Big Bird(s)

Five or six turkeys were waiting for breakfast yesterday before I even stepped out the door.  They waited as I got their grain and walked slowly to the feeding station, softly calling, "Turk, turk, turk."  Not only did these hold their ground as I approached, more turkeys started coming out of the woodwork!  They were flying over fences and out of trees, running up the hill, until there were at least fifteen.  Evidently the word is out that I'm no threat.  As was mentioned a couple of days ago, the big males are starting to fan and posture.  What amused me more was that they had congregated in the driveway later as Bess and I went to get feed for the goats.  Bessie, without a word from me, took her cues and we were able to walk amongst the flock, moving slowly and not making eye contact.  She was able to maintain composure when I'm sure her instincts were to run, chase, and watch the birds flutter and squawk.  These big birds simply parted and let us walk through.  It was magical.

It was a gorgeous fall day and, after tending to the goats, I took a book out to the deck to enjoy the sunshine and cool breeze.  Haven't done that in ages.  It might have been a mistake, though, as I really got into "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo," and three hundred pages later, realized I had done little else all day.  In late afternoon, my neighbor called me to come get a bin of grape stems for the girls.  He does this every year after the crush.  The stems have a high sugar content and the girls come to the fence and yell as I fork over their treats...not too many at a time.  I'm going to be extra careful this year, as last October I was up in the truck bed doling out the goodies, slipped, landed on the ground and heard and felt my tailbone snap.  Not an experience I'd care to repeat.  It would make it hard to sit and read, and I've got a good book to finish.

Re. the stats:  I would love to hear from other readers...to make a connection.  Writing is self-satisfying, and knowing there are readers is unbelievably gratifying, but statistics are so dry.