Covid Journal, Day 176: Murder Most Fowl

It's been a sunny, hot week, highs in the 80's with high humidity. No rain, although every now and then the skies clouded up. Hoping for rain this weekend.

This morning Larry found three of the new young pullets beheaded. How sad a day this is. We had 20 and all were doing so well. Now, we have to find how the murderer got into the coop, and try to figure out who he/she is. Could be a raccoon, possum, or skunk, and I hope and pray it is one of them and not a weasel or mink. The first three might be easier to catch in a trap; the last two are almost impossible.

So Larry will set a live trap this evening, and he'll spend part of today going over the coop to find any possible point of entry. It's pretty tight, but a weasel or mink can get in through a very small hole.

Another murder of the herbaceous kind was committed by deer. We planted three new fruit trees this spring, and they were doing quite well. But overnight, the deer ate them down to the trunks. I doubt any of them will survive. If you've bought any fruit trees lately, you know they're not cheap. I was so angry and disappointed. We bought two more, a pear and a peach, and we enclosed them in chicken wire cages this time. We plan to get two more, apple trees this time, and will do the same with them. That should keep the deer out.

It hasn't been all bad news here this week, however. We canned green beans and more pasta sauce, and on Thursday made 20 gallons of applesauce from our trees, with help from our son Derek. 15 gallons will go into apple butter later this fall; that part is in the freezer. The rest we canned.  I also made 12 quarts of apple pie filling and put that in the freezer.

So in addition to the peppers, green beans and other things put up earlier in the week, we've had a productive week. We planted more too--lettuce, beets after we finally got some seeds, turnips and filled in the row of peas where the seeds planted a couple weeks ago didn't come up. So we're hoping for a good late garden. The late squash and cucumbers are beginning to bear, so that's nice.

Usually by this time of the year, I am itching to go away somewhere, get a break from gardens and canning, weeds and string-trimming. But this year I don't feel that urge, surprisingly. No place seems to be more attractive than right where I am. I had considered staying at a state park for a few nights, but honestly? Home is nicer, and more private actually than a park. We've been on a few drives to find things for our booths, and that seems to be satisfying my wanderlust. At least for now.

I have been listening to the news of the fires out West, the damage from the last hurricane down South, and feel so badly for all those affected. How many thousands have been displaced in this country due to natural disasters in the past month? How terrible it must be to try to think of what to grab as you flee your home, knowing that whatever you leave behind may well be destroyed. 

And then there are the ongoing protests. While I am supportive of their cause, I feel like it's time to stop complaining and start taking steps for positive action. Destruction and anger cannot effect the change that needs to happen; only reasonable discourse and a plan to find solutions will get the results demanded. My niece-in-law, who is black, was walking with her young sons when people in a passing car hurled the N word and other insults at her. She is a teacher, a professional and a good wife and mother. I cannot imagine the hurt the incident caused her, and for what? So some sad person can feel glee at causing pain? I am angry and frustrated that this good woman and family member had to be subjected to such hate. Will our country ever find a solution? Sometimes I feel like we are making progress, and then something like this happens and it seems like we're back in the 1950's again. 

More losses this week too--a good lady in our town died from Covid after attending a wedding and apparently getting infected there, or at her church where many do not follow the guidelines. And a dear friend who has been my friend since our childhood lost her mother this week, to natural causes. No matter how old our parents, we're never ready to let them go. 

Today is my granddaughter Kate's birthday. She's become a fine woman, a teacher--we seem to have many teachers in our family. I miss seeing her, but am happy that she is well and moving along in her life as she pursues her Master's degree while working full time. How well I remember doing the same; it means little free time, but the goal is worth the price. 

So it's been a roller coaster of a week, as I still struggle through my own sadness that visits me every year on the anniversary of my late son's birthday. But there is still much to be happy about, to laugh about, to see the good in, too. I keep my eyes and my mind on that, and my heart follows their lead.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.