Lic, cool and gleaming

After being on the road for a few days, I'm drained, and would like nothing better to do than put off the backlog of emails, thank you notes, guest blogs, readers guides, and event follow-ups just a little longer-- and spend this splendid day in the garden. Weeding, planting seeds--Love Lies Bleeding, Hyacinth Vine, more lettuce. Most urgent of all is taking out leggy Johnny Jump Ups and pansies and kale in the flower box and replace with some eager summer annuals.

But after the birds raised a ruckus, I saw we had a visitor who's living--temporarily?-- in the flower box. We've nicknamed him Licorice--Lic for short. He's...well, cute. Look at those beady eyes. You know I'm a fan of Mary Oliver's poem, The Black Snake ["He is as cool and gleaming as a braided whip"] so I'm flattered.

I guess I'll wait a while to replant the flower box, and get to work. Thanks, Lic. For cracking the whip.