The Food Court

7/20/2016

The Lay of the Land

By Lyn Messersmith

The Food Court

            The table in our yard is set, and guests arrive daily. It reminds me of a school cafeteria food fight at times, with the cats quarreling over pieces of a mole that one of them caught, and birds getting territorial at the feeders.

One of the black kittens ought to be named Grumpy, because when he gets his teeth into a mouse or bird he scolds all of his siblings and his mom while refusing to share.

Another black kitten—well maybe it’s the same one, all three are identical—is inclined to sit on the back of a patio chair which is near a barn swallow nest. The swallows dive at him, while he ignores them, but eventually they come close enough to knock him off balance and he falls. To the disgust of the swallows, he lands on his feet and climbs right back on the perch.

We looked out the window last week while eating supper to see two deer wander up the lane, stopping here and there to sample the grass. They eyed my flowers then passed by without a taste, but when they got close to the garden Bruce stepped out and stood on the porch. That was enough to discourage them, although I suppose one reason Maggie tends to raise such a ruckus in the wee hours has to do with more of their explorations.

I had to put the strawberry planter up on a table on the deck to keep Maggie from licking the ripe ones, and the cats even nibble at some flowers next to the kitchen window.

My daughter and I sat in the living room on the evening of the 4^th, and watched a toad jumping up against the sliding screen to catch bugs. After a while, we heard a squeak, then another, and eventually the complaints became insistent. I got up to investigate, and found the toad leaping at a June bug that had attached itself to the screen just out of range. Every jump the toad made fell short, and after each attempt he squeaked in frustration. The June bug sat smugly in place, while countless other bug offerings swarmed around the toad, and were ignored. That was one determined toad, for all the good it did him. I felt so sorry for him that I even tried to dislodge the June bug, to no avail. Obviously, he had a plan that was working and he was sticking to it.

            Just as obviously, this family is easily amused, but our entertainment beats the offerings on television, and the toad didn’t make as much noise as the political candidates.