Yard, Gardens, Birds and Critters

My Shadow By Mary J Williams © I have a shadow That follows me around It has four legs And to me she is bound When her buddy died I took her place Wherever I go This shadow keeps pace I walk to the bathroom And she lays outside the door Doesn’t come in often Mostly she sleeps and snores Going to the kitchen She looks over her shoulder Making sure I’m still coming Imaginary leash holder I feel sad for her She misses her friend She even smells the ground Wonder when this will end. Her scent is still around My shadow knows she’s there Even though the floors Don’t have as much of her hair If you haven’t guessed My shadow that follows me Is my other dog Lacy No matter where I go, she is what I see I love this little shadow I am happy she is around Hope for a long time We will always be bound. Lacy- my little shadow

What Should I Do? By Mary J Williams © Lacy had to go outside So, I went out too The sun is shining brightly Inside there is lots to do I don’t care, I’m standing here Soaking up some sun All the weather lately Has really been no fun As I was looking out At the lay of the land An idea came to me I think I have a plan The deck is rotting out Been there over 30 years Time for a change, I think Maybe too much money, I fear I thought about a small, raised bed Line it with concrete blocks I wonder if I should use them Or maybe some pretty rocks Grabbed the pooper scooper Taking care of dog poo Not a job I like But something you have to do Talked to the neighbor a minute We are both hanging in there Hope his Mary heals well Jim too, I always ask in prayer Then into the house Folded some clothes Made some plant water These were the chores I chose No vacuuming for me No dusting either Rather pick up dog poo Gives me a breather Back in the house Coffee is on the menu Will have to feed the dogs ...

Winter-the Yard, Birds and Critters and Me by Mary J Williams It's sort of winter but the weather is mild You can be outside Which makes me smile Weeds were pulled and I planted a seed one was a tree If it grows, it will surprise me I have had fun watching the birds an argument between bluebirds and the Robins I've heard Chickadees flying in and the Titmouse too I grab the camera Then off they flew I have a flowerbox sits on the rail It's on the two by six so falling will fail It also can sit on a two by four but mine just has the space The birds walk through the tunnel and disappear without a trace One time, while filling the feeders One of the tunnels had a bird A sparrow was in there  He ran so fast, he was blurred I love watching them  they think the tunnels fun Maybe they get cool If there's a lot of sun. I have to wash the deck  to try and keep it clean with bird seed and poop Dog pee I mean When it's cold outside Or very early morn The dogs do their business...

I had pumpkins grow in my yard this year. All volunteer from last Halloween. There must have been a couple of hundred of the plants growing. Maybe a slight exaggeration, but not much!  I decided to let three of them grow. Later another sprouted on the other side of the yard and I don't have a clue where that seed came from. It wasn't like any of the pumpkins I had the previous year. A bird, chipmunk or some other way. Who knows.  I had eleven pumpkins that made it to maturity. Two from the odd plant. I baked one of my original pumpkins from my plants, in the oven, took forever and when I finally did take it out, it was so difficult to peel and cut up and puree.  I almost gave up, but I didn't.  Since then, I found a recipe to cook the pumpkin in an Instant Pot. It was a dream. Took me the longest to separate all the seeds from the string. The baked pumpkin seeds are great! So, I have pureed pumpkin for whatever, pie, bread, cookies or something else.   I ha...

Lacy-The Baby During Storms By Mary J Williams © It’s storming out The rain is coming down The lightning and thunder Lacy doesn’t like the sound She is up and walking In my bed you see Wakes me up with whining I don’t know where she wants to be I try to act like those storm shirts I pull her into me Put the blanket around her Settle down I plea Nope, that’s not good enough She moves around a lot Until the cover is off Cuddling was for naught What am I supposed to do? The wind is still blowing I don’t hear more thunder The lightning seems to be going I get the dogs up I let them outside The deck is all wet This they can’t abide Back in the house they come I get the bed for Rosebud Head for the computer room Throw it on the floor with a thud Now Lacy is lying beside me She seems comfortable in this room Or maybe it’s that the storms gone And she hasn’t met her doom I just Googled dogs and storms You know what they suggest Little Hemp pills I really should have guessed The cure all now fo...

Lacy, I Am Confused By Mary J Williams © Lacy, I do not understand Your continual whine You had your morning treats And it’s way too early to dine! I took a shower, Lacy at the door When I finished and went to my room I saw a torn up something Laying there, it surely met its doom It was a chewed-on soap box An angel soap was inside Lacy had chewed the box and soap I have no clue where it did abide But there it lay Right there on the floor Lacy had chewed the box The angels back, is no more Why does she chew these things Pieces of paper, Kleenex and more She has good food and treats Does she feel she has to score? Maybe she wants attention But how can that be? She gets pet and treats all the time What’s wrong with you, I plea? I will just keep wondering Hear her whine all day What is the next thing Lacy will have as prey Will it be a used tissue Or a picture laying around Maybe something to lick That’s been laying on the ground I have no clue why she does this She is sleeping beside m...

