Day 242 Susurrus Encounters

August 8, 2015

(If we live with an open and grateful attitude, every day will bring a gift. This is one of 365 gifts during the year I turned 70.)

“Bassssa…rkk…gashi…eee..geshi…rkk…eee…kasakasa…[silence]…passssssa….saaa…azzzz…[silence].” 

Onomatopoeia, a constant companion, scurries through my days. The susurrus sounds are my favorite. Often I first hear a quick rustling sound, then a pause, then more whishes. As my footsteps approach a clump of bushes in the park or as I climb the steps outside my house, I frequently hear sounds but do not see anything, no matter how long I search. It is good to know that other creatures are occupying this space with me. 

Today, as I was watering plants on the back porch, I heard these sounds again, but could sense they were more frantic because the onomatopoeia was not allegro but vivace. This time I saw a flash of neon and I turned off the hose to see what tiny creature had been in the pot. A small skink covered with water drops was frantically and unsuccessfully trying to crawl out of the plastic pot’s slippery side. Its blue neon tail kept flipping back and forth in its efforts. I admired the saturated blue tail and the flow of its body but felt its panic…the baby skink had some human help in escaping a slippery path out. I would hope that a helping hand would do the same for me should I be unable to maneuver a slippery slope.

My susurrus environment is nature’s purr to my ears. The sounds awaken my senses and curiosity. They are a comforting reminder that we humans are not alone, that we share the world with tiny, often unseen creatures—all of them fascinating. 

My gift today is a blue neon tail.

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Day 243: Reading the Fruit

You can find links to my other posts on this project here:

http://bjschupp.blogspot.com/2014/12/365-gifts.html

Day 156 Rustling Detective

May 14, 2015

(This is part of a 365 project during my 70th year where I write and illustrate a blog on each day's gift.)

Elusive. That’s the word. So often on my walks in Downs Park, I hear sounds but sometimes cannot see what is making them. Bird songs surround me but rarely do I find the specific bird making a certain sound. Sometimes, if the wind is blowing, I hear a creaking noise. If I look up and search carefully, I will usually notice a dead branch groaning against another tree part. Sometimes I hear the obvious sound of a woodpecker but seldom find the woodpecker. 

Rustling is an elusive sound. My footsteps along a path will alert a creature of an approaching human and then I hear the sound of brittle, brown leaves revealing there is something alive on the covered ground. I always look for the source. Usually it is a squirrel. Once I saw a snake slithering away from a sunny spot on the path. Mostly, the mystery remains unsolved. Today, however, a bright orange head gave away a lizard, a broad-headed skink rustling through dead leaves and then climbing up a tree. These lizards are usually grayish-brown and blend into ground covering and tree trunks but during mating season, it is difficult for the male to camouflage its head, which turns orange to attract a mate. 

Today was a game of the seeker (me) and the sought (the skink). As I circled the tree, it moved to the opposite side—always just a little out of sight. As I slowed down my moves though, eventually I was able to photograph the skink.  Success.

It is not the possession of truth, but the success which attends the seeking after it, that enriches the seeker and brings happiness to him." ~ Max Planck

My gift today was a skink looking for a mate.

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> Day 157   Thaw

You can find links to my other posts on this project here:
http://bjschupp.blogspot.com/2014/12/365-gifts.html