Lothlorien

I thought that we were past the warmer weather, but nope. The last few days we’ve had temperatures in the low 70s. It was so nice that we mostly worked on outside projects. Wednesday the temperatures will get cool again–with a high of only 49 degrees–so THIS will probably be our last warm spell until next Spring. Unless I’m wrong.

We have reached the peak of autumn when the leaves are at their most beautiful. EJ believes we are slightly past the peak. He is probably correct because although the trees are still breathtakingly beautiful, they are beginning to get barer. I can see further into the forest.

Most of the trees are wearing various shades of gold. Since we are surrounded by forest, we are surrounded by gold. When the wind blows the leaves off the trees, it looks as if it’s raining gold. There is so much gold that the very air appears golden. I imagine this is what Lothlorien, the forest of the elves in The Lord of the Rings, would look like.

About a week ago a flock of turkeys meandered across our yard three times. The last time was close to sunset, so I thought, “Ah ha! Maybe I can get a video of them flying up to roost in the trees!” Turkeys are alert and smart, so I tried to sneak out so I wouldn’t spook them. I waited for maybe 20 minutes, getting a bit chilled because it was cold that day. I moved for a better position in the garden and suddenly saw them walking along the edge of the forest. I think they saw me too. They slowly disappeared into the forest and although I waited until dark and listened for the loud flapping of their wings, I heard and saw nothing. They must have moved deeper into the forest. Bummer.

EJ told me last week that as he was driving up our driveway on his way home from work in the wee hours of the morning, he saw a massive deer with a huge rack of antlers majestically lying on the hill at the edge of our forest. He said that with a regal nod, the deer gave him permission to pass him and continue up the driveway to the house. We now refer to this deer as “The Monarch of the Glen.”

This morning when I took Hannah Joy out, we saw a large possum emerge from the forest and start across the grass near the apple trees. Then Hannah Joy barked and it scurried back into the safety of the forest. One day, I would really like to get a game camera so that we can see what critters cross our property. Perhaps we’d see the Monarch of the Glen, possums, bobcats, bears, coyotes?

A couple chickens escaped from the garden twice during the weekend through the small hidden opening in the fence that I left for the cats. I don’t mind if Theo and Millie don’t leave the safety of the fenced-in garden, but since they do, I’d like them to have easy access to get back in. However, the chickens sometimes find the not-so-hidden gap so then I have to reconfigure it to confound them. The problem is that any place the cats can get to, the chickens can also. Anyway, fortunately EJ saw the escaped chickens both times and we got them back into the garden. Or, to be more precise, the first time the hen ran back in through the gap and the second time EJ was able to get the two chickens back in before I joined him.

One of the young hens is a bit sassy. She likes to come up behind me and peck me on the leg. Sometimes she also pecks Theo and Millie. I don’t put up with her sassing me because I don’t want her to think she outranks me. Chickens who think they have higher rank will try to keep their inferiors in their place–even if the inferior is human. I always shoosh the hen away or nudge her aside so she understands that I am the boss. My chickens are all nice because they understand that I outrank them. EJ says that our alpha rooster always comes to me with his hat in his hand to report on the state of the flock. LOL.