Spring Song

It started a few days ago with a bit of bird music in the morning.  And then I was sitting at the table eating my breakfast and observed a pair of robins in the large lilac bush out the window.  I was delighted.  Surely, this means spring is here, with or without the mounds of snow that remain.

The next morning a pair of blue jays were in the lilac bush while I was eating my breakfast.  Slowly each day more snow melts, revealing bits of the earth we have not seen here before.  I am finding gardens I didn't know were there.

After I do chores in the morning and before I get to my coffee, I am greeted at the house by Beau dog.  He bounds out the door and rushes to find his toy.  We must play now.  This is compensation driven by my guilt as he doesn't come to the barn for chores.

At first we had to keep him away from the animals while they adjusted to their new space and place.  We didn't know what the llamas would do, nor did we know what Beau dog would do when they encountered each other.  Would he herd them as his breed instinct demands or is he just a ball-centric BC (border collie)?  After these many weeks now the sheep don't panic when they see him.

One day I took him out with us as I have a few times.  It was not meal time for the animals.  I decided to put Beau on a lead.  He has chased a chicken before but not with the intention of catching it necessarily.  It moved and he leaped after it.  The sheep boldly stamped their front foot at him.  It's rather comical actually as this really has no effect yet the sheep look so stern.  At one point the sheep did get quite close.  Beau did move forward to snap them away, a very typical BC behaviour.  About thirty seconds later one of them bashed him, bunting him head on.

Henrietta got close enough that she and Beau sniffed at each other from about twelve inches distance.  She was not indicating any great distress with Beau at such a close distance.  I have read that the llamas do distinguish between the family pet and an intruding canine.

When we let him out of the house and I'm doing chores, Beau wants to be with me.  When I leave him out of the barn yard he sits at the fence and barks.  The closer I get to the animals the more barking there is.

So, while playing rollie ball in the driveway this morning with Beau dog I was serenaded by a veritable orchestra of spring song.  And I saw a cardinal.  There were three Canada geese in the sky.  There are killdeer down on the pasture pond.  We have seen ducks down there too.  There are many many red-winged blackbirds.  And then the robins were there too.

I was reminded that before the swallows return we must remove that nest from above hubby's car in the garage.  Bird song or no, some restrictions are necessary :)