A Wild (life) Day

Today was a wildlife day for me. I was reading the paper this morning on the deck while enjoying my breakfast when a ruby-throated hummingbird flew by to sample the nectar from the zinnia plants. After lunch I rode my motorcycle up to the Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge. I drove the wildlife drive loop - a 7.5 mile gravel road. This is a truly wondrous spot. All around you, as far as you can see, is nature. Beside the road you are on, there are no signs of human interference: no cell phone towers, no electric lines, no houses, no poles, just nature. Big bluestem grasses were waving and trying to reach me as I putted along. Gravel is a little tricky to ride on so I kept it slow - about 12 mpg. The limit there is 20 mph. No one was ahead of me and no one behind me. I lifted up the face guard on my helmet so I could smell in the fresh air. Goldenrod is blooming - that explains my itchy, watery eyes. I saw the huge eagle nest and it looked even bigger than I remembered from before. I saw some ducks and hawks. Riding on a motorcycle is much different than riding through here in a car. In a car I would pull out my binoculars and bird field guide. I do recognize the cormorants though - their silhouette on a dead tree beside a pond was easy for me to distinguish. I had stopped to admire the cormorants. While I had the helmet off, I called a sibling who lives nearby to see if I could visit but, alas, no answer. The milkweed pods were bright green and I knew that if I stopped to open them, the seeds would have white, silky, feathers on them. Everything is so beautiful out there. On a motorcycle, you can get closer to nature. I got so close, in fact, a grasshopper landed on my nose. My face guard was up and this determined little grasshopper grabbed on tight to my little, pug nose. I shook my head like a dog to get it off but it clung tight with it's legs. Looks like they only have 6 legs but it felt like more than that. Grasshoppers have raspy, horny little feet and they dig in to stay where they want to stay. I had to stop the motorcycle and push it off my nose with my hand. Grasshoppers can be overwhelming. Once, when Offspring #1 was about 4 years old, I was walking through a wheat field with him and his cousin and the grasshoppers overwhelmed me. I can take so many hanging on my body at one time before I lose it. On this occasion, too many grasshoppers clung to me causing a sensory overload. Several got underneath my billowy blouse and were hanging on to my stomach and back with their horny little feet. I lost it. Despite the fact I was chaperoning two impressionable four year olds, I whipped off my shirt and used it like a cow uses her tail yelling all the while. This was not a pretty sight. After finishing the wildlife loop, I headed back home on county road 8 or county road 4. Different counties call the same road by different numbers. I veered off to go through downtown St. Francis on Ambassador Boulevard. I drove past the screw factory. I don't know why but I find it funny that there is a screw factory in the town next to mine. Screws have to be made somewhere I guess. When I got home I was on my deck again. I had gotten the mail and my Conservation magazine had come. I hope you all are able to read the Conservation magazine. This issue was especially good and I read it cover to cover in one sitting. While I read, the hummingbird came back to sample more nectar from the zinnias one at a time-yellow, yellow, pink, yellow, orange, yellow and yellow.