Snowy Speculations

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If I could paint, I would have tried to replicate the landscape very early this morning. Illuminated by the faintest hints of light and hours before sunrise, the cold, stark landscape lay completely still in its snowy blanket. Naked trees stood proudly and quietly against this backdrop, this palate of pure white an unforgiving place for any creature, big or small, to attempt to cross without drawing attention to its existence at this time. Even our ancient tire swing looked sleepy and droopy, suspended precariously close to the ground, as if the effort of hanging from a tree limb was too much for it. To the east, the only rays of light visible were the ones coming from the across the river, and even those seem hushed and muffled, like a child tired and murmuring not to wake them up just yet.  The young families down the road have gone all out with Christmas lights this year. Bright colours adorn the night skies and my neighbours even have a Christmas Cat and a Christmas Dinosaur that i
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Jay Walkers

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 As I was driving down Concession 1 this week, I had to slam on my brakes at the last second as a few  Guinea Fowl crossed the road directly in front of me, oblivious to how close they came to grazing the eternal fields! It was mid morning and these three were off strolling about the countryside, without a care in the world. Maybe someone should remind them that Thanksgiving is only a few weeks away?

Known for their infamous alarm call, I was surprised to note that they turned a blind eye to me as I tried to get a few photos on my phone before they quietly disappeared into the vineyard. Their beautifully speckled feathers shone in the sun and I could only admire them from afar.

According to Wikipedia, the hens are larger than the males. These birds do not get along well with chickens. They are not chickens, as most people believe, but are in fact gamebirds. If you go online, there are so many stories about how Guinea Fowl do not like to be confined. They are also supposed to be fantastic watch dogs, er, watch birds and sound the alarm with their raucous shrill call! If you have an insect problem, they are great for getting that population under control. They are supposed to have an insatiable appetite for ticks and have been known to clear a field of these pests in no time at all! 

With our kids at home these days, taking their university and high school classes online, I have to put up with daily complaints from our daughter whose bedroom faces the neighbour's chicken coop. For anyone making the assumption that roosters only crow at the crack of dawn, you are sadly mistaken. This rooster crows from dawn to dusk, to the point where one has to wonder if he will ever lose his voice with that continuous racket! 

Guinea Fowl are also supposed to be extremely noisy and overbearing which makes me wonder if they could be serious competition for our neighbouring rooster. I also wonder if I could pop a Guinea hen into their coop without them noticing? Perhaps this domineering bird will keep that overzealous rooster in line.  Would a Guinea hen's maternal instincts kick in where she would get him into a strict routine of crowing only in the morning and evening? Or at least not between 9:00-4:00 each day when the kids have their audio on and the prof has been known to ask my daughter what all that racket is disrupting the class discussion! Maybe I should head back to Concession 1 and see if there are any stragglers wandering around...

Lolita Schimann Hale

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Image
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