The View Over the Footboard

Being bedridden this time of year has its compensations:  With the body quiet, the eyes, ears and nose are finely-tuned to everything that is happening, and a lot is happening, just outside the bedroom window.  What I hear: the loud rattling of a Sandhill Crane pair in the backwater, Robins, American Redstarts (first warblers I've heard), Grosbeaks, Orioles, Goldfinches and other finches, White-throated Sparrows,  Indigo Bunting, to name just a few, as well as all the permanent residents.  What I see:  The Robin couple swooping in and out of their nest in the eave, the mother mostly sitting, and watching...me. Beyond the nest is constant scurrying, swooping, pecking, fluttering of various winged and legged creatures who live and work in the tall Black Walnut treetop village.

What I smell: Grass!!

Tiny Bloodroot brings hope for Spring

In our back woodlot it is a banner year for Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadesis), the jaunty little white flower with the impressive broad leaves. Native Americans used the blood-red juice from the root as a dye, and warriors painted their faces with it and maidens their bodies. Native Americans, early settlers and herbal practitioners have prescribed Bloodroot for medical conditions ranging from skin cancers to ringworm, warts and other fungal growths. Researchers are investigating the root's value in cancer treatment.