Not for the Faint of Heart

The day started badly when B realized the scratching at her door wasn't the usual nuisance - Jake signaling for Murphy to come out and play. But Jake had neatly peed in her shoe and was futilely scratching around the shoe to cover it up. (Did I mention that B and Jake don't like each other?)




She came downstairs in her stocking feet to start Saturday morning chores. Stepping into her boots, she found them filled with black walnuts. She dumped them out and tried again only to find there were still nuts crammed into the toe. Red squirrels are compelled not only to gather every walnut they can find, but to move them around periodically to thwart any other squirrel who might have discovered their various hiding places. (In fact, later in the day when I put my boots on, I found the squirrel had retrieved the nuts B had dumped out and stored them in my boot.)


Soldiering on, B filled the birdfeeders and scattered some feed on the ground for the turkeys and crows. Then off to take fresh water to the chickens and add some straw to cover the chicken coop floor. Chickens are alarmists about the tiniest sudden movement. So, naturally, scattering the straw completely panicked them. The youngest rooster fled out to the yard, landing in a deep snow bank. He was half immersed in the snow but with his feet not reaching the ground - effectively immobilized. I wish I had a picture of that.


Heading back to the house, B found the deer happily licking up the feed she'd left on the ground for the crows and turkeys. What's the use? B likes crows and turkeys, but not chickens or deer and especially not Jake.