TheBanyanTree: February Fireflies

[Teague, Julie Anna]

Crazy, man!  I won't mind the fireflies this summer, but without a good, sustained freeze here, the mosquitos, fleas, flies, and other nasties are going to be a nightmare.  I'll probably miss my screen porch having just moved to my new home which has a patio but no porch.  Then again, there may be fewer bugs on a busy city street than there were out in my little wooded corner of the world on Bluebird Lane. 

It's going to be in the 60's here all next week.  In February.  Guess there's nothing to do but enjoy the "winter" weather as Rome burns. 

Julie

-----Original Message-----
From: TheBanyanTree [mailto:thebanyantree-bounces at lists.remsset.com] On Behalf Of Dale M. Parish
Sent: Tuesday, February 14, 2017 12:58 AM
To: thebanyantree at remsset.com
Subject: TheBanyanTree: February Fireflies

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