Witt’s End

Okay, I know we’re a few days from the start of Winter, not Spring, however, last night we were at a going-away party for a friend and I thought of blog I wrote a dozen years ago in which she was the protagonist. We joked about the event and when I read it this morning I realized how memories can change the reality of things. Sort of that alternate truth stuff we get out of the nation’s capital these days.

9 April 2006

Mysteries of Spring

Susan and I went for an early spring bird walk with our favorite naturalist, Wendy, to our favorite spot in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. We call the spot Warbler Ridge. Don’t look at the map, you’ll not find the name. We gave it that designation years ago after a great day of birding there.

The real benefit of birding with a naturalist, as opposed to an ornithologist, is that she makes you look at things other than the birds—the ground for instance.

This spot is a bit off the trail and I suppose, if everyone strayed from the straight and narrow path, the place would begin to look like downtown Cleveland. However, we try to walk gentle on the land.

While watching where to put my feet and looking for wildflowers, I was stunned to see the corner of a $20 bill peeking out of the grass! On closer inspection we realized the bill was part of a field mouse’s nest. I gently removed the $20. One small nibble in the corner—not even as much deterioration as inflation—was the only damage.

How did a $20 bill get out here? We looked around for more. Nope, just the one and no sign of the mouse, either.

Who says birding doesn’t pay?