Cold December Morn

These mornings are clear and cold. After the rain the chicken pen is wet and cold.
I go out early in my bathrobe to feed the animals and let out the chickens and pea-
cocks so they can get out in the sun. Then I go into the house and sit by the fire and
read. I'm reading, "Animal, Vegitable, Miracle " by Barbara Kingsolver. Can she
write! It's especially along my interests to read both seed catalogs and books about
gardening as I think ahead to the coming season. After the fire died down a bit
I went out on the back porch to sit in the sun. It is actually warmer there than in
the house. There I sat with a blanket over my knees communing with the peacocks
and reading a bit more. Later I got dressed and got busy. I put out some leaves in
great piles that I had picked up from town when I saw a man raking. I created
berms for the rain water to soak in from a runoff area. The rotting leaves will
create a great sponge for the water. I have plans of building a pond just below
the berms. This is in the auxilary horse pasture to the back and side of the house.
I also then dug two holes and planted two trees, also in the auxilary horse pasture.
It concerns me that I am spending so much on animal feed. I'm trying to grow some
of their food and I feel trees that have edible leaves like mesquites and memosa's
will help . I have been also been going out with the hoe and digging small holes
and planting birdseed and millet. I don't know if it will work as the birds follow
up. They dig and scrath where I have planted. Now there are little hollows
where I planted. I have so many birds that are making this their home. Like the
peacocks who like my back porch I have two young thrashers, three young
cactus wrens and four young ring neck doves who stay close to the back porch
where they were hatched. They believe everything I plant is for them.