Yard, Gardens, Birds and Critters

Bluebird vs. The Squirrel By Mary J Williams © I was outside Just checking on things Listening for birds And hearing them sing I heard the Bluebird Couldn’t see him yet I will keep looking Usually I do, you bet! I saw a squirrel running As fast as he could Up a tree and down Is he up to no good? I couldn’t believe my eyes When I saw the flash of blue There was a Bluebird Chasing the squirrel, who knew? Never have seen Something like that before Bluebird hot on the squirrel’s tail Hoping to make a score Bet the Bluebird had a chick The squirrel got too near Bluebird was giving The squirrel something to fear In the tree and out Down on the ground he went Across the street lickity split Out of the area the squirrel was sent Into the bushes Way across the street They went out of sight I think the squirrel was beat The Bluebird was back Up on the line in a little while And I swear to you I think I saw him smile   5-3-2025    

  Ants- Part Two By Mary J Williams © The story hasn’t ended I have a little more to say About those awful ants That got in my way I went outside this morning And when I looked around Not an ant did I see Not even on the ground None on the deck floor The brace for the dish Nothing to be seen I guess I got my wish Once that jelly left Nothing else they would eat That’s okay with me It’s really kind of neat They aren’t interested in birdseed Or the suet pellets that are there I’m just glad they are gone Not seen anywhere I will attempt some grape jelly But check it every day First ant I see I will take it away Not going through that again Once was enough for me No repeats necessary I want to be ant free!!   April 26-2025

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...

Pine Siskins By Mary J Williams I went to Birds-I-View Just the other day Bought more seed Steve had lots to say Talked about the birds He has seen outside Also, birds he heard But continue to hide Talked about a bird He hasn’t seen yet The little Pine Siskin It won’t be long I bet A dream came up While sleeping in my bed About the Pine Siskin Outside, just ahead Fliting in some vines Hanging from a tree I wanted to take a picture But they saw me They flew away quick As I turned to go inside Hopefully I got my camera But they were gone, I cried. Steve is really lucky I was going to give him a call No phone number for home And no birds at all It was one of my dreams That are so very real I had to write this down A poem to seal the deal 12-4-2024

My Mockingbird Again By Mary J Williams © I saw the Mockingbird In the top of a tree I feel blessed Another picture of he Yes, the males do the songs Trying to find a female He sings many songs Up and down the scales Up in the neighbor’s tree And then he flew away Thought I would see him Some other day Then there he was again Over to another one Going to take a picture Before he is done I take a couple quickly Then he was gone Didn’t see him there And he wasn’t on the lawn They sing way up high They want the world to hear The beautiful songs he sings Hoping a female is near I am glad he returned My camera and I were ready With as much zoom I used I have to hold it steady A couple of great pictures And now one will be on here A watermark of the best I think it’s pretty clear 10-14-2024

The Northern Mockingbird By Mary J Williams © I have heard you Singing your song But when I go on the deck You are always gone Where are you Way up in the trees I can’t find you at all It is never easy Saw a bird perching When I went on the deck On the fence post I couldn’t ID it, by heck Went inside the house Grabbed my camera from inside Hoping the bird was still there And didn’t fly off and hide It was still on the fence post Zoomed in to see An Eastern Bluebird He turned and looked at me I got a couple of pictures And then he flew away I heard the song of the Mockingbird Coming my way Looked over to the left And there he was On the neighbor’s birdhouse pole Singing, that’s what he does After a couple of pictures He flew away I figure I would see him On another day I was thrilled to see him I love to hear him sing They have so many songs Songs to the heart he brings 10-14-2024 They are around the house a lot The Northern Mockingbird 

Critters Around my House By Mary J Williams © Out of the corner of my eye I see movement there What could it be It’s something with hair I looked over There is the ground hog He is dark and not moving Looks like a log I’m putting water In my birdbath you see Now the ground hog’s standing up Just looking at me He or she has seen me before There was a small one too Now it’s just the one They look alike so I have no clue What else do I see Chipmunks are around One I see daily By a bag of soil on the ground I got up one morning Day Lilies I planted Were chewed to the ground "It’s the deer!", I chanted Now there are rabbits too And squirrels out there You kind of learn what they eat And not plant them, if you care Sometimes the message is “Deer won’t eat this” They will eat what they want Some plants they dismiss So, yes, I have critters And sometimes I fuss How they aggravate me And sometimes I cuss But those that know me I am a softy at heart Probably won’t do anything Which, I ...

