2003-04-04 - 10:47 a.m.

Spring night

"The doubt of an earnest, thoughtful, patient and laborious mind is worthy of respect. In such doubt may be found indeed more faith than in half the creeds."

-John Lancaster Spalding,

The warm wind whipped through my nightgown it was a really nice night for spring around here at this time of year. Yet I wasn�t on my porch swing or enjoying the night. Instead I was in my work boots and a flashlight and 22 rifle in my hand.

My husband rushes out with me and grabs the gun from me and I spot light the grounds. We see bright eyes shining back at us husband aims and fires. Nothing. He aims fire Nothing! We forgot to load the fricken thing the last time we shot it. I say we cause I am not sure who shot it last though I think it was the husband I cant right say its true. Its both of our responsibility to make sure its always loaded so I am to blame too even if he did shot it last.

He runs back in and I keep shining the light on it hoping to blind it still. By the time he finds the bullets its gone leaving behind a headless chicken in its wake and a few chickens wondering around the dark afraid.

I was awoken that night by our guinea hens making a racket. They are the best watchdogs we have ever had. They roost on our biggest tree near our house in our driveway. Who needs dogs they don�t do squat but bark at the dear and tease the coyotes as they get near.

I calm my chickens and shut the door gate this time. The chicken coop is falling apart at the roof, husband needs to fix it badly but he�s been working on the new chicken coop lately. It�s been a long time since I had to close it. In fact I bragged about it a few night ago saying I didn�t have too since I peeed near it to keep predators out. It worked so far but its warmer now and my brooding hens eggs might have brought in a badger or raccoon. That�s what it looked like to me.

So is the circle of life. Maybe it was meant to be, but I believe although certain things are predained some things can be changed thanks to our free will. This wont happen again for a long while. I will shut the gate again and sooner or later I or husband will shoot it. It growled at me one night long ago while putting out the trash. It scared me. I don�t like being scared and I will confront my fears.

I am thinking it is either a very large bad arse raccoon or a smelly badger. I am thinking the first since usually I can smell a badger they smell just as worse as a skunk. So is the circle of life this morning we lost a chicken but our incubator produced 3 tiny black chicks and 10 more eggs hatching so far. Today is the day for them to come out. In the next 3 days. Daughter watched the first one come out. From the tiny little pecks to it springing forth throwing the egg shells everywhere. She was so excited.

I told her that it was Miranda junior cause it left eggs shells all over the place even on the other eggs. I told her it was as messy in its room as Randy is in hers. Also for a tiny bird it had long legs. I couldn�t believe it fit in that tiny egg. I told her it had be a Randy Jr cause it had long legs like her she just giggled at me.

typical Sunday? - Peep