Maria hides in my ferret sack around my neck as we dare the evening heat.
It hits us like a wave, as we adjust to sucking hot air into our lungs.
The world is awash with sound away from the blast of the air conditioner
and occasional chatter of the bossy Mini-Me.
High pitched rattles vibrate through the trees loudly, loudly, loudly: in
waves, from hundreds or thousands of some kind of bug I do not want to see.
Something makes a cry like a cat: meoor, meoor. It comes from a tree I
walk under. I look up, but see nothing. I walk on. Meor, meor: loud like
a toucan or a parrot cry. I am in an exotic world. I am in my back yard.
The prehistoric gray heron is across the marsh on stilted spindly legs.
The lone snow white egret has joined it for an evening catch of fish. An
occasional leap out of the water, splash, and reverberation of ripples in
the dimming light reveals that dinner is nearby.
The silly birds see me coming as I move onto the smaller body of water.
They paddle furiously, or fly-run on top of the water. Another large group
come a runnin. That goofy human is here to feed the fish. I pass a
thicket of bushes at the edge of the water walking quickly, throwing fish
food furiously into the waters before the hoards surround us.
Maria is perky. Her little nose sniffs the air. Her tiny tongue licks the
hand securing her to the sack after I have deposited half my load of goods.
Now I must pay the toll. I turn to head back. A brown fur body with its
back to me is in my way. A woodchuck? Tapping on my sandaled toes jerks
my head around. The two resident geese are here for their booty. No
booty--no happy. They no happy: I no happy.
I sprinkle their nutritious snack down on the grass, chit chat a good
evening to the two fine birds that are probably husband and wife--mated for
life. I introduce Maria the ferret. They hiss a greeting. Like Garfield
Goose tapping his beak on the table in answer to bunny rabbit--tap,tap,tap
on my sandle for more food. I deliver. They have lived here for the last
3 years and know I am good for the year round grub-come sleet or snow.
Sometimes, they will sit on the porch during the day drinking out of the
water bowl. They poop all over as a greeting card..The cats won't hurt
them or chase them. But they like to sit and watch them. Just a different
version of a ferret really.
Upon turning back towards home, the sitting fur body has disappeared. I
am surrounded now by the silly birds: waddlers of silliness. I love these
guys. Time to pay the toll. Maria is looking beautiful in the evening
dusk. Her fur is short and soft as a puppies. I tell her how beautiful
she is: how very, very beautiful. I kiss the soft fur head once purple and
brain-like. Better than a human. She is quite and observant and, and-a
ferret!!
The fish food is sprinkled into the water ahead of me. The duckies slide,
dive, or fly back into the water for their repast. There are dozens of
them: fastest eaters I ever saw. I walk on, sprinkling more fish food
into the water.
Suddenly, the brown furred animal is beneath me at the edge of the water.
I want to scream, I am so startled. Don't bite me!!!!!!!!!!!
It is inches from my sandaled toes as it pops a look at me, and scurries
into a hole in the earth on the side of the marsh. The tail is a broad
flat leather looking appendage.
Maria and I have discovered a new animal in the marsh!! ~~~~~not that we
have any idea what it is~~~~~BUT IT IS A NEW ANIMAL!
Quack, quack, quacks. More food passed out as the land crowd parts before
me-heading into the water as I sprinkle very expensive food meant only for
the fish I am trying to preserve. So who really ends up looking silly
here?
We head back. Maria has been observant and stayed in her ferret sack
without complaint the entire time. I look down on her pretty head with
disbelief. It hits me-one of those question thought moments: Who would
ever have believed that this being would have lived to spend a summers
evening with me in the marsh? How much cooler does it get than this?
Lisette
[Posted in FML issue 3496]
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