Turkey Trot

For those who have never seen a turkey other than on the Thanksgiving table, it might be hard to realize just how big those birds are in real life.  Puffed out, some of the toms are twice the size of Bessie Anne.  Da' boys that I heard on the drive yesterday were joined by some hens and they all came running when I put down feed.  These are just a few of the many.  It's crazy how many there are!

And that deer herd I'd seen down on Omo Ranch?  I wonder if they followed me home, because there they all were coming up the drive yesterday morning at first light.  Wildlife is suddenly appearing in great numbers this season.

For an overcast day, it was unusually warm.  There was a spectacular sunset and Bess and I went out for a stroll in the glow after putting the kids to bed.  We headed over to the south side yard and darned near had to kick little birds out of our way.  Steve's dad, Glenn, was a sweetheart if ever there was one.  He called any tiny unidentified birds "dinky birds."  The dinky birds are on the ground daily in huge numbers at dusk, and I'm talking hundreds.  They run along in the goat pen and I assume they're pecking for seeds.  Rather than take off flying as Bessie and I came closer, they just scattered and ran.  It was pretty funny.

The day ended as it began, with turkeys.  Bessie Anne had stayed out a little longer than I ("Please, Mom, just five more minutes!").  Suddenly I heard what seemed like all the turkeys in the flock sound off in a panic down in the woods.  Then Bessie chimed in with her deeper, "Come quick, there's danger," voice.  Out on the deck, I could hear but not see the turkeys as they continued to scream, and Bess was at the edge of the woods but would not go farther, focused and barking.  Like Bessie Anne, I wasn't about to go down under the trees to find the cause.  Turkeys are turkeys, and Bess and I are chickens after dark.  The drama ended, the turkeys quieted, Bessie Anne came back to the house, but the mystery remains.