goodbye,-sweet-boom

Goodbye, Sweet Boom

I woke up around 4:30am today to the sight of an owl swooping into the branches above me and taking away a rat, which protested loudly as it departed. The owl, huge and gray, vanished as quickly as it arrived. It cleared the lemon tree and the oleander, and flew into the darkness with its…

bee-lifeguard

Bee Lifeguard

From time to time I check the swimming pool to see whether any bees have fallen in. If I find one, I scoop it out using my hand or a leaf, or — if the bee is in the middle of the pool — a broom. And then, depending on the state of the bee…

conversation-with-a-spider

Conversation With a Spider

I always feel pretty good about myself when I relocate a spider from the house to the garden. But the experience probably feels different for the spider. If the two of us could talk, the conversation might go like this: “What the hell? What’s happening?” “I’m taking you outside.” “HELP!” “I’m not going to hurt…