Come, ‘Set A Spell’ With Me

When I was a little girl visiting my grandmother off Cape, it was sometimes like entering a whole different world, a world in which modern amenities simply didn’t exist. There was an old wash basin with a crank and two rollers to pull the clothes through to squeeze the water out. Lava soap cleaned everything. The refrigerator was a rehabbed ice box and there was no counter, so the ironing board was covered with plastic so it could be used instead.

My grandmother lived in the apartment above her landlords, an older couple that had come to America from Ireland in the early 1900s, and it seemed to us that time had stood still even though it was the 1960s. This place was 20 minutes from Boston, by the way, not where you may have imagined it to be.

Both landlords, Mr. and Mrs. Richardson, retained their strong brogues, and they were so old my little sister and I were amazed they were still alive. It seemed that even their wrinkles had wrinkles.

There was no air conditioning other than a cooling afternoon breeze. The old folks sat out in their driveway in the shade of their garage and often invited us to join them and “set a spell” as they hoped to catch that cool, often imaginary, breeze. They always told great stories, so we always obliged.

As a result, we learned to whistle through a blade of grass, weave daisy chains, find four-leaf clovers, play the “got your nose” game with our thumbs, and heard many, many silly jokes and riddles. It was a great way to while away a hot summer afternoon when we were so far from the beach. Many times we helped shell peas, break the ends off beans, and shuck corn. We were often rewarded with a snack of homemade cookies, or biscuits, as Mrs. Richardson called them.

Of course, there were no screens or phones in our pockets back then, and although we read a lot, drew pictures, and played games, we looked forward to these special times that made us forget how hot it was. And let me tell you, my grandmother’s apartment was upstairs and took full sun for much of the day. No fan could cool it off during a hot spell.

Recently I was out in the garden on a very warm day. There was barely a breeze, and humidity was thick in the air. A catbird was working the berries in a bush nearby, and for a while I watched it. The bird was aware of my presence, stopping every few seconds to confirm I wasn’t a threat. Bees were busy in some nearby flowers and a few cabbage-white butterflies flitted about. It was a calm and serene scene and as I sat taking it all in, I felt myself relax.

A long while ago a friend who was also a birder and naturalist started a program called something like Birding While Sitting. She and her students would find a place that seemed conducive to viewing wildlife, especially birds, and they would open their chairs or stools and sit down. Once they were settled everything around them began to move again. Birds returned to their feeding, bees and butterflies resumed their activities, and small animals like rabbits, squirrels and chipmunks forgot they were there.

This idea is genius. Let nature come to you. So many of us feel we have to get out and about and walk and climb and do all the active things that cover a lot of ground. Although it is true that one can see a variety of wildlife doing this, it is also true that our movement through wild areas can cause many birds and animals to pause, go silent and still. This is a response to possible predators, and most birders, and yes, hunters, learn to walk a bit and stop and wait a bit, allowing the wildlife around them to resume activity.

By sitting or standing still we allow nature to go back to whatever it was she was doing. I’ve spent more hours than I can count simply sitting, watching and listening. I have some favorite spots that are usually productive, depending on the time of year, and they never disappoint.

Patience is important, and for that reason it may be difficult to do this with children. Children are drawn to action, so walking and exploration of an area may be better for them. They may not see as much but they will have fun.

As an adult, however, hanging out and waiting to see or hear what shows up can be very rewarding. I’ve had foxes walk right by me, deer appear behind me, a rabbit sleep on my foot and a chipmunk run up my leg. When the latter happened, we were both surprised, to say the least. The cheeky chipmunk even stopped to scold me and then ran off.

The longer you sit in one spot the more you will see. You may see a worm poke through the soil or a snake slither past. Once I saw a mouse moving her babies. She carried one, then another and another to their new home. She didn’t stop to tell me what had forced her move. Another time a weasel stopped chasing a rabbit to stare at me. A toad made such a racket scratching in dead leaves one day I thought something huge was behind me. Nope, just a toad, and a tiny one-inch-long toad at that.

Come “set a spell,” the old folks would say. It’s an old-fashioned expression, but on a hot afternoon when the cicadas are calling high up in the oaks and the yard bunny is resting under the holly tree, it still sounds like a pretty good idea to me.