I was awakened the other morning by a knocking at my door or rather a pecking at the door. I was catching up on some much-needed sleep when I realized that I wasn't dreaming and had inadvertently left the chicken gate open. They were ready for breakfast. Not only were the chickens ready, but so was the little ground squirrel that I have befriended. She was scratching at the side door.
I had to stop feeding the chickens in their feeder because the ground squirrels steal most of it and stow it away for winter. I only have three old hens, and I was going through almost 40 pounds of feed plus scraps per month.
We also have a raven named Blackie that watches the house in the mornings. As soon as I open the blinds, he starts flying around the house looking through the windows squawking as it goes. He is also waiting for the chickens to be fed.
Almost every time I go outside the Blackie shows up to see what I am up to. If I go out to the barn, he lands on top of the metal roof creating a high-pitched fingernail scraping the chalkboard sound that makes me squeal every time.
If I have something for Blackie to eat and he is not around I call for him and he usually shows up or starts calling back to me from a distance. If there are enough scraps to share, he calls his girlfriend. If there is an abundance of scraps, he calls all his friends to share in the bounty. I hear him outside right now.
The hummingbirds are the same way. When I step out on the porch a little female shows up. If the feeder is empty, as soon as I open the kitchen blinds she is hovering in the window or buzzing around the bedroom window about 6 am.
The bluebirds nest inside the chicken coop every year even though I walk in and out of the small structure daily. They sit on the fence close by while I am doing my chores. The parents teach their young to fly next to the porch.
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| Baby bluebirds |
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| We have other friends too like rabbits, wild burros and many other bird species. There are a few unwelcomed animals that show up, but we just keep an eye on them. |
The pronghorn antelope have finally given birth. Two weeks later than last year. The mama's will lay their fawns down close to the fence that surrounds our house, so they can go get water. The fawns are nearly invisible to most untrained eyes. We seem to be their babysitters. The cows do the same with their calves. They consider our land a safety zone. During hunting season, the antelope stay close and will not leave until dusk and return before dawn.
It is a gratifying experience to be in harmony with God's creations. They are a pleasure to watch. The Word says, "For ever since the creation of the universe His invisible qualities — both His eternal power and His divine nature — have been clearly seen, because they can be understood from what he has made" Romans 1:20
Shalom,
Mrs. Smith
