Gumboots & Roses

The hen squawked in terror so loudly I could hear her in the farmhouse. Already tromping around in my gumboots, I quickly ran out to the garden only to find her being viscously pursued by a tail less Racoon.

I shouted “Get your sorry arse away from my hen you greedy bugger!! He high tailed it for the back garden gate and easily jumped the 6 ft to the top. Without a backward glance.

We were down to one hen, Joanie. The last of five we had raised from chick. Two had been roosters Clyde and Zeus. Bonnie & Mags, made the troop that fed my family lovely fresh eggs for three years in total. Clyde was quickly chased off by our dominant rooster Zues and became a lucky meal for the pack of coyotes that lurked all throughout the greenspaces on our urban farmstead.

Now Zues was a total ass, he did not tolerate and the slightest thing out of order in his garden. In fact I was only allowed in to tend the garden and feed the hens and himself. My husband Noah could go in by himself also, but if I joined him to work in the garden Zues would attack him. My teenage and young adult sons were also persona non grata in his realm which must of course be Mount Olympus.

He sent my oldest screaming in terror to the swinging gates of the garden entrance and kept on going.

Walking back now to the farmhouse with eggs and basil and dill and roses, I called on my way in, “Honey that raccoon is after Joanie again, I think we need to leave her in the enclosure for a while. Noah is my second husband, I married him when I was 43 and my sons were young men.

We built this place together, this garden of Eden. Twelve foot tall marijuana plants the crown jewel of our piece of paradise. We were married beneath them.

“Today I will install some roofing over her pen as well, that should stop that coon from his plans” Thank you honey she is our only layer left and the co op is not able to get any more layers this year.” He kissed me on his way out, slipped on his boots and bounded down the stairs to complete his task. Noah has been a very established bachelor and had no children of his own. A bit of a pirate in his ways, he had made a sharp right turn to become part of our lives. I am forever grateful. We had recently lost a baby at 11 weeks, we had been about to announce this miracle when I lost her. It became a very difficult matter of the heart for us both.

I had three beautiful sons from my previous marriage and I felt that I had let him down, and the odds of me conceiving again at 43 were almost zero. It almost ended our marriage. He would not agree that I needed to let him go, so we continued to build our garden and harvest it’s medecines and it’s bounty. Our health flourished, our connection to the land and to each other did also. Two years later at 45 years of age, We were blessed with a beautiful healthy perfect baby boy.

Life is full of opportunities to love create and to grow. I live and love with my family everyday with a full heart.

Miracles are everywhere for those with eyes to see and ears to hear.