In like a lion...

March 23, 2010

The saying is March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb. Well, I want to know what last week was, unless it was supposed to be a lion cub...

Anyway, sitting at my spot on this chilly, soggy, gloomy day, I just could not rid myself of a nagging sense that I was being watched. When I turned to identify my watcher, I was surprised, and unnerved to say the least, to find a seagull staring directly at me. It proceeded to pick up a drowned worm with its large yellow beak and, while continuing to watch me, swallow its prize like a piece of spaghetti. Perhaps it was a subtle display of dominance, or it wanted to make sure I didn’t steal its worm…Then I heard a crackling noise, as though someone was peeling Velcro apart. I turned around again to see a squirrel perched in its lilac bush gnawing on a pinecone as we would corn on the cob. I can’t help but laugh to myself about this little squirrel, less than 2 feet away, chewing on a pine cone like there’s no tomorrow. Of the trees that I looked at surrounding my spot, only lilacs and red maple appeared to be budding. The tall white pines didn’t seem to have any new growth, but looking up at them I have to admit they are somewhat sickly looking. There is also a rhododendron nearby, but it has its waxy leaves all year round, so I didn’t notice anything new or unusual about it. I think that the lilac buds are what excite me the most, and I can’t wait to be enveloped in their sweet perfume when warmer weather makes its way into town. It will truly be a treat to see if it’s a white or purple lilac (although judging by reddish tinge to the buds I would say it’s a purple lilac … but I could be wrong). Hopefully when I return I will not be faced with a territorial sea bird, although its fierceness was quite admirable. Because I don’t have a camera I will scan some sketches of buds later today/tomorrow to post here.