why I like it here: so many animals

Abraham has officially entered the age in which all animals and animal sounds are fascinating. He can make sounds or signs for snake, chicken, monkey, dog, horse, bee, and so on. But he is particularly enamored with cows. He goes through the children's books searching for pictures of cows and saying "MOO." when he finds them. Not "Moo!" but "MOO." He has a few puzzles that have cows, and of course the best of all is being able to see cows in the pasture by our house.

I couldn't help laughing at myself last week when I realized that the thing that God probably hears me pray most often is, "Oh Lord, thank You for those cows!!" I find myself spontaneously and whole-heartedly thanking Him every single day for the privilege of having cows in the pasture next to our house. I realize that might sound ridiculous, but if you have ever had a toddler who is completely in love with cows, then you will know why. It is so amazing to be able to have visual reference points every day for Abraham, especially if there is some kind of fussing going on or distraction needed. Last week I am convinced that he said "I see the cows. There!" when looking out the window and pointing. Of course, it's the only time he has used a sentence to my knowledge, and it might be a little far-fetched, but I'm his mama and I think it's okay for me to believe that's what he said. It really did sound just like it.

It is so great to have all of these animals nearby but without having any work involved. There are horses that live on one side of us and horses and goats that live on another side of us. They are all quite spread out, but it is so fun for our kids to hear the horses whinny to each other throughout the day, and to get to say hi to the horses every day as we walk to the mailbox.

Another special treat lately is the mama doe who has taken up residence in the pasture just on the other side of our front yard. She has been hanging out there for much of the last week, along with her two little spotted fawns, and we get to glimpse them from our windows and a little closer when we go for walks along the road. It's great.

We were given a kiddie pool this past weekend for our little ones, and we left it filled the first night that we had it. We kept hearing a faint noise sometime after midnight, and at 1:00 am or so Keith and I looked out our bedroom window to see, just five or six feet away, two raccoons playing with the bath toys in the kiddie pool. They were walking around the pool and kinda batting them around! They moved away quickly when they heard us, but a few days later when Keith was trying to leave for work, they were under the porch and hissing at him when he went outside. That encounter was not so great, but after a few pops from the bee-bee gun, I don't think they've been bothering him. I'm sure they are the ones who ate one of our chickens a few weeks ago though.

storks by the river

The wildlife that I have been enjoying the very most during the last few months, though, are the waterfowl along the marshy river area on the road to our house. There were big white storks for a month or so this summer, and it was just so fascinating to get to see storks every time we drove by! There are ducks with their little ducklings, and geese with their little goslings, and frequently there are blue herons near the road too. One time I was driving home and ended up basically driving parallel to a blue heron coming in for a landing for about three hundred feet. It was incredible. Then last week I was driving home and there was a flock of geese flying through the valley, again pretty much parallel to my car but out in the valley over the river, and I followed along with them for probably close to half a mile as they swooped and glided together in beautiful, fluid V formation. It was so exhilarating! Actually getting to follow along next to them as they glide through the air for an extended distance like that is just amazing.

Canadian geese with their goslings

There are more animals around here, too. Songbirds and hummingbirds live in the trees around our home. We see a bald eagle in our high mountain valley now and then, and once when we were in the yard, one swooped just twenty feet or so above Keith's head. We see deer nearly every day. There are llamas, donkeys, mules, and horses that live along the road into town. Occasionally we spy turtles sunning themselves on logs along the river. Last week there was even a young bull moose in the pasture by our house, just on the other side of the fence!

deer outside Rilla's window

I had gotten this far in the writing of this - quickly, while the kids were napping - and then both children woke up and after the usual diaper changes and whatnot, we opened Rilla's curtains in time to see the mama doe and her two fawns on the other side of the fence outside Rilla's window. We watched them until they wandered down the hill. It's a simple joy but it is really such a blessing every day to get to see these animals in such near proximity.

young fawns