The verdant foliage alongside my country road is interrupted by splashes of purple, pink, and blue. "Just a bunch of phlox," I tell myself, but closer inspection reveals variety: blue-eyed Mary, larkspur, wild geranium, greek valerian, creeping Charlie, maybe a clump of Jacob's ladder and something else I don't quite recognize. Constant rain has swelled the creek and drainage ditch and made the steeps slopes muddy, so I can't climb up to examine each species. Now the sun has finally come out but I'm away from home for a week, and by the time I get back, I'll have a whole new set of wildflowers to explore. But I'll tell you what: it's better than grading. I'd rather spend time studying subtle differences in similar purple than trying to discern meaning in the responses my students hastily scribbled on final exams. It all looks the same from a distance, but if I look closely enough, maybe I'll find treasure. (It can't hurt to hope.)
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High waters but no severe flooding
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The floods left us a pile of firewood
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A happy little patch of mayapples
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| Oriole! |
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Yellow warbler
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