AT HOME IN NATURE
One of the things I've found I'm absolutely useless at is farm work. Visiting my hometown always brings interesting memories no matter how many times I visit.
Most people who've lived for extended periods of time in a city would easily notice the difference once they move to a rural setting.
One of the differences I absolutely love is the smell of the air when it's about to rain. There's just that soothing and fresh feel to the air you're breathing and you know there's an abundance of nature around you.
The air is cleaner, the atmosphere clearer and most importantly there's the allure of getting most of your food and vegetables fresh.
Even though not everyone is really interested in farming, I've noticed that almost everyone around has some form of knowledge about the surrounding plants.
Everyone except me, you show me a plant today and tomorrow I've forgotten what it looks like.
The only things I can easily recognize are the obvious ones like mango, orange and banana trees. It would take a certain level of dumb for me not to recognize a mango tree when I can literally see the mango on the tree.
But try to teach me how to recognize the leaf of a vegetable and instead I would gladly sign up for a course on advanced calculus.
The last time I visited, my cousin literally dragged me to the farm even though he knew it was an absolute waste of time.
Apart from my unusual laziness when it comes to working on the farm, I once had a close encounter with a snake which was another reason I avoided that area as much as possible.
As usual he showed me a variety of plants but I knew there was no way I would recognize most of them the next day.
Everything was going well until we were about to head home when lo and behold, he spotted a green snake on a mango tree. Obviously I felt it was justification enough to rant on why I thought working on the farm was dangerous but I'm sure he knew it was just my laziness I was making excuses for.
We didn't go too close and he stopped me from making too much noise because he explained that sometimes the snakes could drop from the trees when they were disturbed ( I don't know how true this was, but I wasn't willing to test the theory).
Another thing I experienced for the first time was eating insects. Normally I find the idea of eating insects quite repulsive, but all my life I had been hearing of these flying insects that come out during the rain and are attracted to light.
My mum would tell me stories about how they would lure hundreds of them and later fry it, she claimed it was a source of protein.
My last visit yielded a positive result on this front as we had rainfall and I was finally able to taste the famous insects that had long plagued my childhood memories.
The only thing I'll say is that I don't think I'm a fan of eating insects.
I love nature and all the interesting things that happen in nature, but I'd love to observe dangerous animals like snakes from the comfort of my tv on Nat Geo wild.
All images used are mine
I also love nature too. I heard about that insect but never see it! Very nice story you shared. Thank you. God bless!.
Thanks for your words, they're very much appreciated.
There are many benefits to enjoying the resources of nature such as the smell of rain. However, as you recount, there are also dangers. Sometimes the dangers are best viewed from the safety of a couch; TV can be very connective.
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Your story brought back the memories of my childhood. After rain, I remember putting on little fire in front of our house to attract them. Nature is cool.
Exactly! That's why people who are good with plants are admiring! I remember overfeeding chickens on our farm and I got scolded. Fun times haha
I am also very scared of snakes like the mere sight of them send a shiver down my spine but as for those insects I could eat a full bucket and I am not exaggerating.
Your story brought back lots of memories for me. Thank you for sharing.
Insects are the food of the future, or so say many experts. In my case, I wouldn't dare to eat them. I liked the pictures you shared. Certainly, some things, like snakes, are best enjoyed from the comfort of home. Greetings.