photo: dreamstime.com
I don’t need to look at a clock or glance at my computer to tell what time it is. The dogs have their own internal clocks. Five o’clock is their dinnertime. If I’m still at my computer working, all three of them fidget around me until I take notice. There’s no point in ignoring them. They keep at it until I stop. My sweet boy James is the most aggressive. He wants his food! He sits next to me and keeps nudging my arm. If he could talk, he’d be saying, Put aside your work now. It’s time for dinner.
Once their meal is over – which takes no more than five minutes, the wildlife show in the side yard begins. From 5:00-8:00 p.m, we have two brown bunnies that come to the yard each night to graze. This nightly ritual has happened at this time for the past several summers. But, the bunnies of past summers have grazed on my precious flower beds, making them unwanted visitors in my mind. Not this year’s bunnies. They seem very happy to graze on our clover infested lawn. I’m perfectly fine with that.
Photo: National Geographic
The dogs set themselves up on the porch bench, looking out on the side lawn. In true English Setter form, they sit ever so quietly, silently watching as the two visiting bunnies work their way around the yard. Last night was different, however. All three dogs started to bark wildly. How odd, I thought, as I headed to the porch. I wondered what it was that the bunnies were doing to cause such raucous behavior in the dogs. I looked for the two small bunnies in the yard, but neither was to be found. Then, I looked farther out toward the hillside garden. Wow, I thought, that’s a huge bunny. As I stood staring, and the dogs continued to bark, what I thought was a huge bunny started moving around along the edge of the garden. That huge form isn’t in the shape of a bunny, I realized. No, it had a long tail, then quills became visible. A Porcupine! The wildlife scene had changed. Guess the bunnies know to stay away when a Porcupine is on the prowl, and the dogs see this visitor as a foe.
The dogs had to be brought inside to settle down. I watched as the poking creature slowly meandered up through the hillside garden and off into the woods beyond. I can only hope that he doesn’t make his way into the dogs’ fenced-in back area. I’d like to spare them the agony of being quilled. Hope Porcupines don’t become part of our nightly wildlife show!