Yard, Gardens, Birds and Critters

I Went Outside By Mary J Williams I went outside And what did I see All the weeds and leaves Grinning at me You’re too old To harm us now I’ll show you I said And then I showed them how I picked up sticks Saved several worms Picked them all up And threw them very firm In another flower bed Did those worms fly At least they won’t be blown And maybe they wouldn’t die As I was blowing leaves I had to stop and look around So many things happening In the grass on the ground A teeny tiny flower I don’t know what it is I hope I can I D it I will put it on a Facebook quiz Then I saw the wild onion Growing every where Right in the middle of Anemone Probably choke them out, I swear I was dumping my bag of leaves And I couldn’t believe my eyes There were two daffodils Blooming where the water did rise It’s a runoff area From the streets above And there were those daffodils A surprise for me that I love   On my way back up the hill I was startled to see Candy Tuft starting to bloom I smiled at...

  Spring in Missouri By Mary J Williams © The other day When I was out I saw many birds Flying about First, I saw A Red-winged Blackbird flying I saw a Robin on the ground A Killdeer out there crying Then I saw the Grackles With their tale held high Vying for a female Come on don’t be shy It’s springtime in Missouri Some have daffodils in bloom I don’t have them yet Soon their yellow will break the gloom I have had the crocus And my mini daffodils I saw tulips coming up Which gave me a thrill Up on the front porch A pair of Carolina Wrens Went and grabbed my camera But couldn’t find them in the lens When I step out upon my deck I listen to all the birds I hear the Bluebirds and Starlings Cardinals and more singing their words I wish I could understand What they are saying I guess I’d have to be a bird But a human I am staying I love Spring I love the flowers and the birds It’s just so hard to explain There just aren’t enough words! Grackles Carolina Wren Northern Cardinal...

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...

 This morning, December 22, 2022, a storm was to come in. We, here in Jefferson City, MO, are under a winter storm warning until Friday at 12 a.m. I have been watching closely and even checked the National Weather's radar.  The storm was West of us a little after 7:00 a.m.  Our temperature, at that time, was 26°F.  I was standing at the sink and looking out the kitchen window, when I noticed the water was very low in the heated birdbath.  I filled up my tea kettle and walked out on the deck. I noticed my feet were crunching on the deck floor.  I felt a mist in the air. The crunch was like a frozen mist. Not slick like ice! I was very careful though!  I went and finished my breakfast and was going to get a fresh cup of coffee and wash out the cereal bowl as soon as Lacy got all the lickings.  I saw the Starlings on the suet block and a lone Downy trying to "wait it out" to get her share of the suet.  I had to help! I opened the back door and t...

Leaves In My Yard By Mary J Williams © I just realized The way the wind was blowing A lot of my leaf mulch Blew about and was going To the neighbor’s yard They blow their leaves anyway They don’t like the leaves On the their yard to stay I leave my leaves Mulch is what they are But in these heavy winds They could go far Or maybe just next door To the neighbors they did go They are going to be upset When again they will have to blow Or maybe they went farther Down the hill to the back There they can stay And not cause any flack! I still have lots of leaves They keep my perennials warm In this cold, cold weather And in any snowstorm I went outside to check And boy was I surprised To see how many leaves In my yard, did still abide I didn’t lose any That is for sure I have all the neighbors Of that I can assure I will have plenty of leaves Plants won’t have a care Even the yard will have enough Good for pollinators everywhere The wind is still gently blowing I have an easy way to tell A wi...

Starlings By Mary J Williams I looked out my window Starlings galore I am sorry Starlings I don’t want to see you no more Walked out the door The Starlings did fly Up to the treetop And that is no lie I counted them As best as I could They were flying in and out As only birds should I finally took a picture To get a semi accurate count Twenty-five in one picture Thirty-four, too many about As I was looking, Out the window again I saw some flying down To get the feeders to drain I walked out the door And gave a big yell! Get out of here birds On feeders you won’t dwell I know, I have heard it before They have to eat too Put out some seed and I will send them to you! 34 17 25