The End of April

Intruders on the Property

On April 11, Bow enjoyed the nice weather. He went outside and gave his swing in the outer pen some use.

As the grass has started to grow, I was also out there mowing with my trusty reel mower.

After I finish mowing, the grass does not seem particularly well mown to the average person, but believe me, if I did not mow, it would get impossibly unmanageable.

After mowing, I relaxed a little by the pen, too. And then it was time for lunch. After lunch, I usually take a walk. But as I went out the door, I noticed that we had intruders on the property.

A big red truck was blocking my driveway in as spot I never even allow honored guests to occupy. Its motor was running, and it was very loud, but there was no one in the vehicle. I went all round the truck, trying to figure out why it was there, and where the people were who came in it.

Eventually I located them by the power pole, where they were attempting -- unsuccessfully, I might add -- to change the meter.

The process too a very long time, and we could hear Bow inside vocalizing in frustration. When I checked later, I saw that he had made a mess. However, at the time I felt it was best for me to stand guard over the intruders and to see them safely off when they were down.

I was polite, but I did let them know that the next time they need to work on my property, they should notify me that they are coming. This is, after all, a rural property. I could have had a guard dog loose or I could have been engaged in target practice, and there are any number of hazardous activities they might have stumbled upon that would have been dangerous to them. They can't just assume that it is all right to come here without first giving notice.

I am grateful for the electricity, and I understand that the power company needs access to the meter, but I think there is still some expectation of privacy even when there is an electric pole on my property. If I ever built that island for Bow, I would need to know that power company people would not wander onto the property without permission. Bow is very good natured, but he wants to know who is coming over and when.

Things that Happened Around Easter

The cockatiel eggs did not hatch. One of them even broke, and it did not look as if it had been fertilized. Nevertheless, there were plenty of other kinds of eggs around Easter time.

While the annual Easter egg hunt for Bow had to be cut short due to chain saws in the woods behind our house and later rain, a few days  later, Bow found another egg that he had overlooked on April 1.

It was a nice, sunny day for a change, and Bow enjoyed his find.

After sniffing the candy, he determined it to be good.

While the sunshine lasted. Bow and Leo made the most of it in the back yard.

But the sun-soaked days did not last long.

Soon it was snowing again.

RELATED: An Interview with Dr. Sue Savage-Rumbaugh.