Sanguine Tenacious Tidings

Waiting For Spring

For BCoF

WHILE WAITING FOR SPRING by Apondia

The deer walk daintily into the yard. Their legs slip gracefully along in a one, two, three, four, movement. They pause to graze on tall grasses sticking out of the snow or look around for danger. As they test the air for scent and move their heads one way or another their fuzzy rounded ears are moving to and fro listening.

We have experienced some days of quiet grey skies. Six inches of cold wet snow become sloppy with temperatures that keep the snow slightly thawing. The deer have not come to the bird feeder for several days. Today there are seven ringing the bird feeder. Two of them are small yearlings that show up often. When I look out the window they startle and run as a group toward the safety of the gully and the willows. One yearling stays put. He is too short to reach his muzzle into the bird feeder. He grazes up some left-over corn from the ground and wanders slowly away.

The sun comes out in the afternoon. With bright sunshine, comes hope that winter weather advisories for our area are wrong. The small herd of deer visiting the bird feeder this early in the day prove the advisory should be heeded. The deer are filling up so they can find deep shelter to weather out the coming storm. I'm sure they will return in the night when they feel safer.

Next morning the feeder is empty cleaned to the bottom. I replenish it for the birds that flit back and forth from a close apple tree. The birds will eat their share all day as the wind driven snow flings itself at us. This is the wildlife and us while waiting for Spring.