The three of us went in search of a tree to plant in honor for QM's arrival mid-week, and ultimately decided on a McIntosh apple tree. Here are some photos of A. and I giving the baby's tree a permanent home. Whether it will weather this first year without much human intervention remains to be seen, but we'll be keeping our fingers crossed.
Honestly, I mostly supervised. And we also had quite a bit of help from Grandpa Tom.
And here QM and I are taking a post-planting spin around lake. I guess this must be her first boat ride.
On an unrelated note, another highlight from this week was the discovery of this creature hanging from a tiny lip on the eve of the second story of the house. Yes, it's a snake; yes, it's dead; no, we can't fathom how it got it's head wedged in there; and yes, removing it proved disgusting. We showed it to several people, none of whom had seen anything like it. Are we cursed?
My guess is the rattler got stuck, anyhow, you look very pregnant and radiant. I hope all is well!! Oh, I will be in DC Aug 12th I might try to get up to see you if time permits
ReplyDeleteYeah, it got stuck all right. Andrew had to leave the head behind.
ReplyDeleteSome of the locals identified it as a Milksnake. And one went on to say that his mother had regaled him with stories of how one of her cows would allow a milksnake to drink from her udder. However, I was not convinced, and Wikipedia confirms my skepticism:
"An early myth about milksnakes is that they suck cow udders to get the milk.[1] The myth is entirely false.The milksnake does not have the physical capabilities to suck milk out of a cow. Milksnakes are, however, frequently found in and around barns, making use of their cool and dark environments, and for the easily accessed populations of rodents to feed on. This proximity to barns, and therefore cows, probably gave rise to the myth."
Incidentally, A., Grandpa Tom and I saw a live version of this snake in the grass while we were planting our apple tree. If that's not a sign we're cursed, I don't know what is. Or perhaps someone just wants us to name QM Eve...