84-Lancast«r Firming, Saturday, May 22, 1993
Onbei
a farm
-And o
hazar
Joyce B
An unusual addition to one of
the front porch flower boxes is
visual evidence of a rash of activi
ty overrunning the farmstead.
This nest, tucked between two
calendula plants, is neatly woven
of straw and grasses, the outside
carefully plastered together with
mud. Its circular near-pcrfeclion
and lightness of weave suggests
that these were not novice nest
builders. And the clutch of four
aqua-blue eggs inside identifies
the nest owners as robins.
But the porch box is not where
this particular mother robin chose
to craft her fine piece of construc
tion. While she may be a master
builder, her site selection left a lot
to be desired. Her house, built on
the alternator of a tractor motor,
would certainly have proved
hazardous to her baby birds to
say nothing of the tractor motor
when the engine heated and the
nest went into flames.
My message to the probably
irate robin, could we communi
cate, is simply the same unappre
ciated one often laid on the kids in
earlier years: “This is for your
own good.”
Faring belter in this springtime
hatching season was an egg of a
different sort. In fact, when I first
saw the egg’s “contents,” it
already had perky tailfcathcrs
about two inches long on a body
far too small to be emitting the
shrill, loud peeps coming out of its
tiny beak.
The season’s lone chick is
tough as nails. Watching over it
are its buff-beige, semi-tame, half
bantam mother and the beautiful,
scrappy small rooster that adopted
us a couple of years ago, besting
roosters twice his size for the little
hen’s affection.
First time I spotted this chick, it
was attempting to join mama on
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the evening roost, some six-feet
above the heifer pen floor on a
two-by-four. When it Anally got
there, the little wren-sized chick
wiggled between her feet, perched
there way up on the top edge of
the hay trough, the pair settled
down for the night.
Seems there would have been
much softer, more comfortable
places for a hen and chick to spend
the night, like up in the haymow.
Of course, the barn cats favor such
cushy spots as well. So, perhaps
she told the chick, as they hunk
ered down on their bed of hard
lumber “This is for your own
good.”
And still another farmyard
mother recently eycballed her
offspring and made a decision that
would be “for your own good.”
Veteran bam cat and champion
rodent eliminator Mama Gray
appeared some weeks ago much
more slim than she had been the
previous day. Knowing that she
slashes her offspring in bizarre
places around the bam, we all kept
watch the next few weeks for
Mama Gray’s litter.
As usual, she revealed her
babies in her own good lime.
Headed out through the yard for
evening milking recently, we met
Mama Gray coming toward the
house, lugging in her mouth a
tigerish-striped kitten so big and
pudgy she had to put it down
every few steps to rest.
After a quick investigation. The
Farmer pointed out her destina
tion. A solar-heat gathering exten
sion, about 18-inchcs wide, prot
rudes from the lower part of the
greenhouse front. Black-plastic
lining enhances the heat absorp
tion. A Virginia creeper vine took
root inside last summer and has
happily grown there in the solar
collector. Until I figure out how to
eliminate this tough, pesty weed
without tearing out glass, it con
tinues to thrive.
Into this cozy,-sheltered “solar
ium,” Mama Gray has moved her
four chubby kittens. As they grow.
Mama will have captive two
legged babysitters and flowerbed
playgrounds for her offspring. In
the meantime, the playful kittens
are beginning to flatten the
unwanted greenery inside the
glass.
A pleased-as-punch-with
herself Mama Gray grins at me
with those big yellow eyes; I know
what she’s thinking: “Well, you
wanted to be rid of that Virginia
creeper.”
“this is for your own good.”
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