Happy to be back
I was surprised and happy when I heard from The Recorder telling me I was to begin writing Daunt to Dillonwood columns once again. Weisenberger’s Ace Hardware agreed to sponsor my column, and I am honored. Thank you Janice, Gary, and Sheri. Your generosity and your appreciation for my writing, is humbling. Please, if you enjoy seeing the return of this column, take time to thank the Weisenbergers and subcribe or purchase The Recorder.
Now I need to catch you, my faithful readers, up on what has happened on our hilltop in the past year. The column that started with the words, “Thank you and goodbye” was published on March 1, 2017. Since then, a few things have changed, though much is the same.
There’ve been twins born, a horse died, and the Pier Fire threatened my home. In short, life continued in the foothills. But you want to know all about it, and I’m grateful you do. So let’s get busy.
Mr. Boo is doing well. He is not quite as ready to give me a slobbery kiss, but will often reward me with a swift lick on the fingers. He wanders into the neighbor’s field on occasion, but only because of the sweet young ladies next door. The neighbor’s bull has been completely dominated by Mr. Boo and offers no opposition to my one-ton herd sire invading his turf.
Old Momma, the big curved horned Hereford cow, is still coming to the patio gate for her daily ration of grain, sometimes twice a day. And, Mr. Boo, who at first wanted nothing to do with grain, has decided it is good stuff after all. First thing in the morning, before I go to the barn to feed hay, they come to the patio gate together.
Spirit, the little black and white heifer still comes up to the gate in front of the house for her grain. She stays in the pasture with the horses as they all get along nicely. Spirit and the other cows don’t mix well, mostly because she is smaller and not aggressive enough to do well in the herd.
The horses are doing fine, though Dandy, the contrary gelding, died last summer. Strawberry the big Belgian mare, and Ruby the Appaloosa filly, are spoiled by Sharon at least once, and usually twice a day. She takes them a small amount of Senior Mix, but always includes two short pieces of carrot for each. Since they always pick the carrot out first, obviously they appreciate their treat.
Our dog herd recently decreased by one. In the past few weeks, it became obvious Beau, our big 10-year-old boxer, was failing. His coat wasn’t nearly as slick and shiny, and he wasn’t as agile or active. One recent morning Sharon came out saying, “Beau had a big seizure.” When he had a second one in less than three hours, it was obvious it was time to keep him from suffering any longer. He’s buried in the pasture with several other earlier fur babies.
Our dogs are now Tinker Bell, a 7-year-old Chihuahua, who was a great buddy of Beau’s. Then there is Lucky. There will be an entire column describing how we acquired this little black and tan dog. She is quick as greasedlightning, and a loving addition. Lucky, who is also very curious, has put life back into an aging Tinker. They dash about, chasing our rabbits and squirrels. It is much more an effort by the dogs to get the wild critters to run. They follow along until it becomes obvious the rabbit is leaving the lawn, then the dogs peel off looking for something else to chase. With a name like Lucky, there must be a tale hanging on that little tail. I promise to tell you all about it in a future column.
The hummingbirds have been a staple at our home for many years. In the late summer, a cloud of birds descend on our six feeders, ravenously filling up for the long night. Each feeder has six holes for the birds’ tiny beak and tongue. During this heavy feeding time, there will be two birds at each hole, taking turns eating. Six feeders, six holes, and two birds per hole quickly adds up to 72 birds. Of course, that number doesn’t include the four or five more birds zooming in and out around the feeder. Though an exact count is impossible, there are close to 100 birds feeding on our front porch.
Today, in the middle of March, I am already filling feeders every other day. This past Sunday evening, the swarm of birds appeared as dense as it ever does in the late summer.
I am very grateful to the many readers who have told me you missed reading my column during the past year. Honestly, I’ve missed my weekly visits with you. I am very grateful to Janice, Gary, and Sheri at Weisenberger’s Hardware, for bringing Daunt to Dillonwood back into publication. I am also grateful to The Recorder for determining a way to make it work and running my column again.
Please thank them both, not only with your kind words, but by buying something you might need from them. If you haven’t been in the hardware store recently, drop by and look around. There’s a whole lot more on their shelves than nuts and bolts, and the hometown service is exceptional. If you don’t have a daily subscription to The Recorder you should look into getting one.