I love animals, whether two or four legged, beautiful or homely, there is a soft spot for them in my heart. On my wooded hundred acres in the Ozarks, dogs and cats, chickens and ducks, co-exist with the wild creatures that share these woods with us.
Wild birds come to the feeders in all seasons. Oh, the little purple finch may not be here in the summer, but the iridescent blue indigo bunting is, providing pleasure for the eyes. And what the birds don't finish, the little elf's of the night-the flying squirrels, do. Among the more beautiful creatures that I love are the deer that come to my pond for a drink. They graze in the field, too, allowing me a glimpse of them before they bound off, waving their white flags.
The raccoons that visit my deck at night are beautiful as well. The same cannot be said for the homely opossums. But the armadillo's, those strange looking creatures that have moseyed their way to our parts from Texas, would win in the competition for "homeliest."
Of course, the huge blacksnake that finds his way into the chicken coop is not a lovable creature by most people's standards. But he is an inhabitant of these woods, and has a right to his existence. Although I try to discourage his visits by waving a broom at him menacingly, while emitting piercing shrieks to scare him away, I would never harm him. I even love the catfish in my pond. As I toss them their supper at dusk, they entertain me with a vigorous splash dance. Meanwhile, those winged hunters of the insect world, the dragonflies, cruise back and forth across the pond in their voracious search for insects. Since they make my surroundings more mosquito free, I love the dragonflies.
When the great explorer, Marco Polo, wrote his book about the wonders he saw in China, in 1298/99, one of the wonders he described were "chickens that have hair like cats, and lay the best of eggs." Those chickens Silkies, and were unknown to the Western World.
Most people would associate the love of animals with the love of dogs and cats. Of course, I do love my three dogs and four cats, but I also love my Silkie chickens.
Have you ever been to a petting zoo? If you have, you have probably seen Silkie chickens. They are docile and tame and as fluffy as a cloud. On their heads they wear jaunty top-knots, while their legs are covered with fuzzy pantaloons. A flock of white Silkie's scratching happily on a green lawn, are a delightful sight.
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