The wild life

By CONNIE MERTZ

I remember being on a bus from Montreal to Quebec City several years ago, and to strike up a conversation with a Canadian who spoke little English, I asked, “Do you have much wildlife up here?” He gave me a puzzled look, then said in a broken French accent, “Oh yes! We have lots of ‘wild’ life.” Obviously, we were not thinking alike.

This came to mind the other night while I was trying to sleep on a hot, humid night. There was wildlife disturbing my rest. No it wasn’t blaring music or the revving of vehicles. Nor was it any human voice. It was the continuous call of a screech owl not far from the house. Combine that with a cricket that chirped continuously, and I had to laugh to myself. As I listened to the cricket chirping nonstop, I knew the temperature was high for a summer night. You see, it is said that counting the chirps for fifteen seconds and adding 40, it will give the current temperature. I tried this little game, and found it impossible to differentiate between each chirp. By the way, the cricket makes the sound by rubbing his wings together.

When daybreak came at 5:00 a.m. so did the early morning concert of birds. The crows, cardinals, warblers and wrens all joined in a daily chorus. The sun shone brightly through the curtain as I enjoyed the entertainment and the freshness of a new day.

Just the day before, my daughter and I came across a hen turkey and her poults. They were newly hatched and we caught a glimpse of a few. Gosh! They were adorable. We were so afraid we would hit one with the farm tractor, and we inched our way past them. I had never seen wild turkeys that small. Earlier in the day, Ken watched a fawn scamper across the field, obviously enjoying his freedom.

Our experiences are insignificant to those who have no contact with the “wild” life on our farm; yet, I wouldn’t trade them for a night of human entertainment. Their presence lightens my load and gives me a sense of belonging. I will choose to live on the wild side anytime!