, God showed me that He cares about all His creation, but also, that He is always present, and that when we talk to Him, at any moment, He listens. His love is immense. God is good.

Little Miracles of Life

/ inkspeare
Tiniest snail (Photo by M.A.D.)

I was helping my husband who was working on our water well. The area we live in has been in severe drought, and has not recovered yet, so our well was not working properly. His tools were scattered all over the ground, so I started to gather them in one place. As I picked up the tool in the above photo, I thought dirt was attached, but upon closer inspection, I realized it was the tiniest snail I have ever seen. In the photo, you can see it between the numbers 2.5 and 3. Very gently, I picked it up and put it in a safe place in the garden. Nature is just amazing and it speaks constantly of the wonders of our Lord.

At a Close Glance

/ inkspeare

Nature never ceases to amaze me, and so does refusing to see the truth.

I always thought this tiny beetle was black. It is the size of a pinhead. It wasn’t until I decided to take a picture of it and zoom it that I realized all its beautiful colors. At a glance, it looks black, but it is not. Now, I see it with very different eyes.
Buzzards are welcomed here in Chatham. We even have a buzzard festival.

Jester enchants the crowd,

at the ivory palace,

the half, mesmerized, dance.

Let it Snow, Let it Snow

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I was not expecting snow so early this year here in Virginia, USA, but we got a few inches. The temperatures have been cold, hitting in the 20s at night and even in the teens once or twice. Last year, we only had a dusting. The old 1910 farmhouse (Black Crow Cottage) is cold in the winter, a given of homes built early. These homes were framed different and without insulation on the walls; by the way, to insulate is not recommended due to the risk of trapping moisture in the horizontal boards and thus causing mold issues. A frame around the walls would have to be built in order to insulate the home, thus leaving space for the air flow. This is something to keep in mind if you ever decide to buy and fix this type of home. You can see pictures of this type of framing in my older posts under the categories of Fixing an old farmhouse or Restoring a farmhouse.

Snow always makes the news around here, even a few inches, and many businesses close operation for the day. People seem to love it when it snows. Moving here from Jersey, it is a contrast. I remember driving to work on a nor’easter on a few occasions, or we would have a delayed opening. Crossing a bridge under heavy snow is an experience, but under heavy fog, it is just out of this world; the feeling is one of flying in the sky inside a car. Not that I recommend this, but when you had to be there, you had to get there. Everything is more relaxed now as far as the job environment goes, for what I can see. Here are a few pictures to welcome the season.

This is why I love crows so much. There are no birds around, the snow is falling heavy wet, and there is Rebel poking the snow and playing, pulling out leaves. I named this crow Rebel because I observed him being a bit different from the siblings when Mama Crow was training them on how to eat. He would be the last one to learn to peck on his own, and Mama Crow would come to the rescue from time to time, I guess when she could not take the yelling for food anymore. Even the siblings, two of them, would feed him at times. When two families of crows would mingle, he would be the one going his own way, minding his own business. One sibling seemed to bully him at times, once he had learned how to peck the ground for food. When I took this picture, he was alone, none of the crows where around. Later on, he flew back to where they usually live, in the woods behind my house.

The Infamous Japanese Lady Beetle

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After ten years of Japanese Lady Beetles invasions, I should be used to these, kind of cute, little critters; cute in small numbers that is, but not so cute when in the thousands and all at once. It is the one thing that makes me cringe at the thought of Autumn arriving. For a week or two, depending on the weather, and starting by the second or third week in October, waves of thousands of lady bugs look-alike critters fly to take refuge in buildings before the cold season arrives. This year, they arrived later than expected, two weeks ago, due to the on and off weather patterns we had. We had a week and a half of arrivals, starting in the hundreds and increasing in numbers to the thousands in several waves. The critters attempt to take refuge inside homes or wherever they can. Most of them die upon arrival but many survive. During these waves, I cannot go outdoors because they will land on top of me and crawl all over. Imagine hundreds of lady beetles landing on you at once; it is just like a horror movie, seriously. My husband knows this well after attempting to step outside during a heavy wave of Japanese Lady Beetles. After all this time, I decided to write a post about them, now that we know each other better.

The Japanese Lady Bettle looks like a ladybug, except that they make its appearance in numbers in the fall season, and the ladybugs usually appear during spring. Its color varies from light orange to reddish, some are black, or variegated black and orange, and they have black spots all over. Their head is more elongated than the head of a ladybug. They have the mark of an M or a W behind the head. They are a bit larger than the ladybug; however, I see them in all sizes, from tiny to larger ones. They were introduced to the USA for agricultural purposes, as they are beneficial by eating pests that damage crops. Soon, they became invasive, and now, they multiply in large numbers. However, if you don’t mind their arrival and your house is well sealed, it should not be a huge problem, as they do not harm people or pets. I have learned to time their arrival during the day, usually after ten in the morning and ending around six thirty in the evening, so I know when I can do my errands before they arrive, and during the one or two weeks they arrive. After that time, I do not see them outdoors. The JLB is also called Asian Lady Beetle, and its scientific name is Harmonia Axyridis. They seem to like light color buildings, which I know is true because my neighbor’s home is painted a pale green and they hardly land on her house, but mine, a white farmhouse, becomes a landing haven. My theory is that the pale green becomes like grass or trees on their vision field and they bypass it. They seem to dislike dark colors as well.

When these critters arrive, they emit a distinctive light scent; it is pheromones that attract others and guide them to where they are to land and winter. I am susceptible to this scent, and it triggers my asthma, so I have learned to be ready and on top as far as my meds are. These pheromones are left where they land to signal other lady beetles, “Hey, come over; the party is here.” After a couple of years of JLB invasions, I started noticing two intertwined circles all over the home siding. One day, I saw a lady beetle leaving the distinctive mark, which always looks the same. It is the pheromone-scented invitation for other lady beetles to find. Here is a picture of two different markings, one at the window siding and another at the side entrance storm door glass. I took the pictures this morning, and because the temperature dropped to the twenties last night, the glass is foggy, but you can see the two circles.

It took me a while to realize that these were love letters. I find this fact so interesting. By now, I think their arrival is complete, and if there are a few stragglers, they will arrive at the first warm day we have before winter sets. After ten years living in the area, I don’t think I will ever get used to these critters and certainly will never step a foot outside when they are arriving, but I have learned to understand their life cycle and have been amazed on a few occasions by their survival skills. If anything, I have learned to accept their very short presence and nuance because I live in an agricultural area. I hope I inspired you to learn a bit more about these lady bugs look-alikes.