Long Haul

No photographs today; just imagine a black arm band. I said I wouldn't keep on and on about the crane family, but here's the last update.

Yesterday, after first light I went out to the pond to check on them. To my horror I found a huge alligator on the crane nest just finishing off the last chick. Bob and Emily, the parents, were striding around, bereft and twining their necks around each other. I knew there were so many dangers in this long process of creating new life. I worried about everything that could happen: cows stepping on the eggs, pond predators, vultures, coyotes, fire ants and of course, alligators.

At night I went to the pond to shine my flashlight across the water to check for gators. I never saw any of a size to be a problem. Sometimes I saw our neighbors watching too. We have all loved this spring of the cranes and we celebrated the hatching of the two chicks. One died for no reason we could discern, but I got to hold it and look closely at the amazing red down.
The alligator perpetrator died of lead poisoning within minutes of the crime I am glad to say, thanks to Warren. Bob and Emily have gone away, hopefully to a vacation spot somewhere. I hope they will return and try again next year to have the family they were meant to have.

This is the first day in two weeks when we have not had a lot of rain. Everything is green and growing. The vegetable garden is now past except for the tropicals such as peppers, eggplants and beans. Sweet potatoes and okra are yet to come. It was a big mistake to put in gourds. They have taken over everything and in the mornings I must disentangle their tendrils over the garden door to open it. What can one do with hundreds of luffa gourds?

We have both been sick with pneumonia, middle ear infections, and general crud, all of which keeps our energy down. But, slowly improving.

I am loving my newly renovated studio and have several painting projects underway. One is a beautiful cypress and oak bench Andy made as a wedding present for some young friends. I am painting the top of it with images of tomatoes and peppers. I am also working on a large painting of Quincy and Elizabeth. We have had visitors every weekend for months, but this upcoming one is all ours just to keep the momentum of recuperation going.