Wade through the Weeds

May 28, 2010.  Friday.

Situation:  Work tonight; take Mway out about 2.

State of the Path:  On the side path along the old orchard, I wade through the weeds today.  Kick out a starling from the goldenrod, the robin from the multiflora shrub, see the first sprouts of ragweed, feel blackberry shoots grab at my shirtsleeves, step on new nettles making a place for themselves, pass oat grasses that tower over my head.  At places the path is indiscernible and I must navigate by judging the relative heights of the weeds.  The path clears up a bit down by the wigwams, but it’s only about a foot wide, and at the seeps in bug land, it stretches out about three feet wide, edged around by thick green grasses. Along the creek, it again becomes clogged, mainly with grasses I can’t identify, and hemmed by jewelweed.  The flowers on the multiflora shrubs are big and bulbous.  They look unnatural – as if fairies have come out last night to festoon the shrubs with popcorn balls.  Down at the may apples by the creek, Mway stops to sniff at something, and I hear something moving beneath the canopy of leaves.

State of the Creek:  It never rained last night, so the creek still lies brown and quiet.  Gnats hover here and there.  About five frogs leap away from my trudging feet and dive into the water.

The Fetch: One fetch with the “pro-quality” stick.  On the way back along the sumacs, Mway drops the stick and waits for me to pick it up and throw it ahead on the path, like I did yesterday. Since I did this once before, is this now going to be part of the routine?