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Feeding Frenzy
by Peary Perry |
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I
think
when I started out in the Army; I was drawing about $90 a month. Somehow
this didn’t seem to be enough, and I worked hard to get promoted to
the next pay level of about $115 a month, as I recall. Now I was on
top of the world. High living. Generally ran out of funds about 5
days before the end of the month and I would end up hocking my portable
radio or a camera at the local pawnshop. Seemed like I did ok. Of
course, Uncle Sam was providing my food, housing and medical needs,
for whatever they were worth. Today, well, you know how it is. It
seems like the more we make, the more we spend.
There just seems to be more things to spend money on than in earlier
days gone by. I was looking out the front window, as I was thinking
about this article and it dawned on me that we feed cats, squirrels,
raccoons, possums, deer, many birds and Lord only knows what else.
Which gets me to thinking…who was taking care of them before we moved
here? Is there some sign out there that says…”Mr. and Mrs. Mullet
live here…drop on by for a good meal.”? Our place looks like a zoo
from time to time. If I try sleeping in on some mornings, I halfway
expect some disgruntled forest creature to come and ring the doorbell
to get the buffet going. I know the cats watch for me, since they
sit in the window in front of my desk and meow like crazy until we
go and feed them. The deer have gotten so they stand out in the yard
about 30 feet from me as I ladle out their daily corn ration. When
I’m late I seem to detect a look of anger in their otherwise sweet
faces. They seem to be saying…”Look stupid, we need to eat …now.”
I think they secretly talk about me as well. I may need to see a doctor
about some of this.
We don’t overfeed, but I think we have inadvertently gotten these
critters in the daily habit of stopping by our house for a snack to
supplement whatever their normal diet is composed of. It must be common
knowledge that we are easy and that guilt works on us. I have to really
talk to myself and remind myself that these things have been feeding
themselves without my help for many, many years. Am I enabling them
to the point that they won’t be self-sufficient? God, I hope not.
I have tested this theory out and when we get back from some trip
of a couple of days, I’m relieved that there aren’t any little dead
bodies laying around on my front porch.. One of the oddest things
that have occurred is the emergence of a small honeybee. Not that
honeybees are all that strange. Except this one has taken up residence
in my radio on the porch. There are 4 little holes in the back of
the case where the thing screws together. These are about the size
of a pencil. This little bee works and works inside of these little
holes. We have yet to figure out what he is doing. He can’t be building
a nest…since the holes are so small. He is busy though, just busy
as a …., well you know. He’s been there for over a month, every night
in and out, doing whatever makes him happy. We have starting thinking
that maybe; he’s building himself a little weekend place for himself.
You know, away from the maddening hive. Right by the hummingbird feeder.
So cheap grub is always available. Kind of a retreat for a hard worker.
I don’t have any other ideas about what he could be doing, so this
is just as good as any other ones that you can think of.
Feeding the forest isn’t for the faint of heart either. Many times
you will go out to the trash and something just leaps out from the
night to surprise you. Perhaps they got shut out earlier in the day
and wanted to be first in line in the morning. Who knows? All I know
is that the guys in the feed store love me and must think I have some
huge ranch somewhere. Or maybe they don’t since I hardly look like
a cowboy. It’s a tough job, but as they say…somebody has to do it.
Of course all of this costs money, which is where I started off in
the first place. I’ve looked over the cost and it figures out to me
that I can take care of what needs to be done and buy the feed necessary
for about what it costs me to eat out at some decent restaurant every
month. Now, seeing as I am always looking for a new way to lose weight,
this doesn’t seem to be much of a decision.
As always, I’m open for comments of the good kind at www.pearyperr.com.
On the other hand I’m never open to negative stuff since it tends
to disrupt my even vibration force flow. Send those negatives thoughts
to me % Box BR549. Who knows where that came from? See you next week.
© Peary Perry
Letters From North America
August 3, 2007 column
Syndicated weekly in 80 newspapers
Reply to Comments:
Thanks for your comments on my column…you’re correct in the packaging
issue…they get harder and harder every time I look around….they even
have devices to open these now….as for feeding the deer…..I stopped
after visiting a phd over in Llano…he said that corn was only about
4% protein and the rest is sugar……says it is terrible for deer as
it is like giving them Snickers…..you might look into it and see if
you can find some different protein enriched feed for them……take care
and thanks again for writing…. - pp, August 18, 2007 |
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