Why did the turkey cross the road?

Hubs and I have new neighbors.

A flock of wild turkey have moved into the neighborhood.  The first time I saw them, there were seven and they were crossing the busy intersection near my house (in suburbia mind you).  The best part was—they were using the crosswalk!  I am serious about this. They were all lined up in a row, waddling across the road in the cross-walk.  They were headed out of a nicer residential area and were making their way to Walgreens.  I suspect they needed to pick up a Redbox movie and some diet root beer (I know that’s why I go to Walgreens).  That was on a Sunday morning back in January.

Since then, I’ve seen the turkeys a bunch of times.  Most often, I see them on my way to work.  What I love is that the wild turkeys have become a connection point in the community.  When I go into the store, I ask the cashier if she’s seen the turkeys lately.  Around the extended-family dinner table, we talk about who has had the most recent turkey sighting.  Those darn birds are famous. 

Here’s the sad part though, their numbers have been dwindling.  Back when I first spotted the turkeys crossing the road, there were seven.  My father-in-law claims he saw eleven in December.   And then there is the bagger at Jewel who claimed to have seen twenty-five, but I don’t trust him because he also bags my hamburger buns with my canned goods.   

Anyway, in February Hubs noticed that the count was down to six.  Then one day one of the birds appeared with a gimpy leg and then all of a sudden, there were only five.  About a month ago, the turkeys were down to three… and then just as suddenly, there were only two.  When Hubs was driving me to work last week, we saw only one.  Just one lonely turkey standing in an empty lot. 

Do you know how sad it is to see a lonely bird standing in a lonely, empty lot?

It’s downright depressing... and evidently the turkey thinks so too because he tried to commit bird suicide on Tuesday evening.  

My mother-in-law was driving home from work on Tuesday evening in her silver Toyota Echo.  She was headed up the road past the aforementioned, empty lot.  When she reached a red light, she pulled to a stop to wait for the green.  While waiting, she noticed the lone bird walk off the curb and walk in front of her car.  The only thing is, she never saw it come out the other side.  By the time the traffic light turned green, she still hadn’t seen the bird pass her car.  Not knowing what else to do, she turned on her hazards, got out of her car (with a line of other cars waiting behind her) and walked to the front of her vehicle.  Can you believe it—the turkey was SITTING right in front of her car!  She had to vigorously run at the bird, waving her arms in the air like a crazy person to get it to move.  

And there’s even more-- In the time that it took my mother-in-law to climb back into her car and pull away, the bird had walked around to the back of her vehicle and sat down in front of the SUV next in line.  Turkey and mashed potatoes anyone? 

Beautiful Weather

The weather has been unbelievable. I am talking 70 degree weather in March-- This may be commonplace down south, but I don't live in the South.  I live in the normally icy Midwest. I didn't even have to wear a coat today. Tomorrow, I'm planning on running laps out on the track during my lunch break (yes, I'm that girl now).

There's no doubt, this beautiful weather has me spending a lot more time outside. On Sunday, Hubs and I spent hours working in the backyard. The poor thing was in pitiful shape (the yard, not Hubs). For starters, there were little doggy "gifts" all over the lawn.  And where there was no dukey, there were sticks and leaves.

First line of defense--Hubs took up the rake and gave the whole yard a once over. I followed along behind him with my purple lawn gloves on.  I believe we filled five yard bags.

Once the grass was raked and cleared, Hubs spread grass seed and I uncovered my tulips and roses (already budding).  I also checked on the two lilac bushes we planted last fall; I was worried they weren't going to make it. I was excited to see that they are beginning to bud as well.  Hopefully, we will have fragrant lilacs greeting guests as they approach our home this summer.

Spring is in the air and it doesn't even officially start until next week.

Here's a perfect example of how bad the grass is in the back, but not for long (we hope).

Now that the yard is cleared, Hubs and I have big plans for the back. We want to keep babying the grass because there are currently several bald spots-- From the dogs, the removed greenhouse/sidewalk, and just the general lack of care the yard obviously went through before we arrived on the scene. We also want to tear out our wood deck and retaining wall. We want to replace the wood with flagstone, which should make the backyard look more clean and bright. We also want to move the fence next to the driveway, so that it is aligned with the house and not jutting out into the driveway like it is now.  Lastly (and this really isn't in the back, but more to the side of the house), we want to resurface our driveway; it's pretty shabby.

No matter how gross the grass is--Judson is always happy to be outside.

And Grace just wants to run. She's our sporty girl.

There is definitely a lot of work to be done, but we are determined to tackle as much as we can.  It will be a busy spring and summer.  Also, I have Hubs word that we will finish our master bedroom by May (and his fingers weren't crossed behind his back- I checked).