I continue to learn about northern bog lemmings and their world so I can situate Saul in the right place in the right way. Here are a few descriptions of these little creatures and their ways:
Elusive
Isolated and local
Seldom seen
A rare and splendid rodent
I love that last description: “a rare and splendid rodent.” Wish I’d thought of it. Wouldn’t it make a wonderful book title?
I’m still searching for Saul. I’ve seen little glimpses of him as I do my research.
Way up in the north, you’ll find the Big Bog and in the Big Bog you’ll find small Saul. It’s not a swamp. It’s not a marsh. It’s not even a fen. It’s a bog, where peat gathers, orchids bloom, plants eat insects and the ground swallows the rain. The bog has its secrets.
You could get lost in the Big Bog, wandering from place to place where to the casual eye everything looks the same. Visitors to the bog must be careful, but those who live there know the neighborhood like you know yours.
If you stay still and keep your eyes open, you might see one of the bog’s most elusive creatures. Do you see that little haystack made of clipped sedge grasses? Keep watching it…there! Small Saul, the northern bog lemming, is building a runway through the grasses, minding his own business.
I’ll probably find Saul in the morning, making little haystacks out of blog clippings.
Lynniebeemuseoday 