Sunday, April 27, 2008

THE NIGHT SNAILS ALMOST RUINED THE BRANDENBURG CONCERTOS

The weather is uncertain but warm.

Rumbles of thunder.

The young plants spend most hours outdoors. We bring them in at dusk.

Yesterday, we nearly forgot. It was late when we brought them in.

Dark.

I stooped. Picked up a pot.


Rustling.

I could hear rustling!

Loud rustling.

Not far away.

In the garden!


I listened.

I moved towards it.


Nothing.

I could see nothing.

I went back to the young plants.

Stooped for another pot.


Rustling.

Another rustling.

Another direction.

Nothing.

Nothing there.

Torch
.



Snails!


Chomping snails.

Noisily chomping snails.

Recipe for Night-Time Collection.

Listen. Point torch. Collect. Throw over The Rustbridgers' wall.
(The snail.)
Listen. Point torch. Collect. Throw over The Rustbridgers' wall.
Listen. Point torch. Collect. Throw over The Rustbridgers' wall.

Ming says the snails don't mind.
.
Their suspension is good.

(He 'did' snails in engineering.)

But - I wonder.

I also wonder whether Bach would ever have become a composer if he'd tried working at night when snails were eating.

I think he'd have given up.

(Wrong rhythm.)



For Tomorrow

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think you should mark a few snails with numbers - the first one back gets a prize, a free lettuce or something.

garden girl said...

Esther, I see you've decided to give karma a helping hand by pitching those snails over to the Rustbridgers' side of the wall!

Rustbridgers and snails - yes, it seems to me they deserve each other.

merlinprincesse said...

Do you think it would work with a mosquito?
Listen.
Point torch.
Collect mosquito.
Throw over The Whatervernametheyhave s' wall.
WHAT!?!?
OH!
I forgot the wings thing...

archivesinfo said...

I'm so sorry to hear about you snails! We poured salt on them when I was a kid. It seems a bit barbaric now, but I don't think Ming would mind doing it for you.

Barbee' said...

Have you tried cooking and eating them with garlic butter? Do Martians eat snails?

The Diva said...

I like to set them on asphalt pavement in the sun and salt them. It is fun, but maybe I'm just not nice.~~Dee

Curmudgeon said...

When we first moved to Seattle we found a major slug and snail infestation in our garden. Soon we learned this was no infestation, just "normal" for Seattle. Snails I knew belonged on a plate smothered in garlic butter sauce--the French do know a thing or two about cuisine. But slugs were just too disgusting even to squish. We started tossing the slugs over the fence. We try to always toss downhill so it's much easier for them to just keep going down rather than come back up our way. --Curmudgeon

Philip Bewley said...

I like the "flying snail" approach.

Esther Montgomery said...

You salt people - I couldn't possible do it!

I try to make sure there are good things for snails to eat in their new abode.

Esther

Esther Montgomery said...

SNAIL CHARTS - Yes. I'm going to make one.

The last time I numbered snails I lived in a house with a tall, solid wood fence round the garden.

This time, I'll be throwing them over a brick wall.

I'm wondering whether this will make a difference.

But I have no way of running a control.

Esther

Esther Montgomery said...

Curmudgion -

These are the wrong kind of snails. They are not for eating!

. . .

And we live at the foot of a hill, so the only way I could throw snails in a downwards direction would be to carry them to the top and roll them home again.

I suppose I could try?

Esther

Esther Montgomery said...

Merlinprincesse

The trouble with your suggestion is that mosquitoes are too small for me to paint numbers on easily.

And, without numbers, I wouldn't know if they were the same mosquitoes coming back or different ones.

Esther

Esther Montgomery said...

Barbee -

I keep meaning to ask Ming if they eat snails on Mars.

I'll try to remember when he gets back from school.

Esther

Esther Montgomery said...

Dee!

My opinion of you has changed!

Esther