BY S U Z Y M c C R AY
LISTENING IN THE SIMPLE LIFE… This morning a man on social media proclaimed how much he enjoyed hearing his roosters crow in the early morning hours. Of course, I agreed! For the more than 30 years I heated only with wood, there was no mechanical sound of blowers coming on to impede my hearing. Even during the darkest night, I could be assured of the safety of my animals from the muted animal sounds I heard throughout the night. But if I heard an unusual cackling of the hens or alarms from the many guineas, I knew it was time to grab the shotgun and check out the barnyard! Now we keep the thermostat set to not come on
often so just before daybreak I can still hear my roosters as they begin to crow. As the sun begins to rise above our surrounding foothills of the Appalachians, I hear an occasional bleat as the goats line up single file across the fence waiting on Mack to bring their breakfast and fresh water. Even in the coolest temperatures, the ducks begin quacking as they splash in their blue plastic pools. And just as I try to roll over and snuggle under the well-worn quilt to snatch just another moment of sleep, Turkey Tom begins to gobble, probably lining up the 10 baby guinea keets who follow him around February/March 2022
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