There are many things I love about Maria, one of the most compelling for me is her boundless curiosity, her life of life, and passion for the unseen details of the natural world.

I bought her a fish tank for her birthday two years ago, but I never imagined she would love it so much, or that she would especially love our humble snails, who labor day in and day out to keep our tank clean.

She likes the fish, but she loves the snails. She names them,  talks to them, encourages them, studies them,  mourns them when they die.

I never paid much attention to snails, but I do now.

Maria is constantly calling to me to come to the tank and see some remarkable new snail feat, she rushes over to the tank almost daily to take a photo or video of some astonishing snail feat – it is quite amazing how they manage to move around with no eyes, ears, hands or legs.

Each day, every snail is climbing on a plant, sliding up the side of the tank, eating algae on a rock, floating to the surface, blowing bubbles and rocketing down to the bottom,  performing the most astonishing acrobatics.

It can get addictive and Maria is on her way.

She loves her snails, knows everything about them, invites our guests and friends to sit and watch them, points out their feats and colors and quirks. Each snail is different, believe it or not, each has its own way.

Sometimes people blink in wonder, sometimes they seem unsure of what to say, sometimes they love the snails as much as she does. It does take a certain kind of person.

For some weeks not, Maria has been asking people we know if they would like to come to a Snail Party, that is a sit-and-watch the snails in our living room. She isn’t kidding, she wants to have a snail party.

The last time she asked some friends at dinner, she asked if anyone wanted to come to a snail party, she was greeted with thunderous silence.

But she is not deterred. Today, Sue Silverstein, my friend, and a teacher at Bishop Maginn High School, came to have lunch with us and brought her daughter Tara and son Gabe.

I went into the kitchen to prepare lunch and when I came out, everyone was riveted to the fish tank while Maria was giving an impassioned and detailed account of the life of a snail.

She was talking about Socrates, one of our Mystery snails. I bought these snails to help us keep the tank clean, I did not imagine Maria would come to love them almost as much as the donkeys.

When she asked Sue and Tara and Gabe if they would like to come to a Snail Party at the farm, they all jumped at the chance (Gabe, to be honest, didn’t respond). Maria has identified two or three of our other friends who she thinks might be interested in a Snail Party.

History is history.

Maria is quite serious about it, and although I am balking about attending, I imagine I will be there. I’m getting to find the snails pretty amazing myself. Stay tuned for the world’s first Snail Party that I know of.

Life is never still at Bedlam Farm.