the sky is filling with darkening clouds which make the water, slowly departing, a silver mirror. the air is saturated and feels close, not quite a steam bath because it's warm not hot. while i was looking out, in a muggy haze, a great blue heron landed right under the windows. it picked its legs up, stepping carefully through the marsh grass and seemed interested in our little parrot theo who by then was loudly freaking out. the heron stopped for a moment to examine theo, then kept going. when it got to the water's edge, it exchanged a lengthy glance with marty and then, next thing we knew, it was gone.
when i began this post i was going to write about an uneventful day on the salt marsh, but just then the heron appeared. i'm afraid it may have been raiding our resident family of redwing blackbirds but must do some research and more observation and hope i'm mistaken. to be continued.
Life on the Salt Marsh is a journal of what i am learning and experiencing in this breathtakingly beautiful place, where the Dyer and Sheepscot, both tidal rivers, meet and merge.
Sweet Last Days of Summer
Author
- Rev. Mary
- Midcoast Maine
- Rev. Mary is a Unitarian Universalist minister who served congregations in San Francisco, Sonoma County, Houston, Marblehead and Winchester MA, and New Orleans, in a variety of ways. She is President and co-founder of Gulf Coast Volunteers for the Long Haul and has led 14 service trips to Louisiana and Mississippi since a few weeks post-Katrina. She has 3 children, Sam, 22, Julia, 26, and Jason, 41, and the best spouse in the universe, Marty. She was diagnosed with ALS/Lou Gehrig's disease in 2006. Rev. Mary can be reached at duckdreams at gmail.com. Due to her illness her ability to reply is unlikely but she would enjoy hearing from you if that's OK.
From Mary's Journal in December
after simple surgery turned into a nightmare: "the pain has been excruciating and for 3 days was unrelenting, even breathing was an agony. i tried to picture our mallard in maine who i studied one day when it was freezing cold, windy, pouring down rain and he was in his spot in the grass all tucked up and i tried to imagine how he could handle the elements. i decided he must go very deep inside and have duck dreams. so i tried to emulate him."