It is always darkest before the dawn, or Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition!

Ever been really sad?  Ever felt like some one had just jerked the rug out from under you and kicked you in the gut?  Not a very good feeling and it usually takes  a couple days to get back on your feet and remember the lessons your momma taught you.  But first you have those few days to get through. 

When faced with one of these situations, the first instinct is to flee.  But when you see the storm clouds gathering and you know it is about to dump on you there is one place to go and that is to bed.  Always safe there.  Sure it is safe, but it is very lonely. It is very lonely and the night is very long. It is the fear of the unknown that brings on this phenomena known as "What is going to happen?"  How many different scenarios are there? What if...what if...what if?  And then it is morning.

Morning and we now have to get up and face the day and the "what if" of last night.  But the best part is that today you find out just what it is that you will be facing.  If it is a medical issue, you get an answer and then make plans to deal with the ramifications.  Water bill not paid?  Take care of it during business hours.  A test at school? Should have studied, but now you will know just how much you did remember.  Death of some one or relationship ending (which I equate as being one and the same and should be handled in the same way)?  So we venture off and make our "final arrangements" either at the funeral home or the coffee shop.  During the former we set a final time to bury our beloved and during the latter we just grab the shovel and throw a little more dirt at each other, establish that the blame is definitely not ours and walk away.

In any case, the second night is easier to deal with because we have done something constructive.  We know that tomorrow we will see the fruits of our labor coming to fruition. Going to start our chemo tomorrow.  Water is on so you can wash that pile of dishes.  Failed cooking class so now maybe you can choose a new career, like you could be a lawyer!  Put one body in the ground and kick the other to the curb! 

And so the third night comes and you are exhausted.  Dishes are done, new career on the horizon, and you got a lot of time now to do the things you have been putting off!

I been writing in second person, but I shall now change to first person because this is a true story.  Stay with me here and learn from the master!

 It is his loss, cause he lost the best thing that ever was in hislife and I know it!  He will no doubt realize it in time and that is when I can set back and reap the fruits of my labor!  The Good Lord does know what he is doing at all times, just takes me a little time to figure it out.  But Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition, there is a new day dawning and I am going to grab that sucker with both hands, look back on my latest learning experience in life's little journey and be a better woman for having lived through that one!  I am a very unique individual and I have a lot to offer this world.  I am better than just another pretty face I am the essence of woman and I will survive!  I learned all this from someone I shall lovingly call "Jade"!

The Wily Old Fox and the Helpless Critters!

There you see part of my flock.  The seven critters on the left are what I refer to as the Seven Musk a Tears.  These seven guy and gals all hang out together.  I suspect these are the seven that were given to me when Lyn moved into town.  There are a white and a spotted that hang out; they were litter mates.  Then there are twin gray and whites, a broad banded mallard, a khaki Campbell and another spotted.  There is a renegade mallard that is lighter than all the others.  He is the one who is in love with the goose. He chases her all over the barnyard trying to kiss her.  All this to the consternation of her husband! But that is another story for another time.  The big bird on the right is an African Gray Goose.

The point I am trying to make here is that much like people, the birds in my flock tend to sort of mate for life.  They stay in the group they grew up in and like it that way.  Much like we, as humans, cling to our roots.  The difference being, we can defend ourselves and my flock is just part of the food chain.  Mother fox, you know the cute little Red Fox that is indigenous to this area, had herself 3 babies this spring.  Oh, don't we all know how hungry those babies can be!

At the height of my flockiness, I had 36 ducks and 10 geese.  This morning I counted 14 ducks and somewhere there is a satisfied family of Foxes.  It was one thing when the foxes were eating the nasty old drakes, but yesterday one of my little twins disappeared. That broke my heart. Did you ever give any thought to a duck's defense mechanism?  They waddle when they walk, they have 2 wings and a rounded beak. No defense their.  When they sense danger the stop stock still and do not move. Well, that makes no sense at all.  But it is what they do.

Some people are of the assumption that foxes hunt at night.  They may very well do that, but they also hunt during the day. They hunt whenever the food source is available. Just happens to be daytime around here.  As much as I would like to be able to stand guard over the flock, I do have other obligations.  So, I guess I am open for suggestions on what would be the best solution for all concerned here.

The foxes need to eat.  The Ducks need to survive.  Trapping the foxes on an acre of ground is almost a virtual impossibility.  Keeping the ducks inside a fox proof house is cruel and out of the question.  So, I am open for suggestions here.  Ideal would be if you would come to my house, catch the fox and take it home with you!  Right now, I have thought  and thought and my brain may explode.