Earthworn

Yes, an earthworm.

I try to grow a little something for the cats and dogs to browse on during the winter, and bird seed sprouts easily and quickly and they all like it. I re-purposed a pot I had used to grow herbs in. The pot spent most of the summer outside and unknown to me picked up at least one earthworm.

I started this pot of bird seed last week, with lots of water and stirring. Today, it's sunny, so I thought I'd move the pot into the shaft of sunlight streaming in through the window. The instant the pot moved into the sun, this earthworm crawled out of the shallows and wriggled around on the surface.

I'm not sure who was more tickled, me or the 7 year old who got to hold an earthworm in January! After his portrait, he was returned to the pot where we watched him point his nose down and burrow back into the soil. A sprinkle of water to make sure he wasn't too dry and I'm sure he's fine.