Cookies, Copulation and Flying Deer… and how was YOUR day?

Early morning silhouette.

I have evolved into a creature with grasshopper tendencies that I always (lovingly) accused FD of having.  I am talking, of course, about the fable of the Ant and the Grasshopper.  The story concerns a hard-working ant and a care-free grasshopper.  The ant wisely builds its stores and prepares for the brutal winter months ahead.  The grasshopper sings and hops from place to place, getting side-tracked by all sorts of delights.  I used to be the ant of this story.  I was as rigid as could be about having goals and checking each task off my list as I completed it.  I rested well at night knowing I had been productive, accomplishing much.  Nowadays, I start out with my list of jobs to do, but invariably, find that I start hopping to and fro… and before long the day is done and I have little to show for it.  I seem to have lost that rigid “stick-to-it” mind-set that I was so well-known for in the past. Oh well, C’est la vie…

Today promised to be a sunny, calm, and warm 70-degree winter day.  So, with the weather being as it was, I planned to do a little outdoor work after lunch.  This morning I started out with just a few, simple tasks on my list:

• Vacuum floors.
• Iron clothes.
• Make chocolate chip cookies.

I started the cookies first.  The house was chilly this morning and I decided the sensible thing to do would be to warm the kitchen with some baking.  I had just about finished mixing the cookie dough when I looked through the kitchen window and saw Daisy deer in the neighbor’s back yard.  Binoculars in hand, I watched her for quite some time, wondering if she would find her way over to our yard.  I also noticed three squirrels chasing each other fast through the trees.

Spring certainly appears to be around the corner lately!  I have noticed birds doing their courtship dances the past couple of weeks, and that the squirrels have been very playful.  However, the chasing I watched did not appear to be about “play”.  I had witnessed similar activity last winter, in Frosty the squirrel’s old tree.  (Read “Being a Squirrel” and “The Reason for Ransacking“).  It soon became obvious that two of the three squirrels were vying for courtship of the third, a female.  I quickly grabbed the zoom lens, but knew I would not be able to get a shot at all if I disturbed them by going outside.  I had tried to photograph squirrels in this area before and found they immediately run off if I get too close.  I would have to manage taking my photos through the kitchen window.  Soon, one squirrel was forced by another to head west.  But, by the time the victor made it back, the female had disappeared.

The art of gentle persuasion.

So, back to the cookie-making I went.  Heating up the stove, I began to salivate thinking about having a cookie, or three, or more.  I had discovered this new chocolate chip cookie recipe last week and, while I don’t have a big sweet tooth, there was just something about this particular recipe that was perfect; not-too-sweet, but chewy and soft.  I made  my cookie-dough balls, all while nibbling on bits of dough and indulging in far too many samples.  As I popped the first baking sheet in the oven, I saw something from the corner of my eye…

Getting into position!

You know how you see some little bit of color, or some slight movement that takes your focus completely off of what you are doing, and you find yourself totally riveted to what you are seeing?  That is how I spotted Daisy this morning.  Her orange, reflective collar caught my eye, across the way in the neighbors back yard.  Now, it appeared that the two squirrels had paired up after all, and there was gentle pursuit going on.  It seemed Ms. Squirrel wasn’t quite ready, so she scampered around a little, making Mr. Squirrel work to court her a bit longer.  Maybe she was just trying to find the right spot for the act of copulation – you know, the backseat is not always the best place for a girl’s first time.  The place she finally settled on was not the best camera angle for me through the kitchen window, but it worked for her.  You get the gist of things…  They were getting it on at the wood pile!

Daisy sensing danger in the neighbor’s yard!

Then suddenly, I heard, “BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!”  The first batch of cookies was finished.  I quickly dropped more dough-balls on a second cookie sheet and popped it into the oven.  Evidently, squirrels make quick work of the mating act, because when I returned to the window, they were gone.

As I looked past the site of the lovemaking, there was Daisy deer, still grazing on the neighbor’s weed patch.  I grabbed the camera and headed out the front door, crossing the short distance to the neighboring fence while calling her name, “Daaaaaaaisy Doo!”.  She jerked her head up but, instead of looking at me, she looked to the east, towards the back porch of our neighbor’s house.  Suddenly, out ran all three of his large bird dogs!  Daisy paused just a moment, as if to assess the situation unfolding before her.  Her tail went up and flared, and off she trotted, prancing a bit at first, then running full speed just to the west of where I stood.  For a moment, I lost sight of her behind the old 70’s-model van that sits abandoned on the neighbor’s back yard.  Then suddenly, there she was, leaping over the chain-link fence with her tail high and long legs reaching out.  I was elated!!  My girl could leap and FLY over a fence!

High-tailing it over the fence to safety!

About this time, it occurred to me that I had missed THE photo opportunity.  I quickly snapped Daisy’s second leap down the hill, but it was too late to catch her first, fence-clearing jump!  Rats!  Daisy was down in the canyon when I strolled over to check on her.  She seemed relaxed, already busy nibbling on corn at the feeding station.  I walked to the house smiling from ear to ear. I was so proud of her!  For me, this was another assurance, a sign from God or the Universe, that Daisy was very capable of fleeing danger and looking out for herself.  What a vision she was, clearing that fence with such grace and ease!

This is my yummy, first batch. It’s too embarrassing to show the 2nd batch of coffee dunkers!

After all this activity, I’m afraid my second batch of cookies will have to be coffee-dunkers.  The ironing still lays in a pile in the laundry room and the vacuum sits on the floor awaiting an operator.   But by gosh, I witnessed squirrels copulate for the first time, and I saw Daisy deer clear a fence with style and ease!  I am tempted to continue investigating this life of the grasshopper – there just might be something to it! Besides, being an ant can be so mundane…

P.S. Please do not let FD know that last sentence came from my fingers! Shhh…

© Day by Day the Farm Girl Way…