After enduring (there is really no other word) a long dark and cold winter, this afternoon was the third day of unseasonably warm weather in the high 50′s and clear blue skies. A rooster pheasant greeted me in the drive when I pulled up in the car, and a pair of rosters were scratching for food and playing near the well.
Later, 5 hens, whom I often refer to as “the girls”, flew out of the brush at the north end of the ranch and over to the grass between the cabin and their pen and former.
A hidden rooster cackles every now and then from the dense cover to the east, and whenever a noisy truck or motorcycle drives by on the road, another rooster cackles, either as an alert to the others, or in competition with the noise. Of the 44 pheasants released in the fall, it seems that somewhere between 8 and 11 still are making a home near the cabin. I’ve seen a few down the road, and wonder how well the others may have done over the winter.
Just now, 14 geese flew over heading for the pond across the highway. Through the bare trees, I can see my neighbor’s paint horses and I wonder sometimes if they stand there because they can see me on the deck? Mostly likley, they just like the grass they find there.
One of our readers commented about her enjoyment of solitude on her farm, writing
And in that moment I didn’t feel in the least bit alone. But those moments are precious. I can not begin to tell you how relieved I am to find this site. I’m not crazy after all…..
For moments like these, there are almost no words.
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