The Quiet Woke Me Up By Mary J Williams © Yesterday the wind blew Blowing in the bedroom I even shut that window Before my figurines met their doom When I went to bed I opened the window just a crack Letting air into the room Then I hit the sack You could hear the wind blow Going across the yard Moving the trees and bushes It was gusting really hard It was just before three in the morning I woke up with a start Something was really different It appeared the wind, did depart The quiet woke me up It was so awfully still Funny how I’m sound asleep But missing wind, penetrated the will It was so very quiet No sound of wind was there I got up to check the temperature And see how we did fare From the Sixties during the day It was Twenty-three right then Wind chill was Eighteen Fahrenheit my friend I crawled back into bed No worries about my trees Falling on the house In the mighty breeze I should have paid attention To Lacy laying there She wasn’t concerned at all She didn’t have a care My l...

Starling - Deer - Wasps and Me By Mary J Williams © Standing at the sink Looking in the tree Are those a ton of Grackles Nope, Starlings they be I was about to go out And scare them away But my little Rosebud Beat me with a bay She thought I saw a critter Barking did commence All those many Starlings Took flight, and it was dense I looked out again As I let the dogs out I walked on the deck To give a big shout Starlings were there In that tree again I glanced down And then I had a grin Wishing I had my camera There in my hand As a pretty doe Was there on my land Of course, Rosebud Just had to see her I saw the flag go up And she left in a blur Then I saw another tail Another made three Deer in my yard I couldn’t be more pleased! No pictures did I get Of the pretty deer But did get pictures of wasps That have been so near!

The Paper Bag Envelope By Mary J Williams I have a little dog Lacy is her name She does some crazy things That’s her claim to fame One of the things That my Lacy does Is find some paper Something she loves I received some mail From Amazon Prime A paper bag envelope So large it's almost a crime This great huge envelope 18x14 was the measurement To hold another envelope About 4x4, so, the item wouldn’t get bent Inside the smaller envelope Were two small plastic cases Holding the sim card trays One, the missing one replaces I was going to use the largest one To send something in the mail But that didn’t work out The items were too frail I laid the envelope Down upon the floor Lacy came along Laid on top and begin to snore I looked down right near my chair Started to laugh out loud Dear little Lacy loves laying on paper She makes her mama proud One time it was photos I was sorting through She came in laid on them A couple she even chewed Now you know more about Lacy She is a funny thin...

My Cantaloupe By Mary J Williams © I had a couple of plants That were growing under the deck I was hoping to see what they were So didn’t pull them, many times I checked Lo and behold a melon one day Didn’t know what kind But left it to grow It was never out of my mind I took my phone That had an ID app For plants of all kinds So, I snapped it with that A muskmelon it said Cantaloupe was another name I knew I put seeds out But both plants weren’t the same Both melons kept growing One looked like those from Shirk’s Couldn’t wait till the stem Looked like time to jerk Ah well, the bugs beat me to it The melon had a great big hole Where it laid on the ground My cantaloupe they stole There was another kind I would have liked to try But a critter got to it Chewing a hole in its side I saw the melon And much to my surprise Saw a little white dog I thought I would cry That little dog was Lacy She likes cantaloupe I guess I should have picked it But, no, I was a dope I waited until it was ripe...

Lacy By Mary J Williams ©                                                                            My little girl does fine                                                             Why is it that during the day? When nighttime comes Things tend to go astray Lacy likes cantaloupe I gave her to much She really likes it I gave her a bunch Some I had purchased It wasn’t the good stuff I got from the neighbors But she sure had enough The thing is this Rosebud had some too Her system didn’t get messed up She didn’t get sick, I have no clue Lacy was up several times About every hour during the night Letting her outs...

 I went out on the deck to hang up a flower basket I saved all winter long. I pulled the hose out and watered. I didn't see nor did I hear the squirrel sneak up on the other side of the deck, lay down over the top of the one feeder and start sucking out the seed. It was a small squirrel so, not very old. I say suck out the seed as there are very small holes about 1/8 inch, drain holes and holes where the bar attaches. I can't think of any other way for them to eat the seed then suck it into their mouths.   I went back into the house and just happened to look out the window and saw that goofy squirrel laying there. "How the heck did I miss seeing him or hearing him?"  I did then what I always do! I whispered the word "squirrel", both dogs came running. Now, I opened the door, the squirrel was so involved in eating didn't see me, or didn't care, and didn't see the dogs.  I tried to point out the squirrel to the dogs and they were, "huh?" ...

 This is the second part of the story of April 7, 2022. I involves another at the little feeder dishes, that, for some reason, I forgot all about! The Forgotten One By Mary J Williams © I just put out some food In the little dishes For the Eastern Bluebirds That was what my wish is In the kitchen now The poem is done “The Morning Song” A story that was spun I was worried about the Starlings And the Sparrow too Knowing how greedy they are Eat everything till it’s through I forgot about one thing A critter that comes around Four legs and a long tail And is quite the clown I looked out my kitchen window And there standing on two feet Hauling in the meal worms He didn’t miss a beat I whispered the word “Squirrel” And Lacy sped to the door The squirrel took off Down the deck he tore Lacy went running after it But lost him on the way I tried pointing another out But she didn’t see it this day The squirrel is gone for a little while I hope the Bluebirds come in I would really hope they ge...

