Martha O'Kennon

Albion, Michigan

One of my oldest friends says she remembers me best with torn pedal-pushers and a butterfly net. I was fascinated with insects. In junior high school, we were supposed to write a paper about our career aspirations. The teacher provided pamphlets put out by the government. The one on entomology turned out to stress fields devoted to killing insects, and that was that. But now that I've retired I'm back to the kid with torn and stained clothing - no butterfly net - I prefer to watch them in nature and only infrequently break off a leaf to carry them to a sunnier spot.

About 9 years ago, I asked a neighbor to dig me a pond for my goldfish Seymour. I added another pretty fish to be a companion for him, and immediately Seymour bloated up and started laying eggs. The pond started attracting all kinds of things and soon became just like a natural pond. Water striders, aquatic spiders, tadpoles, dragon/damselflies, the works. It has attracted more and more things to the yard. I never mow any part of my yard and rarely weed except at the peripheries where there are a few greenhouse plants. Now I feel I have wasted a day if I haven't wandered around out there and taken a few pictures. I'm a very young photographer but my pictures are very slowly getting better. I hope they will become more and more accurate as time goes by.