Simon’s Says
While some call these the dog days of summer, I find them very pastoral, in respect to all the time we are able to spend (comfortably) outdoors, and the encounters with various co-denizens of our little corner of creation.
Morning walks with Circe bring a number of them. We have ‘adopted,’ in that we have given him a name, a great blue heron who haunts the marshlands we walk: Mr. Blue. Often perched on fallen branches in the waterway, he greets our arrival with a curious glance before spreading his expansive wings and gliding off into the morning sky. While we don’t meet on a daily basis, it is always a treat to spy him.
Fiddler crabs are full of bustle this time of year. Until they spot us, they are busy foraging through the muddy shores of the Duck River, looking for the algae and other matter that comprise their diet. But it’s hard to miss Circe, so the minute we approach they skitter back into the mud burrows that keep them safe from predators. – the burrows can be as deep as 60 feet in places. Every now and then we meet a stray one who has ventured onto the footpath, but both the crab and the pup know to keep a respectful distance.
And has it ever been a season for fireflies this year! Usually, we only spot them in mid- to late-June, but at this late July date they remain out in force, weaving in and out of the trees and shrubs that line our yard, flashing their tiny beacons in search of mates.
While the great creation psalms of the Bible somehow neglect to mention heron, fiddlers and fireflies (although the former two are among the proscribed foods of the Levitical Code), I find them to be equal wonders of God’s creation, and am grateful to be able to begin and end my summer days in their company.
Links to Sunday’s bulletin and service are here: