Hello!
Warning:
This letter is going to be lengthy as so much has happened lately. Thankfully I
am feeling a lot better. Those of you
out of state probably heard on the news about the tornadoes that touched down
here in Tennessee without warning on Katie's birthday again. When Katie was
born eight years ago they just finished the c-section when everything had to
shut down and everyone had to go to the hospital basement as there were
tornadoes. One touched downtown, but thankfully there was minimal damage. We threatened
to call Katie Dawn- Stormy Dawn. This time I woke up around 2 am to hail and
strong gusting winds around the house. I thought, "My we must be having
some storm outside," rolled over and went back to sleep. An hour or so
later the phone rang. We often joke that since our last name begins with a
"W" our roof would blow off first and then we would get a call
telling us that tornadoes were touching down in our area. It wasn't until I got
up later that I saw the news that several tornadoes had hit Nashville and the
Cookeville area west of us. Sadly this time several lives were lost, homes and
businesses destroyed. It was quite a shock.
It's
amazing how quickly things in life can change. Who could guess only a couple
weeks ago that we would now be facing an epidemic virus causing panic and fear
here in the USA where shelves would be wiped bare of supplies over night? You
would think bread and milk would be the first to go, but toilet paper??? I even
heard where people were renting storage facilities to fill with toilet paper.
If nothing else the rest of us will be able to buy all the toilet paper we need
in the coming months. Hard times brings out the worst and best in people.
Yet
despite the terror and anxiety the human race is experiencing over the unknown,
all of nature is coming alive all around us here in the Tennessee mountains.
The forsythia and cherry bushes, pear and plum trees are ablaze with bright
blooms while crocus, daffodils, and hyacinth bloom in a multi hue of colors as
spring green grass blankets the fields. Spring has arrived again. What bliss!
Each morning I am awakened by birds singing outside my window as new species
migrate back north to reassure the faint in heart that the Master of the
universe, who set in motion each season, is still in control. All we have to do
is trust Him.
Dwight
fixed the short run where we now can have the ducks up here in the yard with
happy hens madly racing around scratching under bushes and trees to their
hearts content outside the pen while Tex is confined to the woods that we
alternate days on. While I love looking outside the window and hearing
contented hens and ducks in the yard, they are adding more exercise to my
routine. Ducks thankfully will follow
each other in a row as one guides them to their pen, but chickens are totally
different. Each evening finds me trying to encourage nineteen hens going in
nineteen directions towards the hen house. I will manage to get five or six in
the pen, close the door, and go round up another bunch. It's amazing how fast
those scrawny legs can run in the wrong direction when they put their chicken
mind to it, or hopelessly mill around in circles, but the chicken brain really
shows up when they run right by an open door in a mad dash to who knows where.
So around we go again me calling encouragement using a long branch to help
stimulate the lazy ones back to where they belong. After a half an hour feeling
thoroughly exercised and out of breath- near collapse myself, I gratefully shut
the door to the hen pen for the last time. I’ve tried sprinkling corn to lure
them in the pen faster too. Thankfully we are slowly getting the round up time
a bit shorter lately.
And
just when I think I have the ducks programmed to come up to their pen from the
woods like they usually do at evening, they will go into a ducky rebellion
predictably when the weather is at its worst. I will find myself, when the sky
is pouring down buckets of rain, trudging through the woods down a slope,
across the stream, and up the other steep side to round up the ducks. They will
start down the path in orderly file only for one duck to veer completely off
track with the others following suit. And so thrashing through briars and over
logs we will zig zag stumbling down one side and up the other with them
protesting all the way until they waddle safe into their pen for the night. I
was excited to discover one of the females hiding eggs- a sign she was getting
broody. Lo and behold she ended up dying on me to my dismay. Hopefully one of
the other female hormones will kick in as I’d love to have little duckies to
keep my flock up.
One
day the lock didn’t come down right on the gate after letting the ducks out and
it swung open. I usually double check it, but was in a hurry that morning. So
down went Tex madly chasing after the ducks in the wood with me on a run
hollering behind him. I finally caught up and managed to grab Tex’s collar
thinking I had corralled him. Tex took a leap as the ducks scampered to safety,
jerked me off my feet, and dragged me on the ground as I was holding on for
dear life until I got him pulled to the ground underneath me. Talk about a
ducky rodeo! I let the dear dog know exactly how displeased I was with his
behavior as I led him back up into the yard and shut the gate. Needless to say
I was I bit sore as I limped around for a couple of days after that episode
proving that I am not made out to be a cowboy or girl.
Between
mucking out the hen house and the rain, I managed to plant the peas and have
transplanted some plants where I needed to thin things out, weeded, and planted
more clover in front of the picket fence. One day I spent splashing around
feeling like a kid again as I cleaned out the stream where it was clogged up
with branches etc that I like to get done before winter is over. It’s always a
joy to see the water running unhindered and clear again giving me a chance to
slow down, ponder, and think about life as the water gurgles around my feet.
Well
l do have to hush up and get this out in the mail as I am running behind.
Dorcas
