Category: Uncategorized

Here the larval skin is shown. The dragonfly is a blue dasher.
The wings are still wet. It will not fly until they are dry.
There was a storm the night before.

This 12 spotted skimmer rests on a blade of blue grass.
Even though its back faces me, its amazing eyes 
can watch me within a 360 degree vision range.


My camera rests still upon a tripod.
No nervous motion triggers a flight response.
A picture is captured. 
Then it takes flight out of frame.

 Recently I witnessed a 12 spotted skimmer 
within my pond.
It had climbed up onto the stem of a water lily.
Its larval skin had been shed. 
It was still attached nearby.
I always marvel at the wondrous wings 
stretched out to dry.
They had successfully unfolded and expanded. 
It soon took off, 
ready to thrive with a new lease on life.

A simple duet performed by sisters.
The metronome in the corner is used for practice.
There are apps for that now.
The round Seabee plaque on the wall is to honor our father.
He was in Vietnam while we stayed in Port Hueneme (why Nee me).
I no longer remember what song we played.
My dad eventually returned from his war duties.
We moved across the country soon after his return
Our piano moved with us and I continued to take lessons.
My sister's flute was easier to pack and it too traveled with us.
She switched to a piccolo when she joined a marching band.
Two years later I joined the same marching band.
I became a flag girl.
I no longer play the piano since it was sold when I was in high school.
I was not an exceptional player, so my interest wondered away.
The experience was worthwhile even if I did not progress.
Perhaps if my fingers had been longer or my palm had a wider stretch,
it would not have seemed so hard. 
There was no passion between me and the piano, so my piano playing ended.

“Recently, there has been movement to have the Chincoteague pony declared the official pony of Virginia. Delegate Robert Bloxom (R) and Senator Lynwood Lewis (D) have introduced to the Virginia Legislature a pair of bills doing just that. If the bills pass, the ponies will join the northern cardinal, brook trout, and American foxhound as official Virginia state fauna.” (Quote taken from Chesapeake Bay Magazine, February 3, 2023.)

The bill passed and the governor signed it into law.

The pictures were taken by me, Katherine J. Krein.

The nights songs of my pond amphibians fill the air 
around my house and garden this time of year.
These songs are a sure sign of summer. 
Their mating calls herald their eager presence.
With their success the pond fills with tiny tadpoles.
Over time their numbers thin and 
they become food for predators 
or learn to hide in order to survive.

We were country girls during the summer when school was out.

We visited farms and had picnics with home-made ice cream.

We went fishing and had fish fries with hushpuppies and coleslaw.

Grandfather was the gardener and grandmother was the canner.

Fresh home grown vegetables were a dinner staple.

We swam in our grandfather’s lake which was made into the local swimming hole with a dock as slick as snot.

We wore clothes our grandmother made for us, and some times I wore hand-me-downs since I was the youngest.

We sat on the big covered front porch of our grandparents farmhouse and told ghost stories.

Fireflies lit up the night and my grandfather once gifted me with a firefly ring.

The picture above is of me, my sister, and one of our cousins.

Our grandmother can be seen behind us.

On this particular day the black hen laid an egg in my sister’s lap!