TheBanyanTree: February Fireflies

[Dale M. Parish]

February Fireflies

 

The weather has been unseasonably warm lately.  We had a freeze back in

December, for which I bought a half-cord of wood.  Actually, a half-cord is

what I wanted, but the people reduced to cutting firewood today partly don't

know the technical definition of a cord, or, more likely, they know if
you're

out in freezing weather buying firewood, that you aren't going to argue with

them.  

 

But since that freeze, it warmed up.  Too much.  Azaleas are blooming, grass

is starting to grow, and I've got too much firewood on the porch that I
don't

want growing bugs when spring comes.  So we've been trying to keep a fire in

the fireplace any time it's cool enough to have a good excuse.  But I won't

build a fire when the air conditioner is running.  Which has been a lot,

lately, for February.

 

I came to bed after Cindy had put down her book and turned off her light.

Takes a little while for eyes to adjust to the dark, and I'd taken off my

glasses and closed my eyes, drying to drift off to sleep, but opened them
and

gazed in the general direction of the window at nothing.  Something flashed.

>From the upstairs window, there shouldn't have been anything.  It wasn't

raindrops on the window catching some mysterious light from across the road.

Must have been a cosmic ray passing through my retina.  Nothing.

 

Something flashed again.  And again.  I sat up in bed, waking Cindy.  "What
is

it?" she asked.  I reached for my spectacles.  "For a minute, I thought I
saw

fireflies," I replied.  

 

"You did.  I see them.  Now, go back to sleep."  

 

I don't recall ever seeing fireflies in February before.  I lay back down
and

wonder if another freeze will catch these silly lightning bugs and decimate

the species for the summer.  Maybe we'll have two crops. 

 

Hope so.  

 

Hugs,

Dale

--

Dale M. Parish                For all of mankind's supposed accomplishments,

628 Parish RD                 our continued existence is dependent upon 20

Orange TX 77632-0264          centimeters of topsoil and the fact that it
rains.

Dale.M.Parish at gmail.com                   --toilet stall wall