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Living on a farm is our biggest dream come true (well more mine than Poppa’s).  It comes with great responsibility.  Responsibility for the health of the animals which provide us with food, entertainment and a greater understanding of living things.  The hardest part of that responsibility is when the circle of life comes knocking on your barn door and you answer.

In the past two weeks we have lost 2 of our chickens to a huge owl which has been stalking the chicken coop from the trees above and even sitting on the very top of the coop at times.  The first chicken we lost not even being aware that such a predator was in our midst.  Our chickens are released from the coop early in the morning after they are fed and then they naturally migrate back to the coop at dusk and by the time we go to lock them in they are patiently waiting at the door.  The owl waits until they are getting back into the coop and then swoops down to get his dinner.

The second time he actually took the chicken as Ronnie was putting her down onto the ground.  She came running in screaming after coming into such close contact with this predator.  When you have animals you have to be ahead of the animals that want a meal.  They only have to get lucky one time so we try to stay on our toes but sometimes it is inevitable.  The only alternative would be to keep them cooped up all their lives and I just can’t do that.  We are now coming up with a plan for the brood we will raise in the spring.

The adventures never really are very far on a farm as we find all the time.  Last night, Alex came to visit and called me from the driveway.  She said the owl was standing next to her car and she did not want to scare it before Poppa could get a good look at it.  Why would it be sitting on our front lawn??  It was not even scared of her car as it came up the driveway.  Two seconds later, my little ones came running downstairs to tell us that a little bird had flown upstairs.  The girls managed to catch the bird and that is when we put two and two together.  The owl had chased the little bird in front of our house and seeing the front door open, the little bird had flown inside to safety.   You could clearly see where it caught an owl talon to the head but we kept it overnight for observation and this morning it was released.

Sometimes, we get to save a little creature, even if it was not one that we feel responsible for.

If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment or follow me by email at the top right hand of the screen to have future posts sent to you. Tricia (Crunchy Catholic Momma)

I am finding that as the days go by, I am less and less able to keep up with everything I want to do.  This idea of not getting everything I dream of done is intolerable and only subdued by the thought of a new life coming into our family and the reminder that nurturing this little baby bean in my belly is the main thing I need to do right now.

The nagging thought of those weeds that have been growing outside during the week of non-stop rain that kept me out of the garden, made worse by the muscle I pulled in my lower belly that won’t allow me to bend over those beds too much is more than I can handle so I must keep my mind on other things.  Phew, that was a long sentence, no?  I keep telling myself that the garden will be there when I can get out there but the reality is that there is a stray and uninvited family of bunnies that has decimated my huge patch of sweet potatoes and jerusalem artichokes as well as the weeds which have sprouted up everywhere, will not wait.  They are opportunists and that thought pushes me out to do what I can…as soon as the rain lets up.

This morning I went to do what I love, see and buy more plants.  I am unabashedly addicted to plants, mostly edible ones.  There are so many hundreds of plants I have on my wish list that I hope to live to be very old in order to have or see each one. I heard about the USF Botanical Gardens herb and plant sale and planned on being there.  Poppa stayed home and Alex took the little ones to play practice so that I could go and freely wander the aisles between vendors and gardeners.

I found a few plants that I did not know I wanted and a few that have been on my to acquire list for years.  Among those now crossed  off the list are a bay leaf tree, a miners lettuce, lemon verbena, some Italian dandelions, a rare type of raspberry and a curry plant.

I also came home with a few kinds of mints that I do not have, a stevia plant because the kids have been protesting since March that I did not plant any this year and some pretty polinator attractors.  Upon seeing me packing up my treasures to head for home, a nice gardening guy in a golf cart decided he should probably rescue the waddling woman in the exit and I was offered a ride to my car, which by then was like winning a large prize.

For now I am keeping all my new additions in the front porch where they can get watered everyday until I am able to get out and plant them in their new homes.  I would say that I need to learn some patience but my mother always warned me against asking for patience because with it comes a reason to use it.  So, for now I will ask for tolerance.

Hope you are all having a wonderful weekend.  I’ll be back tomorrow with a belly update.

If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment or follow me by email at the top right hand of the screen to have future posts sent to you. Tricia (Crunchy Catholic Momma)