Yard, Gardens, Birds and Critters

  The Squirrel and the Chipmunk By Mary J Williams © Standing outside With the water hose on I glance at a movement See a squirrel and now it’s gone Must have jumped to the tree As now he is on the ground Running to the raised bed Is where he is bound Uh Oh, there is a chipmunk The squirrel scared away He was in that bed But he didn’t stay He ran to the tree Started up the side Getting away from the squirrel Trying to hide It was just a few minutes And the squirrel took chase Over to the tree No time did he waste I saw the chipmunk Out on a limb I think the squirrel gave up He was chasing on a whim He came back down Over to another tree he went I never saw the chipmunk again The squirrel lost his scent. This is a perfect picture found on the Internet!

Are They Playmates? By Mary J Williams © I let the dogs out That’s nothing new But I went on the deck Which I don’t usually do I put cantaloupe juice In some little dishes That the birds come to I’m fulfilling their wishes I was watching Rosebud She was on the alert What does she see? Her ears are all perked She started in barking And now I see why A Groundhog takes off And comes running by Down to the shed With the holes in the side That’s probably where The Groundhog abides And just at that moment The black cat runs out Not going the same direction But taking a different route Were those two together? The cat and the Groundhog Were they playing out there? And got scared of the dog? Bet they had a pact; I won’t harm you If you don’t harm me We can be together As long as others don’t see!  

A Cricket Rescue By Mary J Williams © I am a cricket As some can plainly see I came inside this place Getting warm was the key This place I fell Is cold and slick I can’t get out Even though I can kick I am resting awhile I am under something dark Maybe I will be okay And the panic was just a lark Oh no, there is water It’s really coming down Now I really think That I might even drown Wait, what is that It’s trying to capture me Finally, I’m in a dark place Circled by a soft lee I feel a little safe But am not really sure There is a little bounce What am I to endure? I hear a funny noise I smell and hear the air suddenly the lee opened up Now how will I fare? I see the sky above The ground is down below I am back outside Thanks to the saving soul!

Acorns Falling Down By Mary J Williams © I am sitting in my chair My computer in front of me I keep hearing things Don’t know what it could be Ah, I think I figured it out The acorns falling from above The branches of the tree Over the roof, kind of Crack, there lands another Hitting the roof above me Crack, crack, crack Many acorns, way more than three I have so many acorns Laying in the up-hill driveway Put my car in 4-wheel drive Hope I can get out, I pray Instead of eating my birdseed The squirrels should get busy Eating all the acorns And stashing them in a tizzy Then they would have food For the snowy winter ahead The Persimmon seeds say shovel And that’s something I will dread Acorns falling down upon my head No, not really just the roof up there Please little squirrels do your thing And I won’t bother you, I swear!

The Moths and the Butterflies By Mary J Williams © There is a plant By my front door Autumn Joy sedum The moth and butterfly adore I looked outside And to my surprise The sedum was blooming And it appeared alive There were flies all around A beetle, Moths and Butterflies I didn’t know their names I cannot tell a lie I took pictures The first at 4:22 p.m. The next ones 6:41 p.m., trying to ID them All that time And now even more Trying for an ID So that I can store Write them on the photos So, everyone will know the name of the critter It’s very hard to do though This time was Silver Spotted Skippers And one called Sachem I even had a Corn Earworm moth And that’s not the end of them I found this tiny thing It looked like a butterfly But it was a Spotted Beet Webworm Moth I couldn’t make that up if I tried. There is one I didn’t ID I think it’s another skipper But I am at the end Time for my ice-cream dipper

  What Could it Be? By Mary J Williams © I am watering The plants in front of me When out of the corner of my eye A butterfly I see I see it floating around The wind carrying it too First in one direction Then another it flew I watched it for awhile Then slowly it came down Then before I knew it It dropped onto the ground Not a butterfly I saw But a leaf blowing around That was gently falling With the wind, to the ground It was a peaceful moment I noticed more leaves then Silently they are falling I’m sure I will see them again

Taking Out My Frustrations! By Mary J Williams How do you take on frustrations? Me, I walked out the door Looked all around There is the plant to trim, I swore Not only that Split up those Dracena plants They’ve gotten way too big I’m saying with a rant! Nobody wants it I have already asked Everyone has one And they get big pretty fast I repotted a couple of pieces To a more manageable size Now I know for sure There will be new shoots to rise I cut the top out of two! Corm plants they are That were mighty big Their height was bizarre I watered the ones That I planted before Yesterday’s work Or should I say chore Pulled up some crabgrass Mixed in with the Sedum Also, some zoysia Didn’t really need them. My frustration is gone Not as sore as yesterday Didn’t do as much But I kept the blues at bay!

My Little Chickadees By Mary J Williams © I love my little Chickadees They are so very sweet They watch from the tree Waiting for their treat. As soon as the seed is hung And I am back inside The chickadee flies in From the place he did hide I am standing at my window Watching with a grin As the Chickadee is busy The eating did begin Take a seed, fly to a perch His head going up and down Beating that tiny seed The shell falls to the ground If you wonder at all It takes quite a few Of those little seeds For them to live, it’s true I read in mild winters For them to survive At least 150 sunflower seeds In one day or they die. I am glad I can help them It’s what I want to do My little Chickadees I love you!

  The Chickadee By Mary J Williams © In and out That is how That Chickadee Flies about Flies to the feeder Grabs a seed Off to a perch And then it will feed Black-capped or Carolina I can’t tell them apart Maybe some experts can tell But I am not that smart I love how they talk When I am filling the seed They give me some grief Until they can feed I love to watch As they fly to and fro To one perch then to another They put on a great show They move so fast Rarely sit still Hard to get a picture But one day I will They do stop to drink The birdbath’s right there They might even bathe They do it with flare Watching the Chickadee Is a wonderful thing It’s a Blessing they are The feelings they bring

 I have another poem this morning. It came to me as I am out in the rain putting the bird seed back out. Bringing it in every night so the other critters won't eat it all up! There that's just about the whole story of the poem. Hope you enjoy!  It doesn't show up, but there is a watermark behind the poem so I will post the picture I used here for you. The Bluebird of Happiness! I Think I Love the Birds By Mary J Williams © How do you know The birds are your thing Is it just because You like the way they sing Is it a color That you like best Or is it because You feel blessed Is it because Looking out the window pane Taking picture after picture Until the battery drains Is it because You spend tons of cash Putting seed out And cleaning up the trash Is it because A birdbath was bought Cleaning it daily So, disease can’t be caught Is it because You bring in the seed So, the other critters Don’t get to feed Is it because The seed goes back out Even though the rain Makes me wet,

  Yard Work and Pain By Mary J Williams © Was going outside But don’t think I will My hips are killing me And I’m standing still! Working outside For the last couple of days Gave me some pains That won’t go away I can do stuff in the house But that’s gonna hurt too Vacuuming is the Worst thing I could do. But darn it It has to be done Who else is there? And it sure ain’t no fun I will think about it At least for awhile Then maybe start I say with a smile Yep, I complain Who doesn’t when older? Comes with the age I say over my shoulder I still love my yard Like working in it If I wouldn’t attempt All to be done in a minute!