AN AFTERNOON of FIRSTS

Today was the first time this year that...

... a grackle perched on the Buddha's head. He (the Buddha) doesn't look like he minds (and that white on his shoulder is just a reflection!


...there was a cigarette boat (or, as I call them, a "James Bond boat") ripping across the lake!


...I saw a returning songbird. I heard a Flicker the other day, but this Hermit Thrush was the first new arrival I saw!


...it was warm enough to move the cactus garden from the bedroom to the porch, because it won't be too cold to leave it there at night. It seemed odd at first to have the Buddha sleeping so close to prickly cactus, but they are the only plants my cats won't chew on. And he (the Buddha) doesn't look like he minds that either.

SMALL FACES

It rained all last night, and this morning I could sniff that nose-wrinkling mildew smell that I've come to associate with rainy days on the lake. But I didn't mind; it meant the ground was thawing. Now I just looked out the window, and the rain has now officially turned to snow. Fortunately I got out in the yard yesterday. The largest drifts are still there, but it's possible to walk around. I took my camera in case there was anything interesting to snap, but alas, no sign of critters or birds or much of anything, really. So I took these photos of the non-animal inhabitants. The little Buddha on the patio bench has a solar unit by his feet that throws a silvery light on his face when darkness comes. It doesn't last all night, but long enough to see me off to sleep. The other Buddha (monk, really) is the one you've seen here before, who looks out over the lake. And in the front yard, the twin-trunked locust tree has two little Green Man-type faces, tucked around the back so I can see them coming and going through the garage door. This summer I hope to add a nice birdbath, too. Something with a face!

FIVE VIEWS and ONE TANKA of LAKE ERIE

How swift the seasons
Fly away on gull-white wings
Do you remember?
My longing breaks in pieces
I call, Come back, come back heart

Poem and photos by D. Godin