A blazing red sun rose over the Miles River and lit up this trawler at the docks of Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum Thursday morning in St. Michaels Photo by Dennis Forney.
GRACE CREEK ALMANAC – Oppressively hot summer days can make a man lazy. But jumping off the dock, despite the water nearing bathtub temperature, revives spirits and energy levels.
Instant air conditioning, even on 95-degree days, when I climb out of the water and feel even light breezes cooling my skin.
This droughty summer has allowed jumps into Grace Creek even as we move into August. That didn’t happen last year or the year before when prohibitive numbers of stinging sea nettles hustled me out of the water starting in early June and kept me out until the cold of late fall did the same.
From what I read, hot and dry weather favor nettle production. I’m stumped, but not complaining.
I’m also happy about increased water clarity. Maybe not as happy as the Parisians now swimming in the Seine, but happy nonetheless.
The positive impact of a billion dollars worth of infrastructure improvements on the Seine’s water quality is impressive.
During a recent trip into Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, cleaner water was more noticeable there as well. Less trash too. Dramatically less than in previous years. City officials, donning bathing suits, jumped into the harbor this summer and deemed that waterway also swimmable.
It shows what can be done when humans put determination and resources into a problem.
Unlike sea nettle numbers, deer and rabbits ravaging the leaves of our grape vines and sweet potato hills are plentiful this year.
Late one afternoon this week, I watched two sleek and healthy does, along with three spotted fawns, grazing contentedly in my yard just beyond the garden. One of the does and I engaged in a stare down. She didn’t move other than to raise and lower one of her front legs and gently stamp a few times.
I returned the gesture but it didn’t seem to translate into anything meaningful. They all lifted their white tails and took off when I took a few steps their way.
Meanwhile a couple small rabbits – tons of rabbits this year! – watched me closely while they munched on the few remaining sweet potato leaves in the garden. My mistake was the marijuana plant thriving nearby.
The rabbits must have chewed some of those serrated leaves, ending up with a case of the munchies, and then finding sweet potato leaves particularly satisfying.
Reflecting in my mind on a flock of white ibis that came winging last week across Harris Creek–flight pattern and thin-curved bills unmistakable field marks–I found myself simultaneously hoping the stinky spray I bought at the hardware store to deter the deer and rabbits does its job.
Nature and all of its convivulations come at us from several directions. Somehow, though, it never disappoints. I’m thinking bluebirds of course and not hurricanes.
PS – Thanks for reading, and don’t look up convivulations. I just made that one up.
Dennis Forney has been a publisher, journalist and columnist on the Delmarva Peninsula since 1972. He writes from his home on Grace Creek in Bozman.
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