Blog 168 – Wednesday, June 17, 2009 Hot and muggy, temperatures in the 90’s.
Sanderson and Hillary, my Sandhill Crane friends are visiting daily, just as they did last year at this time. Making their way to the back of the house – walking slowly and rhythmically on their stilted legs, they generally call. That shrill, honking noise that is delivered in two deliberate blasts – waiting for me to emerge from the house. I now have a terra cotta saucer filled with loose seed corn, sitting on the side brick walkway, near the pool pump for their dining pleasure. Long necks dipping and heads ever alert, they sway through the yard picking at the grass in search for bugs and seeds. So graceful and lovely, these birds are, with several shades of gray feathers layering their bodies to form a natural camouflage – and then, the red swathe of color around their eyes at the top of their heads. Another masterpiece of creation – gentle and trusting, it amazes me that they still remember our encounters from the last two seasons. Walking within a yard of me, they wait as I fill their saucer and toss corn in their pathway. Eyes sharp and black, with a thin line of red outlining the retina, they greet me with a steady gaze. For me, this is yet another blessing and joy, as I walk among my garden each day – that brief connection with nature –a peaceful cohabitation between man and beast in much the same way that Adam and Eve must have done in their Garden of Eden.
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