Time Races On And So Do Those Turkeys...

Time races on and spring is nearing, here in Hollister, and spring is near all over the United States of America. And turkeys, those large feathered creatures that were 'native' here in the ‘new world’ back when the pilgrims first came to our land of the free and brave, are still here in Hollister, free and brave themselves, and populating the golf course where I live.

Around three weeks ago now, near the end of February, I witnessed five youngsters, adolescent turkeys with three adults taking a leisure stroll on the green just outside of the fence that separates our backyard from the golf links. Each time the youngsters stopped to partake of whatever young turkeys eat from the grass on a golf course, the three adults, three extremely large adults, plumed out their tail feathers into that familiar fan shape we all have come to recognize as that of a ‘turkey’.

My educated guess, I say educated because I have come to know a bit about these wild turkeys that populate the two golf courses here, is that the adults were warning off any predators that might be eyeing the smaller, younger, tender, succulent birds, with their adult showing of how ferocious they can be as adults turkeys can be, by showing off their ‘fancy’ tail feathers.

As I was exiting my house with camera in hand two gardeners sitting in their gasoline run zamboni style lawn mowers came zooming along on the grass in what appeared to me as a ‘run for the turkeys’, and my picture taking moment was ruined! Perhaps this family will come back soon, and the golf course gardeners sitting in their gasoline zamboni type lawn mowers will not, and I will get a nice turkey family picture to post within this blog.

Just a few day before the turkey family came to visit, Peter Rabbit and his girl Susie Rabbit came to visit us, and when I went outside to snap the happy couples' picture the girl rabbit, whom I have come to know of as Susie Rabbit, ran off across the golf course. Peter stayed and posed for his picture, and here it is posted in this blog entry as proof but I sure would have liked to have had Susie in the picture along with Peter. Perhaps before Easter Sunday they will both come back, and I will snap a nice picture of the happy rabbit couple, and post it within this blog entry.



It is raining now but on February 26, this year 2011 we had what I called a snice storm. A snice storm is when it is raining big fluffy pieces of snow mixed with pellets of ice, and somewhere along the way the ice gives way to more snow than ice. So my husband and I both ran for our digital cameras, and we went outside and snapped a couple of pictures of this unusual snice storm. I hope the snow effect is visible in the picture I am posting within this blog entry.

Well that’s it for today from Paradise just outside of the town of Hollister, California where blue birds really do live and eat peanuts in the shell alongside of fluffy squirrels and all seem to get along, most of the time.

Carol Garnier Dutra

Copyright 2011 Carol Garnier Dutra
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