It's a spring rain!

Day 2 of the April Arts Marathon

Yesterday was warm enough for our local vernal pond to become an all day rave for our wood frogs. “Peep! Peep! Peep!” sang the woods behind my house. Peepers are one of the loveliest things about living in Vermont. It was also especially good of them to make their debut on the first night of Passover. In the reading of the Haggadah, the text of the Passover Seder meal, one recites the numerous plagues of Egypt — FROGS is one of these!

But alas, today is cold and wet and the frogs have fallen silent. The windows are shut and the damp of early spring seeps into any skin not covered in wool. And so my thoughts fall deep, deep, deep into the rain soaked earth and I consider the worms. Perhaps, a modern plague? They say the invasion of the jumping worm could be detrimental to the soil… they say the worms eat the good stuff out of the soil…but I wonder where else could they take it? They don’t go anywhere else. Shouldn’t it be fine? I do notice that the soil looks different than it used to, but things still grow.

I try not to be alarmist about the jumping worms. We know very little about them. I’m almost certain that they did not ask to come here; they surely were brought in someone’s flowerpot. That they have arrived and are thriving, seems a good enough reason to hang out with them. They are immigrants I don’t understand yet, but boy are they goofy and dramatic. When I touch them, they wriggle like I’m burning their skin. Maybe I am. It’s hard to be curious about them when they are so touchy. But they might have legitimate complaints…

Worm Pity Party