Word Pictures

There is so much going on outside that we cannot keep up. It is like being on vacation and not being able to see all the sights in a particular town, and with a broken camera. My camera isn't broken but there aren't any photos except in our heads. Well, that's not completely true because Tom did get a very blurry, faraway shot of a moose, but honestly not worth putting on the blog.

Moose you ask? Yes, and on the exact same day and place it showed up two years ago, the north pasture.

One early evening, we saw a doe lying down in that same pasture, in a little spot in the field with the woods just behind. We kept looking through the binoculars, and soon her head bowed down into her neck and she went to sleep. She was gone in the morning. Then two days later, she was there again early in the day. Also, lying down. After a while she got up. We saw her eating and she seems fine. I wonder if she might be pregnant. I read that when the babies are born, they lie still in the grass and are camouflaged. They have no smell for a while to further keep them safe. The miracle of nature.

We saw a doe and three fawns, all spotted, all gamboling in the north pasture again. Popular spot.

Matt and Margaret have seen one doe around their house; once right outside their sliding doors. And speaking of them, their ducks are now officially really free range. They walk around and swim wherever they want, and pretty much put themselves to bed. They'll also come right over to the sliders, waiting for a little handout. Lexi and Piglet pay them no mind. I tell the 'kids' they are animal whisperers.

After a time of relative quiet, the birds are very noisy, with babies crying for food and parents squawking at any intruders. When the red squirrel clambers up the maple, the bluejay mother fairly screeches at it. There seem to be a couple red squirrels around. A mating pair? Mother and child? Pals? And we also have a couple dear little chipmunks who scoot around the patio and terrace. We haven't seen the groundhog for ages. Maybe it is having babies or maybe it moved away. Only a few garter snakes have been sunning themselves on the steps. Maybe five at a time, down from a dozen other years.

The wild turkeys show up occasionally, in a small group or one singleton.

The swallows have flown the nest on the telephone pole. The phoebes have left their nest in the barn. The bluebirds continue to bring food so the babies must be in there. Same with robins and bluejays. Once in a while we see catbirds, goldfinches, and song sparrows flitting here and there.

In the barn, the chickens are laying lots of eggs. We sell as many as we get, and eat a few. We've found it kind of nice with a smaller crowd of animals since the sheep and goat died. We now have five sheep, one goat, and Daisy the donkey. She has a special day coming up on Friday, and I will make note of it here on the blog!