The Cat And The Chipmunk By Mary J Williams © My neighbor has a cat That roams the neighborhood Sometimes he comes to see me I’d probably keep him if I could A yellow cat is he This cat that roams around Most of the time I see him He is laying on the ground Yesterday was no exception He was in the other neighbor’s yard Just lying there, I thought But looked like he was on guard Next thing I know He is up and does a pounce Something he was after Did a little bounce This happened over and over I finally went inside the house Grabbed my camera with the zoom Thinking to see a mouse The cat was teasing a chipmunk A tiny little thing I know I cuss those critters But right now, sadness it did bring I went over to where they were I chased the cat away Little chipmunk crawled on my foot Thanking me in his way Then the little thing Took off as fast as he could He knew he was safe for now Ran from where I stood A great large stand of myrtle Vines lying all around Little chipmunk ran right in Hope...

Time Flies By Mary J Williams (c) I was looking forward to planting Around the first of May Putting in the flowers Now, it's an August day Where on earth did the time go It seems like it just flew by It passed by so fast I feel like I could cry I like the warmer weather I can always cool off inside This old body doesn't move so good And that I can't abide I want to garden And pull out the weeds If I do all that Then I don't do other deeds I noticed my dog, Lacy Is slowing down too Sleeps most of the day no playing does she do I was out there today Pulling up some weeds Using a sprinkler up in front Water is what those plants need Still getting tomatoes The one plant is the best Early Girl is the name Better Boy's are the rest The time is going to fast Pretty soon freezing temps begin Then I will have to stay inside It will be "I can't wait 'til Spring starts again"                               ...

I Didn’t Wear My Gloves By Mary J Williams © No gloves on my hands Digging up weeds Where are they you ask Put them on, you should plead Will I ignore you Probably so I’m digging and weeding And I’m on a roll Don’t want to stop If I do, I might quit Pulled so many weeds My hands are full of grit What’s that there On my left index finger Oops looks like a skin tear I’m not going to whimper Just a little tear No blood do I see I continue on Before it’s over there may be three Have rinsed off my hands With the spray on the hose Cleaning out the fingernails Until no more dirt shows Those gloves were laying Not twelve feet away Sorry, too far to walk Is all I can say Not really, not far But hands already a mess Putting on gloves now Wouldn’t make any sense                            ...

I Don’t Listen By Mary J Williams © I told myself Before going outside Just do the watering Nothing else on the side Did I listen to me I don’t think I did I grabbed the clippers I thought I had hid Over to a bush Growing out of another plant This will not do That is my rant! Take the clippers to it Cut that bush down Did the ID first Before cutting to the ground A Possumhaw Holly Was the name of the bush No clue where it came from Cutting was hard, then gave a big push Well, that is cut down Try to dig out another time As long as I don’t hurt The crepe myrtle that’s mine Then trimmed out Two Coreopsis growing there Even pulled weeds More and more I swear Trimmed up the Bee Balm No seed tops to save All eaten up Nothing for another day I then begin to water I am all worn out I didn’t listen to myself Now I’m sore and going to pout          ...

At My Kitchen Sink By Mary J Williams © Standing at my kitchen sink Trying to fix supper I look out and see a squirrel And then I start to sputter I can’t believe it It can’t be true The squirrel eating My Christmas cactus I grew He is holding a piece I can see him eating I run to get my camera Proof is what I will be needing There I have a picture I just can’t believe it Eating Christmas Cactus I wish the heck he’d quit Now I’m watching Bluebirds In the birdbath, bathing It is a Juvenile It really is amazing Then the one starts to preen On his chest, tail feathers and wings All of that then flies down again Into the water he flings Wait, the squirrel is back Rose Moss flowers to eat No wonder I don’t have flowers The rose moss is his next treat I can’t believe all that is going on I see an orange bird across from me No picture, as he flew Just as soon as I could see Juvenile Bluebirds Three of them I see I am out on the deck now The neighbor’s feeder across from me One more bird to ad...