Sitting And Watching

 

Fate eyeing the chickens as they eat bluechip crumbs.

I looked into the woods wondering what I was missing.  Because of my swollen foot, which gets better every day, I haven’t been able to walk in the woods.

But from the chair where I sat with Jon this evening, I could see the tips of the maple trees turning red with buds.  And the reeds in the marsh seemed to turn green overnight.

Jon has been sick all day with a stomach bug.  Around 5pm he got off the chair in the living room where he was resting most of the day and asked if was warm enough to sit outside for a while.

Like an old couple sitting on a park bench, we watched the chickens eat the stale blue chip crumbs I threw to them. Jon set up his tripod and took a few pictures but mostly we just sat there.

Between the sound of the cars going by, we could hear the stream thick with spring rain rushing through the marsh. The birdsong was constant and varied.  I recognized the sounds they made but could identify only a few.

Big red-chested Robins pecked around the barnyard in the soft earth.   A Red-winged blackbird flew from the apple tree to the marsh and back again. One hawk circled our neighbor’s cornfield.  A single male mallard landed in the pond behind the pussy willows. And a blue heron fished in the marsh, all but hidden by the tall grasses.

Fanny and Lulu lazily sifted through the scattered hay that was left on the ground.

And slowly the sheep made their way back to the barnyard from the back pasture. Lori and Merricat showed up first, soon joined by Constance.

So we sat a little longer and watched them nibble the low spring grass they have been craving all winter.

 

5 thoughts on “Sitting And Watching

  1. Your description of what you observed made me feel like I was right there with you. I’m jealous of that green grass! Here in Wisconsin we are waking up to a coating of snow on the ground. I know it won’t last but it always seems to take forever to finally warm up. Love the photo of the chickens. They really are beautiful.

  2. This sounds delightful (minus the stomach bug and sore foot). I like how we can hear familiar birdsong and it’s nice to know old friends are back in town, even if we’re not sure exactly which feathered friend it is. They are the voices of the season.

    1. I like the idea that they are the voices of the season Tricia. And that there is familiarity in their song even if we don’t know who is saying what. It is the song of spring.

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