 This has been one of those days! I wrote this poem and then things changed so I wrote another. My poems usually tell a story of what is or has been going on! This is the first part of the story of April 7, 2022.  The Morning Song By Mary J Williams It’s six o’nine in the morning I am letting my dog out the door I hear this lovely song I smile and smile some more The Eastern Bluebird Is one birdsong I know Hearing that song Makes my smile grow I think to myself No meal worms are there I will put some out Hopefully Starlings will share I even put out some fruit Dried blueberries in the dish Hope Starlings don’t throw them out That is my only wish I wouldn’t mind so much if they ate them But if Starlings come along They throw the fruit on the deck floor That’s just not right, it’s wrong Another bird that may be around The Baltimore Oriole dressed in orange and black It sure would be nice to see them Can’t wait till they come back They come to my feeders too The grape jelly is al...

 Lacy was sitting by my feet just waiting.  I was going to cook hamburgers.  I cut open the pound package and made three patties.  I was using bread as I didn't have any buns and I wasn't about to go to the store.  I made those patties to fit the bread. I went to throw the wrap away and saw a tad of burger. Miss Lacy got her first treat!  When I make burgers, I always add cheese.  I use American Cheese on hubby's and Velveeta on mine. If I cut into the Velveeta, I always have to give one little bite to you know who.  Now you may wonder where Rosebud is!  She doesn't hang around in the kitchen.  She knows what's going on just like Lacy but she evidently has no interest in the little tidbits she might get. Okay, burgers are done, supper ready, we sit down to the table.  Rosebud is laying on the floor by the wall and Lacy is in between my feet under the table.  Who knows what might drop!  If nothing does, she makes sure I kno...

 A small story about my Lacy! Lacy is a beggar! She is always by my side in the kitchen. Yes, I have dropped things on the floor and she licks them up! That is her job! The rest of the time I am chopping, dicing, cooking or whatever, she is waiting, sometimes whining, wanting that one special thing to drop!  Today was no different!  I am making my favorite potato salad! Cucumber Dill Potato Salad.  I got the recipe out of the J.C. Manor Nursing Home Cookbook and have made it instead of my old standby that mom used to make. It is a refreshing potato salad. I am chopping up the celery. Lacy keeps whining. I finally said, "here, but you aren't going to eat it!"  Sure enough, she dropped it right back on the floor. The next thing was the green onions. She could whine all day long and I wouldn't flip her a piece of that!  Next came the dill. There was no way that Lacy would touch dill, so I didn't even bother! Mixing it up with Mayonnaise and Kraft Cucumber Ranc...

 You wouldn't believe it unless it has happened to you! We had to get a new deck. The other one was way too old for replacement with soft boards and some really rotting out wood.  The old deck was torn down! The thing about this is, our dogs have always went out the back door, out on the deck, down the steps and to the fenced in back yard. Convenient for us and for them. If it was raining, sometimes they went out the back door at the garage. We would leave the door propped open and they would do their business, sometimes, and run back in.  Lacy is kind of different! If it was raining and I let her outside at the backdoor on the deck, she would, sometimes, stand under the eaves and potty and come right back in. Of course, both expected a towel at that time.  The new deck took two days. First torn down, then rebuild. I was so happy! I let the dogs out. They went to where the steps used to be, no stairs. I showed them where they were, they just looked at them, looked at...

I wanted you to meet Bentley. My old neighbors lived across the street from us and our kids played together. The two girls played softball together. The boys had a difference in age but they were boys and did boy things together. The youngest played with the two girls and my son. The oldest daughter of the neighbors played with the girls sometimes but then she was "older" and didn't "play" with them much. The kids did things like the "mud ballet" in the yard. Water and dirt= mud and they rolled and danced and had a grand time! We all had dogs. Now the one girl, Andrea, had a dog, Leroy, that followed her everywhere. If she went to the grocery store up the hill, he went too. Sat outside and waited for her. Andrea alway had a way with the dogs. We had many dogs. We loved them all. Some we gave away, some died of a dog disease or age and a few got out in the street and got killed by the cars. Yes, we had a fenced in back yard but sometimes that isn...

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!  

The Coons are Back! By Mary J Williams   It was yesterday morning I was letting Lacy out When a critter jumped off the feeder Of that, I had no doubt   Little Lacy took off She was in hot pursuit I was sure hoping She wouldn’t catch the brute   If she caught it by chance Was my biggest fear I yelled at her As I shed a tear   The raccoon was fast Down the steps he did go Out in the yard He wasn’t moving slow   Over the fence And now out of sight I was afraid for Lacy It gave me a fright   Last night the trap was set The nuts were brought in Yes, we caught the coon Looks like its starting again.   Do they find their way back, From when we did it before? Took several away Now they’ve come back for more?   Will set the trap again And just wait and see If, again, we have to trap The whole damn family!