I love watching my garden wake up in the early morning hours of the summer.
As the sun readies itself to crest the eastern ridge, birds and bees and small mammals
are beginning to stir. Like many mornings, I am captivated this morning by the mullein
plants. In this late summer moment, their stalks of creamy yellow
blossoms reach into the air, stretching up taller than I am.
Mullein is full of life. A hummingbird is visiting nearby honeysuckle and
its path crisscrosses those tall stalks. A woodpecker, intent on its foraging,
doesn’t seem to notice. It goes up and down the stalk, perhaps eating the
ants and other bugs as well as eating some of the millions of seeds that are
forming. One morning while I was harvesting strawberries, I found a whole
family of voles underneath the thick mullein leaves. The babies were small
and hairless, probably only a few days old. The large leaves perfectly curled
over their nook, offering a beautiful refuge from the world.
Related Posts
What I Never Lost
I’ll never forget the moment everything shifted. At eighteen, I believed I was stepping into the life my late mother had carefully planned for me — college,…
I was a surrogate for my sister — but ten days later they left the child on my doorstep
My sister Claire struggled to conceive for years. She and her husband spent a little fortune trying to become parents, but eventually, all those IFV’s ended up…
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s son impresses fans with steady weight-loss progress
Christopher Schwarzenegger, the son of Arnold Schwarzenegger, is showing off the results of a major transformation and people can’t stop talking about it. The 27-year-old joined sister…
K9 couldn’t stop barking at a teddy bear and it led to a shocking family secret
It was a rainy Thursday afternoon at Westbridge International, and the place was as busy as ever. Passengers rushing to catch their flights, many waiting in queues,…
You are doing it all wrong. Here’s the right way to use vaseline
Vaseline, a brand synonymous with petroleum jelly, has been a staple item in households for over a century. Despite its longstanding presence, many are unaware of the…
If mosquitoes go straight for you, here’s what you should know
Mosquitoes are more than just a nuisance; they are vectors for various diseases and can cause significant discomfort. If you find that mosquitoes seem to target you…