lilacs and butterflies and regional accents

This first year in our new home, we are observing the flora and fauna that lives in our little holler. We want to know what is growing where before we start personalizing our surroundings with plantings of flowers and vegetables.

I was overjoyed to find a patch of lilacs at the corner of our yard. Yesterday afternoon, after a manic morning (I really need to get hooked up with psych services), I headed out to the side yard to relax. Lisa was already out there on a blanket, watching the bees, bee flies, butterflies and the various flowering plants that they were visiting.

There was an abundance of Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterflies, the black variety. They seem to love the lilacs as well as the tiny flowers that lurk in the grass just below mower level.

I got into the lilac patch and removed a bunch of dead wood. It was fun, but I need to get some gaiters (our neighbor, who has lived here all his life, calls them "leg irons") to protect my legs from snakes. And Lisa reminded me that I should also wear work gloves to protect my hands from said snakes.

A few days ago I came across a small snake on the east slope trail, probably a first-year rattler (just a nub at the end of the tail). It was quite aggressive when I poked near it with a stick. I left it alone after that. Conventional wisdom would be to kill it on sight, I suppose, but I prefer to work with nature rather than against it.

For example, Lisa had ideas about what could be considered major modifications of the steep east slope; I have simpler ideas. Work with what is there, perhaps making short and narrow terraces, one plant wide and a couple of plants long. Avoid erosion as much as possible. There are obvious drainage areas where the water runs down the hill when we get a lot of rain.

On to the accents. Lisa is finally accepting my pronunciation of "creek" as "crick", but now she has to deal with "lilac" being pronounced "lye-lock". She says "lye-lk", the "lk" being very short. I told her of the great lilac tradition in the Rochester, NY area, and of the yearly Lilac Festival held there. You know, trying fruitlessly to defend my pronunciation with displays of lilac lore.

I told her that she'll have to get used to "lye-lock" and "crick". My accent is somewhat malleable but lilacs and creeks are embedded in my soul. Hey, I finally stopped trying to correct her when she pronounces "suite" (i.e. a matching furniture set) like "suit".

"Bedroom suit? Is that like a birthday suit, or pajamas?"