Bern's Eye View
by Bernadine Hildebrant
Two squirrels, two bluejays, and one woodchuck, all in my yard recently, and all at the same time. The bluejays chased the squirrels, and the woodchuck sat and watched. He makes his home in a tile that is under the road that goes by my house. The squirrels and bluejays empty my bird feeders almost as fast as I fill them with birdseed.
Try this little ditty just for fun. It concerns "my" woodchuck.
"How much wood would a woodchuck shuck, if a woodchuck could shuck wood?"
Answer at the bottom of my column. Now don't look for the answer until you read the rest of my article.
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If cats have a heaven, my cat Jinx has a wonderful home. He has been my companion for many years, but he finally decided it was time for him to leave. He was sick and wouldn't eat, so I felt this was the best thing to do. He always met me at the door when I came home from somewhere. I think he knew the sound of my car. I still look for him when I come into the house. I may get another cat "sometime."
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Here's a bit of information I'll bet you didn't know! The national animal of the United States is the Bison --it looks like a combination of a deer and an antelope, with BIG antlers.
Another bit of information I know you could live without: There are 10 pints of blood in the average adult person's body.
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Don't step on that spider!!!!! Spiders benefit humans in many ways. They eat lots of bugs. Their venom is used for making medicine. One whack of a spider can dispense hundreds of tiny spiderlings. So, if you'd rather have just one spider in your yard rather hundreds of little ones, just leave them alone!
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My daughter-in-law Gail Hildebrant, who lives in Phoenix, is visiting me for a few weeks, and we went for a drive around the country area. We could almost see the corn grow, as the humid weather must be what the plants really like. It reminded me of the poem about the farmer. I found the poem in one of my Ideals books. I thought it was much like the many farms and farmers in our area.
The Farmer
He found his joy in common things.
He ate the royal bread of kings.
His birthright was a quiet soul,
A healthy body, clean and whole.
A battered hat of straw his crown.
His kingdom was a field of brown.
And there within his fair domain
He held the scepter of his reign.
The germ of life in seed and flower
The living symbols of his power.
He tilled the soil his wealth to find
His field the servant of mankind.
He dwelt in bondage fast, yet he
Was monarch of his destiny.
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Take the time, amidst your busy schedule, to enjoy the open fields of corn and wheat. It will soon be harvest time for the farmer. Have you had the pleasure of enjoying the sweet corn this season? I have, and I don't regret the few pounds I've managed to gain. It will be snow-shoveling time in a few months. I'll lose what I gained, unless many of the wonderful thoughtful genies I have will spare me the job of shoveling!
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On his first day of kindergarten, Paul drew a picture of a stagecoach. "That's very well done, Paul," the teacher remarked encouragingly, but I don't see any wheels. What holds it up?" "Bad men," replied Paul.
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How Come? On his first trip to the zoo, a little boy stared at a stork for awhile, then turned to his father and remarked, "Gee, Dad, he didn' recognize me!" (Remember many moons ago, when a child asked where a baby comes from, we said, "A stork brought him (or her).") I haven't heard that one in a long time.
B.H.
P.S. What happens when frogs park illegally? (They get towed!) --and-- If at first you don't succeed, destroy all evidence that you tried.
Answer to the woodchuck question: He'd shuck as much as a woodchuck would, if a woodchuck could shuck wood.
