spotted recently on the farm

1. A snapping turtle's egg--abandoned, soft, and dented--at the edge of the farm that borders a swampy wetland, thanks to the resident beaver.

2. A bird's nest, with three blue eggs the size and color of Cadbury mini eggs, tucked inside a thick stand of Brandywine tomatoes. (Hands remained in pockets to resist the gravitational pull of Cadbury mini eggs to the mouth.)

3. The look of true panic upon the faces of at least two crew members, upon realizing that the calendar had rolled over to August, threatening to bring September, October, and--even worse--a job search even closer.

4. Ripe blackberries. Enough to stuff your face and still have plenty left over with which to make pies. I love pies.

5. Lobo, the regal, ancient farm dog, as patient and still as the lions at the New York Public Library, while he tolerated the attention of a pestering but well-intended little girl.