Yard, Gardens, Birds and Critters

Ants By Mary J Williams © It was a sunny day I stepped out the door I saw some black ants On the deck floor! They haven’t been on the deck As least that I know Now there is a bunch Wonder where they go It didn’t take long To find where they went There were hundreds A signal they must have sent Every year I put out Grape Jelly for the birds Mostly Baltimore Orioles Migrating North, in other words The birds haven’t arrived The ants took their place Hundreds of them in the dish Eating the jelly at a fast pace These ants have to go I didn’t think about me I grabbed the dish full Without thinking you see The ants went into a panic mode Running all over the place Up and down my hands and arms And they even got to my face I had the dish in my hands I opened the back door Still wasn’t thinking As some dropped to the floor Put the dish in the sink Turned the hot water on Ants went everywhere I just wanted them to be gone! I sprayed and I sprayed Smacked some dead too So many ants I didn’t know ...

My First and Only Deer Harvest By Mary J Williams © I don’t even remember the year. Back in the recesses of my mind, I think I only had Chris. Probably Jim’s mom was taking care of him. I want to say it was probably between 1968 and 1970. Jim and I had purchased a piece of property on Hwy 89N, about five mile from Chamois, Missouri. It was the old blacksmith place. I called it the barn. Jim called it the ranch. I do remember that Jim was at the fire station working. I decided to go down to Chamois, on my own, and go deer hunting! I took off in the old green station wagon. I don’t even remember the kind of vehicle it was. I had my 30-30 Marlin, lever action rifle with no scope. I started down the path that led to the deer stand. I had my binoculars, my knife, a rope, a book to read, my Stanly thermos with coffee. Yes, I brought a book. Always had one with me, even when I went fishing. I stopped on a portion of the path that met with another path. I figured it might be a good spot. I sat...

  My First Gar By Mary J Williams ©   I am originally from Grand Rapids, MI. I went fishing with my mom and dad and brothers. Mostly for Yellow Perch and Bluegill.   I eventually moved to the State of California, married a Marine and moved to his home town of Jefferson City, Missouri. I went fishing not long after coming to Jefferson City. I went with my father-in-law. It was cold and wet, and he took me to Bagnall Damn at Lake of the Ozarks. The Huebler family was with us. We ended up at a heated dock. There was one piece of pie left, and the biggest fish was going to get that piece of pie. Hobert, my father-in-law, caught a small bluegill. Not only small but the only fish caught, and he ate that piece of pie. Never did get over the fact that he actually ate that piece of pie in front of us and didn’t share! My next fishing trip with Hobert was at the Marion River access. My husband Jim was with us this time.   The bank was really muddy as it had ra...

The Determined Male Bluebird By Mary J Williams © The weather has been cold Below the freezing mark We have had snow It hasn’t been a walk in the park I feed the birds But in weather like this I have to put more out Otherwise, the birds will miss I have one feeder With a Starling guard on it Chickadees, Titmouse, sparrows and more In and out the cage, they don’t quit Now a Red-bellied Woodpecker Is quite a large bird But has a long beak A long tongue I have heard I watched the woodpecker land Held on to the cage Stuck his head in The distance he did gauge He ate for a minute And then he flew away I was amazed He will eat another day I saw the male Bluebird Fighting to get in That cage held him back Little heavy I said with a grin The next time he tried He knew what to do Grabbed onto the cage And pushed himself through The female was watching From high on a roost Wondering how the male did it Without a big boost She couldn’t do it Couldn’t figure out how Male came back He did it again,...

My Clock By Mary J Williams I have a dog Lacy is her name What do you think Is her claim to fame It’s that clock of hers You know what time it is She will star whining Then I start the quiz What? Why are you whining I look at the clock Not time for anything Not time for a walk I know what it is I figured it out I was not in our room Time for her to pout Her alarms go off Several times a day “Not time yet” Is something I say First thing in the morning When it’s time for a treat First alarm rings For something to eat Then it’s around eleven When it’s time for lunch She should know by now Not given things to munch About 1:15 p.m. The whining starts in Supper is at 2 Not time yet, gets to wear thin Then before 3 She starts in again I need to start supper She is such a pain Around 6 p.m. That is final call Want’s those Zuke’s then Picks them up where they fall She follows me around Just outside the door If I’m in the bathroom Will be laying on the floor She is my whiny shadow I love her a l...

 Lacy’s Bed By Mary J Williams Lacy had an accident Peed in the bed I had to wash all the bedding Too much, no more I dread I brought in the bed That Rosebud used to sleep Laid it on the floor Hope Lacy will keep Only took about a week For her to learn The bed was there for her I wasn’t very concerned A week passed And another incident came Lacy peed on the floor Seizures are to blame I got most of the pee up And sprinkled baking soda on Helps with the odors And drying, then pee is gone The bed is on the side Where the side table is placed I have to walk over it It is perfectly spaced Have to climb over To reach the dresser now Just have to be careful Best for Lacy, I vow The baking soda laid there For a couple of days Was going to vacuum it up I didn’t yet, what can I say This morning, I noticed The bed had been moved It covered the soda Lacy wants the area improved Guess I better vacuum Today would be good Later won’t move the bed Don’t think I should 12-4-2024 where the soda was...