I was to have written last week yet due to a trip to see my grandkids, I was not as productive as possibly I should have been. I did manage to get much done before I left and many of the post on my other blogs were done ahead of time and set to schedule. However this one was never finished. I started it many times, as writing about the wee folk is one of my favorite subjects. Yet I did not wish to rush it and thus it was never completed. In saying this, I hope you will excuse my tardiness.
As I stated earlier the wee folk, or fairies as many know them by, are one of my favorite subjects. I have always had a dear fondness for them. Their presence has always been evident to me yet it has only been in the last few years that I think I can truly say that I have been graced with feeling that I have truly been welcomed into their ways. I owe much of these encounters to area in which we live. From the moment we moved here, I felt it was a special magical place. I tended the yard as I always do yet it seemed that my efforts were greatly appreciated and at times even rewarded.
A pond lies just to the south of our home. It has always been a busy place for wildlife to flourish. A large colony of frogs calls it home. The first spring we lived here we had heavy rains which caused the pond to overflow and run out of its banks. That morning as the sun came out from behind the clouds, and I looked down at the water as it ran downhill to the bottom, I could see the faint flicker of what appeared to be silver. I went outside to investigate and found it to be a multitude of tadpoles which had been washed out of the pond. They wiggled in the shallow water unable to venture back to the safety of the deeper water. With bucket in hand I quickly gathered them up. I gently put them back into the pond, hoping that they would be ok. This task took me some time and in rough estimate I calculated a few hundred tadpoles were saved that day. Yes my neighbors I am sure wondered what I was doing, yet I would do it again if needed.
You may wonder what my rescue of tadpoles has to do with fairies. After this, the population of frogs flourished and each time I would be working out in the yard near the water’s edge, the frogs would gather near me. They would sit and watch me as I worked. I found this fascinating to the point that I attempted to approach them even closer. There were a few that I could walk right up to and kneel down and actually pet. At this time also, Vincent had built a tree house in the nearby Elm for our grandkids. I had cleared the area out beneath it and planted flowers and such. After this was done, I began to find small items beneath the tree. These items ranged from shiny stones, small mirrors, and any brightly colored object.
In reading I found that the fairies are often befriended by frogs and are grateful to those who tend their area and encourage flowers to grow. Since then I have continued to enjoy my relationship with my fellow frogs as well as upkeep the area beneath the elm. I am sure to leave cream and honey for the fairy on occasion and often scatter cake and such for their treat. They in turn continue to leave me gifts of trinkets as well as help in the tending of the garden. At times as I work busily I catch a glimpse of them fluttering about.
I know that many questions the existence of such things yet for me I believe them to be quite real. They have allowed me a tiny piece of their world to experience and hopefully as time passes they will allow me more. I believe that it is not because they do not exist that most do not have the wonder of such experiences with them, but because most do not take the time to stop and listen. Most wonders are quiet and still and often overlooked because one chooses to overlook them. Next time you have the chance to sit quietly and enjoy a spring day… close your eyes and allow yourself to listen.. maybe if you are lucky you too will experience a little of the wee folk.
3 comments:
Of course they would reward you after the "great tadpole rescue!" You are too sweet - I can see you out there with your bucket scooping them up!
I used to sit (and nap) near a corner in my old garden where I planted "fairy friendly" flowers and left offerings, and often hear whipers and giggles on the wind.
What a lovely story. I'm convinced I have fey round the back of my house. Things get moved inexpliccably. I'd never known about their connection with frogs, though; and maybe that explains a mystery. The first summer I was here (2006) I found two small frogs hopping around my office, and I've never been able to work out how they got in. I'm not convinced the little folk have fully accepted me yet. I think I'll know that when they start helping me with the garden!
The little ones have lived in our yard since before we moved here. There is a small forest behind us as well and I think it has been a refuge for the little ones for many years. Unfortunately, the county is going to be cutting a major road through what's left of that forest in the next couple of years so my husband and I are working on cleaning up our yard and planting some more flowers and such for the fairies to take refuge in. We have had many occasions where things have been moved in the house and we once found a frog inside our house on the curtains. I don't think they fully have accepted us yet, but we are setting some projects in motion to give them more space and just knowing they're here is reward enough for me.
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