Making the Most of Mother Nature
Lynne King Holt

The corn, should be and will be, knee high by the 4th of July. Summer is now in full swing. Having lived exclusively in older homes, I have learned how to keep things cool. The wood provides shade and the air is cooler on the mountain.

Living between the mountains, east and west, makes for shorter days, lol. My windows are open every night. As the cooler air glides down the slope, through the trees, it breezes in my windows. With great reluctance, sigh, I close those windows when morning comes. Drawing curtains and letting down the blinds blocks the sun from entering the house. The cool icky cellar where darkness and moisture thrives feels as though the old house sits on a block of ice. The roof is reflective metal and the siding is light of light color. The combination provides me with a coolness and does not require air conditioning. I use a window fan on the hottest of nights.

Newer homes are meant to be efficient. Insulation and air tight windows seal you in and with one temperature setting you are good for all seasons. But therein lies the problem. Just like being wrapped in plastic, once the heat enters the house, and it will, it remains. There is no escape since the house has been sealed to not let the weather in. I have a couple of ceiling fans.

I learned quickly that when Elsa my tiny, tawny tabby comes in for a quick bite to eat, the fans must be still. When she looked up and saw those wings a-whirling, her only thought was the pterodactyls have returned. My little Elsa comes from Iowa, where there are huge predators, the Bald Eagle, who could swoop her up. Her feral instincts have kept her alive.

The hummers are here. Yes, the ones with the sound of a revved engine; the Speedy Gonzales of the aviaries, the Ruby-Throated Hummingbird. There are many species of hummingbirds worldwide, but this is the only one we will see here. If you have not already rushed out to buy them a feeder, please do so now. They provide endless hours of fascination. They fiercely defend their feeder from other hummers. So, you might want to pick up two at the store.

The males are adorned with the ruby throat and iridescent green. The females are a delicate olive green and grey. They use their long beaks to sip from the feeder; and may sit on the perch or hover with wings that can take them up to 70mph. Every year, a hummer will fly onto the porch and hover about face level. He or she is telling me, we are back (from Mexico) and we want you to hang the feeder.

In July people head to the shore. It is a hot month, good for ocean breezes or making hay. I had my first black raspberry just days ago. Both the read and black raspberry have a whitish stem with light green leaves.

The wineberry will be next and it promises an outstanding crop this year. This berry is red and has the appearance of a raspberry. But it grows in hairy looking clusters and is a sweeter, light in taste, berry. It grows in abundance along the tree lines and roadsides. I have had the local wine from this berry. It is a desserty wine, sweet and thick as a liquor. Rather strong stuff, best to keep it until the winter holds you hostage and you are in for the night!

Nature repeats itself with the arrival of each season. As I made my way down the misty mountain road early one morning, I saw a doe with her fawn. They took off, as a good mother the doe has taught her little spotted one to disappear into the wood. I saw him again when my walk took me through the same field. The doe had bedded him down, so she could continue to forage on her own. The little fawn will stay put, as long as he is not disturbed. I have cantered my horse down a grassy lane and right over a sleeping fawn. The horse will not step on this delicate creature. But to be sure, I dismounted and crept back to see if all was well. And it was.

Someone once told me that a fawn emits no scent. Unless something comes upon it, the wee one is safe until the doe returns. This system has been a huge success, just look at the deer population!

I would like to enlist your help with preserving our snakes. I know, I know, this can be creepy for some. But I am not asking you to interact or handle the snakes which feel like vinyl, not slimy or slithery. There are rattlesnakes up on the mountain and copperheads throughout. I do not seek them and I have not encountered one rattlesnake. I have seen a copperhead, but he did not last long. He was run over by a car. I noticed when I went past his resting spot. You may not wish to get close enough, but in order not top confuse the venomous snake with the non-venomous, their eyes and flattened heads are distinct. The pupil is vertical "|" in the venomous snake, not rounded as the non-venomous. The Kingsnake or Blacksnake is very territorial. They are not only immune to the venom, but reportedly will drive the copperhead out.

Between these large black snakes and the pounding of the horses' hooves, I do not have any quarrel with snakes. Please, when you drive along the roads, do not run over the long blacksnake or any snake, turtle, or creature. They are slow to cross or a simply absorbing the hear from the macadam. You may be viewing a Ratsnake or a Kingsnake. Either way, they are guardians; keeping the venous snakes at bay and the rodent population down.

I have seen quite a few snakes this year, all non-poisonous. I like to stop to identify them. Sadly, the roadkills make this task easier. I have yet to convince Elsa, the feral cat, to leave the baby Ratsnakes alone. She offed one and was after another when I scooped her up and took her in the house. This allowed the ten inches of spotted Ratsnake to make his escape. The adults are dark, black or grey and their bodies have a lumpy appearance. Not smooth and sleek as the King or Blacksnake.

Do not let a fear of snakes dictate your actions. Instead, be curious and observe them. Give the venomous ones plenty of room and do not threaten any snake. Their tongue flicks out testing the airwaves in a non-threatening manner.