ANN EDALL-ROBSON

Life Cycle

9/17/2023

2 Comments

 

​99 WORDS...AND A LITTLE BIT MORE

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“They know we’re here. We don’t have much time before they come from the sky to get us. Some of us will make it, some won’t. The ones that do, need to procreate to make sure our breed lives. We can’t all stick together. I suggest some start moving now to the next planned target.”

The flock of crows lifted off the branches of the trees surrounding the field. Circling, hovering, licking their lips at the prospects of the meal. Their assault on the insects is too late. Competition drones toward them. Crop-dusters swoop in for the kill.

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In 1949, our mom, Eileen (Clifford) Edall rececved books including The Consolidated Webster Encyclopedia Dictionary as part of a set given to WWII War Brides - a story for another time. This book became the natural go to place to learn about insects and other nature items our parents couldn't identify. In dad's case, that wasn't very often. All parts of the life cycle of any bugs, insects, crawly things, flying things our parents couldn't identify, out came the encyclopedia. 

Growing up in a rural area the day did not pass without interaction with some kind of insect. There were the ones that were a nuisance - mosquitoes, noseeums, and flies. Those that needed a wide swath of respect included wasps and horseflies; and then there were the ones quite unique; the ones we liked to catch in jars like dragonflies, damselflies, and bumble bees. .

​We even had our own names for some of them. Kind of a local dialect, you could say. Common knowledge by those who live in our area, the moniker might be used in general conversation or maybe an underlying insult. Those who knew the nickname, knew both meanings, recognized the inside joke, and, appreciating the potential humour.
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Take the ordinary fly. Its nick name was Circle Fly. Derived from the image one gets seeing the inset around garbage piles or, better yet, a manure pile. There are always flies circling, landing, lifting off, repeat, repeat, repeat. Now imagine the comparison of that vision to a person who has a fly continually buzzing around their head, bothering them. The comment, “Can’t fool those circle flies,” was used at the expense of the unsuspecting. As time has evolved, lots of time, the remark comes from the lips every so often. The interesting thing is, there are very few in modern society that get that connotation unless they, too, have been born in my era and/or have rural roots.
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On the other side of the spectrum, wasps were, and still are, given broad respect. The last thing needed while touring through the bush trails on a horse, was to disturb a wasp’s nest. A few things that might come from the resulting disruption - you’d get stung, you’d get stung and have a reaction, your horse would get stung and leave you in the dirt when it bucked you off and headed for home.

The wasp is not all doom and gloom. Their nests can be of use once they are abandoned, of course. Every so often, Dad would come across a vacated nest and take it home. I can hear you saying, “What the heck for? Was he nuts?” Actually, he was a very wise man in many areas of bush life. In the case of a wasp nest, he would peal several sheets from the outer layers. It was these sheets we carried with us in our saddle bags and kept around the house.

You see, when you are out on those bush trails - hiking or riding, a scratch or cut that won’t stop bleeding can become a problem. We slapped on a chunk of the nest, tied it in place with a piece of our shirt tail, we tore off for the job, and carried on. For whatever reason, and dad said it was the wasp’s spit, the sheet helps to coagulate the blood. It didn’t necessarily stop a major blood flow incident, but it did slow it down by thickening the blood as it oozed from the cut, giving you some much needed time to get to help.

Occasionally, I come across a nest that has been deserted. Usually it’s after an animal has had a meal, leaving it torn to pieces. Like dad, I will take the liberty of bringing a few small pieces home.

​One more way to keep tradition and the old way of life alive.
Ann Edall-Robson​
Author, Photographer, Lover of Life
"Capturing moments others may never get to experience.”
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September 12, 2023, prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less), write a story about the insect nation. You can focus on a particular insect or all insects. Is your story one of acceptance and understanding? Scientific knowledge? Or apocalyptic horror? Get bugged and go where the prompt leads!
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Fog 90

8/28/2023

4 Comments

 

99 WORDS...AND A LITTLE BIT MORE

Looking out the window at the lazy snow flakes settling in the grass; at this time of year it might be snow or rain. Glancing at the calendar, she wasn’t surprised to see the moisture. A note written on today’s square told her precipitation was expected. Sure enough, the old ways her grandmother had ingrained in her held true once again. No need to listen to the radio, TV, or check an app to know if moisture should happen. Her weather report: record the foggy days, count out 90 days, make the note FOG90 in the appropriate calendar square. 
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Carrying the history and traditions forward from previous generations is a passion of mine. The old way of making notes like Fog or Feb Fog on the calendar continues, at least in our family. In generations past, and current, the knowledge there will be some form of precipitation, be it  snow or rain, at certain times of the year, can be a bonus.

Think about it, those who lived before radio, television, and cell phones needed a way to tell them what was going to happen in the weather department. Who did they turn to? Nature and keeping information in journals &/or notes on calendars. These notes included the weather patterns and paying attention to animals and birds. I talked about this in articles I wrote in 2016 - Old Timers Prediction, and again in 2018 - The Weather Forecaster. 

For example, consider the month of May as the time to plant the garden; however, if there was a lot of fog during the month of February, your planting strategy might need to be reviewed. You will most likely want to put seeds in the ground before the 90-day note on the calendar.  This gives the seeds the needed moisture to germinate; you are less likely to have to plant them in mud, or have to wait until the ground dries out some, so you can actually put the seeds in the ground.

It is my experience that the lack of fog in the first quarter of the year can affect the moisture expected during the growing season. Of course, fog in the second quarter could mean that moisture might affect the harvest season. 

Does this form of telling the weather hold true 100% of the time? No; but it’s close enough to make me record the foggy days on my calendar. Besides, it makes for interesting conversation and it’s surprising how many people I have told this to, now do it. 

This is not the first time I have written about the old ways. The funny thing is, that I mention the old timers thinking about my parents and their parents when I do. In a recent conversation, I mentioned old-timers, stopped, laughed, and proudly said, “I guess now I would be considered one of the old-timers.”  
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How do you keep track of weather happenings?

Ann Edall-Robson​
Author, Photographer, Lover of Life
"Capturing moments others may never get to experience.”
Be the first to get all our latest news and updates. Join our mailing list.

#AnnEdallRobson #FromWhereICome #99WordStories #FlashFiction #weatherstation #ranchtradition #engrained #familytradition #CapturingMomentsOthersMayNeverGetToExperience #TheOldWays #RuralLiving #WhoaBackUpStop #AnnEdallRobsonPhotography ​

August 22, 2023, prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less), write a story about the arrival of the weather. It can mean any kind of weather event meteorological or mythological. Is the weather personified, random, or calculating? Where does it arrive? Is it typical or epoch-changing? Who is involved? And if the Womam Who Doesn’t Want Red Hair shows up, well, ask her what’s happening. Go where the prompt leads!
4 Comments

Write a 5 word story

8/24/2023

0 Comments

 
In five words, write a story about this photograph.
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Ann Edall-Robson​
Author, Photographer, Lover of Life
"Capturing moments others may never get to experience.”
Be the first to get all our latest news and updates. Join our mailing list.
#AnnEdallRobson #FromWhereICome #fivewordstory #CapturingMomentsOthersMayNeverGetToExperience  #RuralLiving #WhoaBackUpStop #AnnEdallRobsonPhotography #annedallrobsonbooks
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