The snails are back. My wife has resumed her long fascination with mollusks.

Malacologists study all mollusks, while conchologists study the shells, not the whole organism. Maria is a Malacologist, for sure.

That’s about as good a definition of snail lovers as I could find. You may recall when we had our fish tanks rolling that Maria loves snails. She sits by them, talks to them, takes pictures and videos, and researches their moods, needs, and mating habits.

Maria is a Malacologist. Her curiosity is without end.

After many fish, we removed our fish tank last year, and all of our snails died. Maria misses her snails – she even held a snail party for her friends; it was fun but a little strange. True nature and animal lovers have no boundaries.

This time, she only has snails and no fish. It’s where her heart is, and this morning, I got a talk about hermaphrodites and how snails mate. I’d heard it before and forgot most of it, but I’m learning about snails again. Life on the farm is nothing if not exciting and surprising.

Today, she sat by the snail tank with her iPhone, recording amazing videos of these hardy and iconic creatures. It’s the perfect interest on a cold and wet day.  They are, I admit, pretty fascinating.

Next up, some chess.