And chickens at the back.

During the winter the deer come by our house almost daily. Sometimes when snow hid every bit of pasture, there would be five or six deer waiting near our door in the morning. My wife would talk to them like friends as she tossed out apples for them to eat. That happens less often during the summer, but they still know that this is a safe and welcome place to come. They often spend the night in the meadow near the front of our house.

Chickens have their own routine. They spend the day roaming our large fenced-in backyard. However, they often come up to the back window looking for food. Often my wife takes something out to them.

Over the years we have seen a wide variety of birds that return to the area every summer. These include eagles, hawks, doves, and pigeons. Just like in California, we have swallows that return each year. 

Rabbits and squirrels don’t hibernate during the winter, but they do hunker down in their homes, try to stay warm, and sleep more. So, we don’t often see them in the winter. But we’ve already started to see more of them as the days grow longer and warmer. By summer they will be out in abundance. We have to keep the barn doors closed or they would both be inside eating the chicken food—along with the chickens.

Living in the country can be hard work, but I wouldn’t want to live in a city or even a suburb ever again.