Last week was an adventure in wild animal control. After the tragic death of our hen Ginger, we set the live trap to catch the killer. We tired for several nights, but without success. Then on Monday night I used a bigger trap and baited it with a fried chicken drumstick (whatever it was obviously likes chicken). Tuesday morning I went down to find the trap sprung and occupied, but not with the possum I expected. It was a skunk – a small and rather mangy looking skunk. I called Kurt. He’s had far more experience with that sort of thing, having relocated several skunks in the past. He came over with a tarp and we covered the trap. Skunks usually won’t spray when covered like that. We loaded the trap, skunk and all, onto the roof of Kurt’s Yukon and drove up into the woods on Cobb Hill several miles away. Opening the trap is always the trickiest part. The skunk was anxious to get out and the trap isn’t easy to open. Kurt carefully pried it open half way and wedged a stick in it to hold it. The skunk squeezed through and sauntered off into the woods. I reset the trap for several nights after that, but never caught anything else.
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| Look what we caught. |
On Wednesday as I was coming up from barn after chores a truck stopped in the road. The man in the truck told me that he drives up our road a lot at night and he has seen a fox running around our barn on several occasions. He said that one night he even saw the fox run across the road carrying a chicken. That’s bad news. Once a fox finds out where the chickens are, it will keep going back until they are all gone. I like foxes. I think they’re beautiful animals. And they’re smart. But when it comes to defending my flock, I don’t have much choice. I reinforced the perimeter fence, but that won’t do anything to dissuade a clever fox. It looks like more drastic measures will have to be taken.
Then later in the week I went out into the garden and found deer tracks right through my asparagus patch. The tracks were from a doe and a fawn. My asparagus patch is in the middle of my gardens, not out on an edge somewhere. Near it are all my cabbages, broccoli, peas, and other things that deer delight to eat. None of it was touched, but the fact that deer are visiting so close to it all means I’ll have to take measures to thwart future visits.
Then, to top it all off, yesterday I found a fresh woodchuck hole over on the edge of the woodland garden by my pumpkin patch. I had a big problem with a woodchuck last year that devoured most of my garden. I won’t let that happen again. Josiah and I set the live trap right by the hole. We’ll go out later this afternoon to check it. I love wild animals, but they need to stay out of my garden and my chicken coop.
Josiah left on Monday morning for a week of camping with his boy scout troop down in the Washington D.C. area. Despite a bit of rain, high heat (it hit 100°) and humidity, ticks, and mosquitoes, he had a good time. He got to go up in the Washington Monument, visited the Lincoln Memorial, the World War II and Viet Nam War Memorials, Arlington Cemetery, the Capitol building, the Treasury, the Library of Congress, and the Smithsonian. He got home Friday evening.
It rained hard at the beginning of the week. Almost three inches of rain fell in 24 hours. It was a nice warm rain and the green and growing world responded to it by getting even greener and growing like crazy. I didn’t mind staying indoors on those rainy days, but as soon as the sun came out again, I went outdoors and stayed there. Then at the end of the week, on Friday evening, we had a big thunderstorm. In half an hour an inch of rain fell. There was thunder and lightning. It was great.
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| Looking down the road after a storm. |
The garden is looking its best right now. June is like that. The early spring flowers are all gone – no more violets or daffodils. The lilacs have finished. But the weather hasn’t gotten hot yet. The tall grass in the meadow and the orchard hasn’t gone to seed and turned brown yet. The lupines are still looking good and the poppies and peonies and mock oranges have begun to bloom. And the weeds are still under control. That will all change as July and true summer come on. The garden goes from tender to tough as summer progresses. The flowers are bigger and bolder – zinnias and hollyhocks. The weeds become more aggressive. The tall grass turns brown. I revel in June while it lasts.
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| The first of the peonies. |
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| The first poppy of the summer. |
Several weeks ago during our Branch Conference, our stake visitors asked Josiah what they could do to help him. Josiah told them that just once he’d like to not be the only boy in his priesthood quorum. Today his wish came true. The stake Young Mens leaders came to our little branch and brought 16 boys from various wards with them. Several of them spoke in sacrament meeting. They helped pass the sacrament. It was the first time in ten years that the sacrament was administered by all young Aaronic priesthood holders. During priesthood meeting, Josiah got to see what it’s like to be in a big quorum. After church Kurt and Julie had lunch for all the visitors since they have such long drive back. Josiah got to sit and visit with all those boys while they ate. It was a great experience for him.
Now we’re home from church. It’s warm and muggy. It looks like we’ve got thunderstorms and heavy rain headed our way again. Perfect weather for a nice long nap. Good Sabbath.
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| The back porch. |
