I was working in the yard near dusk and my wife was in the garage straightening up.  Suddenly I heard her laugh and then she said, "Come here, you gotta' see this".

When I walked in I was surprised to find her with her hand reaching in the pouch of Mrs. Possum.  She gently pulled out three little babies, each still attached to their mom for nourishment.  They weren't quite ready to come out on their own.

As you probably already surmised, my wife has quite the way with animals.  It's why I gave her the nickname "Dr. Doolittle" when I first met her, but watching that momma possum sit silently and continue to eat during this encounter was simply amazing.  That wise little possum momma knew that my lady was not there to hurt her.

A moment later, the "Doctor" gently placed the babies back in their pouch, gently touched the mother on the back and said goodbye.  A few moments later we watched this smart animal cautiously exit the garage, go over the fence, and return to the woods.  She had her dinner and now would settle in for the night.

As I thought back about what had taken place I realized that sometimes animals have more sense than we do.  Oh, they can be ferocious when they must, but normally they will leave you alone if they don't feel threatened.  But when they do, watch out.  They usually don't initiate a problem.

We always leave a little bit of leftover pet food in a bowl for them in the garage.  If we don't they turn the place upside down looking for something to eat.  When we do , all is quiet on the "Western Front" after their visit.

I am so fortunate that God has allowed me to live in the country where I can experience small events like this one.  It is so much better than TV and it teaches me so much about nature, life, and the wonders of God's creations.  Thank you, Lord, for showing me the real world the way it was created to be.

And a wonderful and peaceful weekend to all of you.  Be safe out therel

Last week I posted an announcement that my parent goose and gander, Ringo and Lucy, after several years with no luck, finally had a gosling named Gringo.  At the time Lucy was near hatching of another egg and she finally did, giving us a Margarita to go with Gringo.  A week later, the two new members of our animal family are growing fast and are quite healthy.

We brought them into the house for a few days to let them grow for safety reasons.  The goose cage has a mesh wire covering and when born they were still small enough to squeeze through the mesh and get themselves in trouble.  With our barn cats on the prowl and a number of wild animals around, especially raccoons, they wouldn't last very long in the wild.

Now big enough to go back to Mom and Dad, they were returned to them this morning with great fanfare.  Mama Goose hissed at my wife when she brought them back as if to say, "Give me my babies back and leave me alone".  So we'll just leave them alone except for one special treat this afternoon.  We'll set up our small plastic pool for them and let them get their first real swim.

Living as we do with so much nature around us is wonderful.  And I'll tell you something else.  It sure is a lot more fun and a lot less stressful writing about the animals than it is our sordid political mess.  With nature, there is always evidence in abundance about the glory and power of Almighty God.  All we need to do is take time to smell the roses and we know that He exists and loves us. May he always be praised.

God bless you all and be safe out there.

Every now and then I like to switch my ramblings from the often depressing state of our political and national affairs to a look at nature and the lovely animals who share the earth with us.  It soothes me and makes me realize just how all encompassing our God is and that as long as we stand with Him we will be okay.

Around noon yesterday as I was driving down our country lane toward the paved road, I saw a beautiful Florida whitetail deer, a doe, standing in the middle of the right of way just looking at me.  As I slowed but continued my approach, she suddenly jumped over the fence and ran out into a small patch of woods in the adjacent meadow.

As I reached the point where she had been standing, I peered in the direction she ran and saw a truly wonderful sight.  In a small opening in the wooded plot, there she stood with her two fawns lying nearby.  She had found a spot out of the hot sunshine to keep her young ones  cool in midday, yet near the luscious grass and foliage nearby that they love to eat.

This wasn't the first time I've seen this family, but it's normally in my pasture either in early morning or late afternoon when they like to graze.  The horses accept their presence and the deer seem to feel safe around them.

Watching the momma deer and her little ones, it made me wonder who and where their father was.  I am interested in this subject because about two years ago my wife saved a young buck who was injured on the side of the road.  It was late at night and she didn't want to leave him there to be hit by a car or die.  Bringing him home to the barn, she checked him out and found no broken bones, surmising that he was probably just in shock and would be okay in a few hours.

We named him Little Joey and placed him in a horse stall with some grain and water and left him to rest.  In the morning he was standing and looked fine.  Although tiny he had a lot of spunk.  Since he looked healthy, we decided to turn him loose immediately.  The surrounding woodlands would make a wonderful new home and there are plenty of deer in these parts.

Opening the gate and standing back, he seemed reluctant.  It was as if he didn't know whether to stay or go.  To help him along, I walked around to an adjacent stall and gently nudged him with a broom handle through a small break in the wall.

The little guy immediately ran out the gate, jumped the fence into the pasture and then the second fence into the woods.  He was off to find friends and adventure.

Little Joey is easily identifiable with one antler having a strange twist to it.  Although it was very short two years ago, it now is much larger and makes him easier to pick out in the field.  I have seen Joey on a few occasions in our pasture grazing and since deer generally remain within a mile or two of home for life, I just wonder if he could be the proud papa of those two beautiful fawns.  I'll never know for sure but it sure does make for a good story.

So Little Joey, if you are the proud papa congratulations, but if you're not I am glad you are still in the neighborhood.  And remember, Joey, since I don't hunt on my property you are welcome to graze here during hunting season.  I hope to see you soon.

I hope you will all consider reading my book, Honey, We Shoulda' Bought the Ark, which should be going to the publisher soon. I'll keep you updated in future blogs.  Stories like this will be presented with a Christian perspective, for without Him and the Father, none of this glory would be here for us to enjoy.

Writing about nature makes me feel better and now I'll be able to ramble on politics some more. Next up: Action on the House farm bill.  Have a great day.