Who Knows What Tomorrow Will Bring – Lisa Connors

I was sitting by the frog pond last night just watching. There was so much life buzzing about me from the froglets that jumped at my approach, to the pollinators’ frenetic nectar collecting, to the predators hunting the pollinators or the leaf munchers. I was sitting in the middle of a food web and in awe. This is not a new feeling, but rather an increasingly common feeling I have when I sit here. The pond is such a gift. But last night I felt extra emotional. Maybe it is the weight of the world at the moment, or the oppressive heat, or missing my husband while he’s working in Alaska. Maybe, but I think it’s sort of the opposite. It was a feeling of incredible gratitude for this pond and the pollinator garden that can calm me despite all the woes of life. Just three years ago this was just lawn. A hot, boring waste of space. I am so grateful for the means and energy to create this pond when the idea came to me. That I didn’t say, nah, it’s too hard to do. Because now every time I sit here, I hear Mary Oliver’s words:

“Instructions for living a life.
Pay attention.
Be astonished.
Tell about it.”

Sure, I tried paying attention every time we hiked or any time we walked our property. But by creating the pond so close to the house where we sit outside and where we pass on the way to the garden, I have been able to pay attention so regularly that it is hard to go anywhere without noting an insect or interesting flower bud pattern. I am astonished. And just as I loved writing about it for young readers in my book Not Just a Frog Pond, I am excited about the new ideas churning in my head.

It’s been seven weeks since I published Not Just a Frog Pond. Several people provided positive feedback and I got a first review! I know, one is supposed to seek reviews before the book is even published, but I am pretty terrible at self-promotion. Recently a friend said something that reframes this weakness of mine. She was reporting a comment a friend and fellow writer said to her, “…she does promotion labor in honor of the book itself, which she put so much work into.” I like this perspective and while I wish my book could quickly get into the hands of young reader, it is not going to happen without some work on my part. So, I have been doing more querying. As for now, Natural Bridge State Park has agreed to carry it (I just need to get some copies there asap). And Downtown Books in Lexington is carrying it. I will do my best to honor the book and to honor the pond itself. To tell about it.

I had applied for an artist’s residency at Hog Island Audubon Camp for this July, but did not get accepted. I decided to apply the idea here at home, at Halcyon, while Chris was working in Alaska. It has been a wonderful two weeks. It was not a true retreat or residency because home chores still nagged me, and I chose to have several visits with friends, but I was able to commit quite a bit of time to what I am calling the Insect Project. I am not sure what tangibles will emerge over time, but the two weeks has given me energy, inspiration, and a solid starting point to carry this through next year? My life?

What is the Insect Project? I am searching for, photographing, and identifying insects on my property and compiling a list and an art book – an ABC book by common name – where I will add to each page as I keep finding more species. I know I will never meet them all. But I have a great start and more than enough to learn about already. I have an insect album in my Google photos that I started in 2015. I went through and identified the ones I did not know and the list included 102 organisms. After this ‘residency’ my list has 135 organisms. I have met 33 neighbors in two weeks just by paying attention! This fills me with awe. And excitement as I ponder how I will tell about it. Stay tuned.