Fence Building
Yesterday we worked on building some fence for the dry cows. My dad, the two oldest boys and myself. Three generations on that crew! It was a warm day, in the 80s, and the sun was making itself known. As we worked our way down along the edge of the woods we spooked up a little fawn. It scurryed into the hedge and hunckered down waiting for momma to return from her browsing. We were stringing out some wire when my dad noticed a ruff legged hawk sitting in a branch just above our heads. We watched him sit there and suddenly a baltimore oriel started dive bombing him. He was starting to lose his ballance, and that little bird just keep landing on his back and pecking him good. We heard a hen turkey not far off, probably with her chicks. I think the hawk was waiting for them on the branch, but it must have been to close to the oriel’s nest for her comfort. He finally gave up and flew the coop. Out here in sticks there is always some drama playing out for your veiwing pleasure. All you need to do is stop long enough to notice. When we got down to the bottom of the hill we stepped inside a little stand of hemlock and paper birch to cool off. The creek is pretty low now. There are little pools of water with fish trapped, swimming in circles; waiting to become a meal for some traveling predator. The raspberries are awfull small this year, still holding out hope for the blackberries. We saw a few wild hucklberries and nice little clump of devils paintbrush. Dad noticed a brown egg laying in some hemlock neddles. I looked in amazment. It was a plastic egg that I had in my henhouse up on top of the hill! I had put them in the nesting boxs to encourage my free roaming hens to lay in one spot. I shot a skunk chewing on one a few weeks ago. Whatever snatched this egg traveled a good mile with it. It was full of teeth marks and had a hole gnawed through the side. Today we will head back to the feild and finish up the fence, who knows what we will see.
June 26th, 2007 at 9:56 am
Scott, thanks for the rich glimpse into your day with your family. You are right; there is so much to observe all around us if we would slow things down in our lives enough to find the time to see all that the Lord orchestrates around us. All of it speaks of His righteous character and glorious reign. God be with you and yours brother.