My Menagerie

Recently, I’ve had a daily visitor. In fact, over the last couple of weeks, she has frequented my back door several times a day, begging for food. Yep, my neighbor’s little red hen flew the coop as well as the fence between our properties. I’ve spoiled Little Miss Red to the point that she pecks on the glass door at my deck to let me know she needs a snack, then afterwards, she takes a nap beside the door.

I enjoy the interaction with the little critters that come my way. A squirrel often sits on the rail of my deck, munching on nuts that I put out. And oh, my goodness, once I saw a mama skunk and her babies run under my deck.

Thankfully, they left without fragrance so I threw mothballs in their hiding place to discourage further shelter.

But one of my sweetest visitors was a bunny so tiny that I named her Baby. She came the summer my husband went to heaven and followed me all around my acre yard as I watered trees, dragging a hose behind me. When I walked, Baby scampered along beside me. When I stopped, she paused and listened to me talk or cry. What a gift!

Then some time later, a fox family came to visit. Four lively “kits” played on my deck for days. Mama fox lay in the grass watching her babies, but at night she rested on the deck, guarding my door. I am certain God sent her to me.

A few outdoor varmints also found their way to my house. Raccoons, armadillos, even a roadrunner. And Hannibal, the hawk, has rested on my fence multiple times. I marched outside and explained clearly that he could stay only if he left my bunnies alone.

And nope, I don’t live in the “boonies.” In fact, I live so close to a school that crowds of cute little kiddos run across my front yard every afternoon and I love it.

Being a widow can be extremely lonely, especially during a pandemic, so I’m thankful for all the wonderful friends God sends my way. Even the furry and feathered ones.