There are a zillion little life reminders around right now as the seasons push for the final changeover from quiet sloshity cold Winter to zippy buzzy growy mowy movin’ grovin’ Spring!

Carpenter bees buzz around my al fresco lunch to say, “howdeedo,” and prepare me for their upcoming territorial arguments.

Giant ants tippy tapped across the floor emboldened by the weather and smell of puppy food to explore new areas of abundance for their colony.

Carpet beetle made it’s shiny patent presence known by traipsing across my eyelid while I rested(ugh).

Wolf spider creepy crawled around the bathtub thoroughly confused by it’s slippery trapped predicament (I rescued it bc spiders are helpers).

Wasps, determined to build waspy dwellings in places that do not work for this human, become bewildered and enraged when their hard work is once again displaced (by me).

Chipmunk family is reorganizing itself for better protection from black snake family by moving up the hill a bit underneath a different clump of rocks and thorn bushes.

Salamander, displaced by deck furniture rearrangement, is wriggling around the edge of the moist mossy rocky path.

Bumble bee is very extroverted and wants to follow us around like a little happy puppy when we walk outside.

Barred owl hoot boot hoots the Bat signal that it is time to twitter flitter out and about.

Honey bee is more interested in finding the tasty bits and remaining unencumbered by any socialization expectation while questing (or they will sting – yikes!)

Hawk is laughing with buddies while circling and practicing hunting swoops.

Mourning Doves are hooting their gentle sounds of soul love tinged with sadness knowing its depth but also brevity.

Blue Jay is blue jaying up the place screaming and being very yelly loud.

Butterfly is fluttering this way and that way to avoid the wasps but also enjoy the lilac bush too (the extra large creepy wasps nest there).

Squirrel is relaxed, waiting for things to ripen, knowing that they do not need to worry about food for another season.

Bobcat is staying hidden, only leaving bits of evidence that a meal has been somewhat enjoyed, interrupted, then returned for clean up. Because they are very precise with how they kill and eat, you know they’ve visited.

Deer is birthing the fawns and I expect we will see some deposited in the front woods for safety while mommy eats all day. Occasionally there are twins!

Turkey is gobbling, running and short-burst flying up and down the rocky hillside, protecting babies and avoiding the foxes.

Crow is hanging with the murder doing the caw-caw things.

Black bear has wandered farther up the mountains because 6 new homes in the area have displaced their family.

Rabbit is hippity hopping from one protected area to another, hiding babies in soft deep grasses.

Skunk is bumbling about, drunk on skunk life things and absorbed in its own skunk thinking world.

Fantastic Mr. Fox is prowling about by the fields, avoiding Boggis, Bunce and Beans for sure, yet always finding tasty morsels of a little something here and there, plus libation to wash it all down nicely while waiting for Mr. Jeremy Fisher (in his waistcoat).

I hope that you are finding some interesting observations in your springtime.

Love, Ms. Herisme xoxo

When SonHerisme was a smaller human riding in the back seat in his sweet blue booster carseat, I would point out into one of the large fields we passed on our way home from some adventurous excursion and say:

"Look out there!  Do you see a giraffe(or lion, elephant, whatever animal we surely would not see out there)?!?"  
SonHerisme would look this way and that way, "No, I don't see it, Momma."  
"Me either, baby puffin bear.  I guess we'll keep looking for other things." 

"Look over there!  Do you see the goats?!?"
So excited, SonHerisme would say, "I do! I do, Momma!  I do see the goats!!!"
"Me too, sweet bear, me too."

ps. I would also ask him crazy questions on the way home from school:

Did the elephants come to school that day so that they could learn about how to care for elephants and keep an elephant healthy and safe?
Was he able to help the lost group of magicians find their way back to magician school?
Did the parade people come and ask their help to get the floats ready for the big parade?
What did he get to do to help with the zebra train that was taking the zebras back to their homes? 
How did he help save the school from all those pirates running around?
And if none of this happened at school that day, wasn't he bored and what was the point of going to school?

Holy shitballs y’all, that kid is going to need therapy. Straight Buggin’

Also – what a fucking relief to leisurely review what our president said to congress last night. In honor of that and International Dance Day, enjoy this!