The Hawk

How many of you really love nature?  Oh, I do, so very much!!

For starters, I was raised out in the country, a little community where everybody knew each other.  It was always quiet and peaceful and safe.  You left your windows up at home, during the day, at night; even while you were gone.  Goodness, you could even leave your door unlocked, home or not. 

I grew up with lots of trees, fields, creeks and of course animals.  I remember as a child, I used to love to watch the squirrels run across the power line at the road where we lived.  They would scurry around with their acorns on that line.. I found it so peaceful to watch.

Then there were all the times we would go riding through the mountains, or down to the river to play or swim.   I love living in the state of  Tennessee!  That’s in America, look it up sometime, it’s really a very pretty place.  Mountains, valleys, rivers, lakes and a whole lot of countryside.

 So see, I love nature… and rightly so!  I’m in my fifties now and absolutely love watching the rabbits and their babies, that live in the woods near our yard.  They come out every evening to nibble on the clover in the yard, and I find them so very relaxing to watch.

Then there are the birds!!  We keep feeders out year round, and we have so many birds in our yard.  We have cardinals, blue jays, robins, songbirds, wrens, doves, and the list goes on and on.  Oh, how wonderful it is, to just sit and watch the birds and listen to them sing!!

Goodness, I love those birds!!  I hang four ferns on my porch every spring, in anticipation of the wrens coming to build their nests.  And do they?  Oh my goodness, yes, every year!!!  We usually have two or three different little families born each spring. 

I so light up when I see them flying around the ferns each spring.  They will bring a piece of a pine needle from here, or a small little twig from there, maybe a little bit of hair or grass or string.  They bring most anything they can find to make that little nest cozy for their upcoming babies.

And the sheer delight when you peak in and see those little eggs.   But the greatest joy is when those eggs hatch, and we have new little baby birds.  I’ve seen birds in all stages, from just a few hours old, to a couple of days, to full grown.

And the sheer delight of hearing them talk and sing as they get old enough to call for their momma.  And does she come to them when they call?  Oh, you bet she does… nurturing, feeding and taking care of them.  But that’s what we try our best to do as a momma, ain’t it?

You can tell, I really love nature and the birds… well, except for one in our area.  The hawk!!! 

I know the Lord up above, created them…. but for the life of me, I just don’t like them.  At least not the one in our neck of the woods, anyway.

You see, that stupid old hawk is always lurking nearby.  I guess he sees and hears all the birds we have here in our yard and the trees.   He probably thinks to himself …  “Oh yeah, free meal. and easy prey”

I see him often flying around above our yard, or landing up in the big maple tree.  He’s just waiting for a chance to snatch one of the little birds as they are flying around from spot to spot, or their home to the feeders.

I get so mad at that thing.  I was out watering the plants the other day, the birds were singing, it was a beautiful peaceful glorious morning.  The babies have matured enough to leave their nest but still stay on the porch a lot in the ferns or in the trees and shrubs nearby.

Well, one of those babies flew from the ferns, and here came that stupid hawk.   I yelled at the crazy thing like it was gonna listen………. what was  I thinking?

Then I proceeded to try to spray him with the water hose… again what was I thinking?

But one of these days I expect I may go beyond yelling at it, or spraying the water hose towards it…… to just digging out that red ryder bb gun and just giving him a polite little warning….. dog gone hawk!!!