Rockford is one of those towns that make people think they had gone to heaven. The streets are not paved in gold, but are lined with immaculate green yards, complete with gardens. Each yard could be identified by the floral and the distinctive trees that ornate the roadside. I had moved to Rockford two years prior, and had moved into our first house the end of the previous summer. I had not noticed the garden until the following spring. The perennials began to come up at the end of April, to my surprise was a cherished treasure of greens, reds, purples, pinks and whites. Living out west I had not had the experience with what wonders the garden's of Illinois would pleasure me. By the middle of May, my garden had come into full bloom. I looked at each flower and plant with great anticipation. Hidden in the bountiful garden was a row of strawberry plants and next to that, raspberries.
Along with the garden came the inherited creatures that lived in the trees and in the foliage. We were clipping the enormous rose bush out by the garden's gate. The branches had not been clipped for a few years and the dead limbs overhung the fence. Mike and I had taken on the task to make the garden a place of tranquility, again. Mike bent over to find a plastic looking toy crouched by the bush. It lay there, still. He reached over and was startled when the toy began to move. It crawled from under the bush and dashed underneath another. Mike was startled, he had thought the spider was a toy. The size of the spider gave him the willies. The neighbors came over and he told his encounter with the spider. A yellow and green spider, with the ability to move very quickly. The neighbor laughed and said that was a banana spider and not to touch. It was a very poisonous arachnid. At night, bats could be seen in the air. The neighbors on the other side were out in the backyard, the young girl was throwing a ball in the air. The bat swooped down and tried to catch the ball. After a few tried the bat decided to go for the girl and was then tangled in her hair. I remember she was laughing, then all of a sudden a scream was heard, as the bat dived towards her head. The trees also housed the ever so friendly family of squirrels. Many of them could be seen hoping branches and running along the fences. They would chase each other and seem as if they knew the backyard garden better than anyone else in the neighborhood. What a wonderful sight, to watch these critters as they live their lives in heavenly Rockford.
We had decided to put up a small bird house and feeder for the red robins and other birds in the area, and put out a feeder for the squirrel family. We'd filled the bird feeder with the various seeds they loved to enjoy and ears of dried corn for the squirrels. We put loose corn around the tree and in the beds of perennials. Sitting out on the porch I'd watch as the critters would come and feast on the seeds and corn. What a wonderful life, I would think to myself. As I looked over the fence, and toward Irene's house, more wonderful creatures would populate the neighborhood.
June rolled around and a new squirrel come into the garden. He was not the average friendly resident that had been in the garden. He was an older male, with gray on his back and head. He was also missing one of his hind feet and tail. This one must have been in an accident or was caught in the motor of a vehicle. Watching him, he seemed to hiss as he climbed the tree to make it to the corn trough. I eyed the new resident, he was not my friendly neighborhood squirrel. I felt sorry for the little creature, he must have a rough life using his front paws to climb the tree. Day after day, he would return, snacking on the ears of corn he would retrieve from the area, sometimes he would take a cob and climb up the tree with his two muscular arms.
Each morning, my little puppy would hurry downstairs to go out the back door. As he exited, he would howl his little beagle voice, chasing the residents of the tree. They would scamper up the trunk and to the high branches. Xander would continue howling until he realized they were not going to come down. He then would sniff about the yard, waiting for the next critter to unveil itself. After about an hour he would return back into the house, feeling exhausted by the excitement of the garden. The residents then would return to the harvesting of the corn.
The end of July came and our family of squirrels had grown. There must have been twelve to fifteen of them in the back yard, waiting for the ears of corn. They waited and watched me as I would open the back door to go outside. It was a bit funny, I would watch as I would throw the loose corn. They all moved with my hand, not knowing which side I was going to throw. Back and fourth they would move. Even Xander was a bit cautious of the behavior of the residents. I didn't think much about the behavior, however, they became quite used to my presence and had no fear. I walked out on the back porch and the large number of critters rushed Xander
No comments:
Post a Comment