Sugar & Spice

I was doing some Spring clean up work with Bobby today (okay, it's Summer), and ran across this beauty of an earthworm. It reminded me of home.

Growing up in Upstate New York, whenever it rained, worms were everywhere. In fact, it was sort of gross. You had to dodge them on the sidewalks and driveways. The smell of damp earth and worms would make me shudder. Could Dracula be far behind?

Here in New Jersey, we do not have earthworm invasion at the fall of every rainstorm. In fact, this little creature was raked up from a pile of leaves and silt that was at the end of our driveway. At first, I picked it up and threw it over on my neighbor's property. When I went back to look at it, I thought it had died. Oops!

Feeling sorry for the poor thing, I picked it up and tossed it back into the corner, where the roots from the English Ivy that terrorizes our yard, had formed its very own fortress.

As you can see in this photo, the earthworm is making its way back into the loam, eager to be cool and moist in the damp abyss that exists in a small patch of newly loosened soil, eager to do whatever it is that earthworms do.

I have never been afraid of worms or snakes, or mice or rats. I do not like spiders or insects that bite or sting. As a child, I played in the dirt, climbed trees, and usually had scrapes, bruises, and cuts on my legs and arms.

I was a Tomboy, and loved every minute of it. I cut off the hair of both of my dolls, and loved to roller skate full force down the steep streets in my neighborhood. As a teen, I raced down ski slopes, rarely turning. I wasn't a daredevil, but enjoyed keeping up with my guy friends.

Today, I am older and wiser. I have two daughters who were always girly girls. But, they both know how to fish, and neither of them will be surprised to see that my Blip of the day is a worm.

How cool is that?