Letter to my Daughter
5 August, Sunday
There’s a chipmunk that
scampers about and makes a good living in the garden out back of the
house. Actually, I only presume he finds
things to eat there since I’ve never seen him eating tomatoes, cucumbers or
green peppers. Whatever he finds to eat
it makes him look healthy and sassy.
I’m not much for gardens or
anything that requires weeding. I prefer
not pulling plants from the ground. It
is also a tedious chore, much like painting walls. I think some people find it relaxing and I
will leave these pastimes to them. I
would prefer raising chickens, I think, although the neighbors probably
wouldn’t share my joy in watching animals scratch about. Were this my backyard I would enclose it all
with tall chicken wire. It is a quite
large yard. I would tear out the lawn
and garden and give the area an irregular terrain with gradual slopes, shallow
depressions and small dune-like shapes.
I would plant tuffs of wild grasses and a variety of wild flowers. I would then introduce a flock of egg-laying
hens with a rooster or two. The chicken
wire would have to extend several inches into the ground to discourage
predators from digging under the fence.
I think I mentioned last week that I saw a large fox in the area. They would absolutely feast on chicken.
I would have to build a
henhouse I suppose. I would want to
design it for ease of cleaning, if that is possible. Birds are incredibly messy. They’re filthy, actually, when enclosed. They’re just not meant to be boxed in but I’m
thinking now about winter. It gets cold
here, as you know. I think chickens
probably need protection from the cold.
I might need a roost with a space heater of some sort. As you can see I don’t know much about
chickens. Then there are the baby chicks. They undoubtedly need special care. I suspect chicken feed is based largely on
corn. This year’s drought has really
raised the price of feed. That’s
OK. We’re just pretending anyway. This isn’t my yard. There won’t be any chickens here. Besides, raising chickens must really tie
oneself down.
Still, I think it would be
interesting to watch chickens scratch about and have their little ones follow
them around. It’s the kind of relaxing
observation one gets from watching fish in an aquarium. Animals are best watched while they go about
doing what it is they normally do and are totally unconcerned by the presence
of a human. Plants don’t hold that kind
of charm for me. A garden is like a
stage backdrop but without having any actors.
Animals demonstrate curiosity.
They display technique and various degrees of problem solving
ability. They show concern,
satisfaction, weariness, boredom, excitement and all shades of awareness at
being alive. Plants sunbathe. They perk up with rain and wilt in heat. I do like the drama when they are thrown
about by wind. Other than that, though,
they sunbathe. Were I selling plants at
the fair I would sell fully mature cornstalks, each coming complete with a
hamster in an exercise wheel.