Wednesday, June 1, 2005, 3:36 pm
An adieu to familiarity
GREENE CO., MO. — The Ozarks just had its third driest spring on record. The two drier years were in the 1930s — dustbowl years.
We watered the northeast bed today and turned off the sprinkler as we sat down to a late lunch. A robin bathed in a puddle in the yard, and bluebirds hopped around in the soggy bed. A rock had collected a little puddle of water, and a chickadee dropped down to bathe.
The oak woodland behind our house is rarely silent.
I heard a goldfinch singing earlier in the day. Nuthatches and Red-bellied Woodpeckers called, and the hummingbirds zoomed about.
This three-toed box turtle was wandering through the backyard and took shelter under a big hosta when I arrived with the camera.
I’m leaving in less than an hour. Goodbye, bluebirds and chickadees.
David J. Ringer
