It rains a lot in Western Oregon. Until this weekend it has been a wet few weeks. One can hear a good deal of whining about the weather by this time of year. For me, I just roll with it. Knowing we are having adequate rainfall and an average snowpack provides comfort to me in these times of “climate insecurity.” The lakes will fill, the Salmon will have water to run in and a myriad of creatures and plants will be happy in the dry months yet to come.
Song of the Earthworms
The earthworms sing about rain
While we complain
Jolly songs as they move the soil
With their soft heads
Seeking the sweet aroma of decaying matter
Until they hear the drops fall
Turning to deluge
They turn their sleek, tubular bodies skyward
Toward the light
Emerging from their soil home
To languish in the freedom
Of puddled water laying on the earth
For the 24 years I have lived on my tiny farm in rural Oregon, I have witnessed a gathering of crows in the Eastern sky late in the days of the warmer months. They are always flying South, as with some purpose. Sadly, the woodland hills have been stripped in recent years for vineyards, so the nightly event has gotten smaller. I’ve always wondered where they go and what mischief they might be up to. Finally, I’ve gotten around to write about it.
