It Must be the Weather

Here in the great state of Texas, we have been enjoying unseasonably warm temperatures.  We are smack dab in the middle of February and yesterday it was 80 degrees.  Yes, you read that correctly.  Eighty.  Eight-oh.  It has been beautiful, and the warmth and sunshine have me pining away with plans for our vegetable garden, and also some new rosebushes for the back yard.  I'm wise enough to know that despite the beautiful weather, it is not yet time to begin planting.  But oh how my heart longs to be out there in the dirt, sowing seeds that will grow into delicious and healthy food for my family.  Since I cannot actually do it yet, I just dream about it and work on my famous lists.  Soon enough, spring will come and I can plant our garden!

I guess it is the beautiful warm weather that has encouraged the wildlife to be out and about more-so than usual.  I've already shared about the possum in the henhouse, and also, the deer that wanted to wrestle with Nathaniel in the car.  (We are still in the rental car, but cannot wait to have our beloved Honda back from the shop!)  As crazy as it sounds, the funny wildlife stories don't stop there!  It is only Wednesday, and we have already had two more crazy experiences here on the homestead.

On Monday afternoon, Natalie was out taking photos when she heard lots of squawking from the side of the barn.  She went out the gate and around the corner, and what does she see but a bobcat clutching one of our hens in its jaws!!  She had grabbed a pool noodle and began to chase it away, hoping to save the hen.  When it saw her, it dropped the chicken and went towards the back fence, but as it got to the treeline, it stopped and turned to stare at her for a while before finally heading back into the woods. Did I seriously just type that my 12 year old daughter chased a bobcat with a pool noodle?!  We can laugh about it now, but when I first realized what had happened, I wasn't too happy.  When Nathaniel got home from work, because of course the bobcat had come when he was not home, he took the gun out back and located its path.  Unfortunately, the path was littered with feathers, and we now know that it was the predator who enjoyed devouring our large rooster, Uno, just a few days before.  Despite the serene homestead that we all picture, with chickens pecking the grass, cattle grazing in the field, and mama's shelling peas on the back porch while the children play tag in the yard, the homestead can, in fact, be a dangerous place!

And just this morning, Levi came bounding in the door after feeding the dogs to tell me that there were two raccoon fighting on the banks of our tank. They had come out of the tree line squabbling, and had fought their way over to the tank where they both fell in.  The cool water did not dissipate the fight, and they fought their way out of the water and back over into the trees.  A funny sight for sure!

So I guess it is just the warmer weather that has all of the wildlife out and about, and feeling frisky.  I love these warm days, but I could do without some of the crazy that we have been experiencing, ha!

"The wild animals honor me, the jackals and the owls, because I provide water in the desert and streams in the wasteland, to give drink to my people, my chosen, the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise."  Isaiah 43:20-21