Yes, we live in the city...at least, within the city limits. For the first time in my life, I "pay" for water. City water, that is. That bothered me a lot at first, paying for water, until I realised that everyone pays for water, even if they have a private well, they have to pay for the electric pump to get it out of the ground.
Well, of course, we have lived several places where our water was indeed free, because we had to throw a bucket down the well and bring it up on the end of a rope.
Our "city" has 3500 people in it, and they seem like good, honest folks. I like towns where there isn't any tourism stuff going on, or, at least, not much. And our town is like that. We don't have a stoplight in the town, nor is there one in our county. The county doesn't have a movie house either.
In fact, we have to drive to the next state to get to our nearest movie theater. But that sounds worse than it is....that theater is across the Columbia River and only 35 miles away. We don't go to the movies that much, anyway.
But, oh the joys of living here in the "city!"
Tonight, my husband waved me frantically to the window to look at the yearling deer in the front yard drinking from our birdbath. It so reminded me of a children's poem I wrote titled, Deer Outside My Window, and the one line states that we have so many deer in our yard, they are "drinking from my birdbath making bubbles with their noses!"
This little fella was having a nice, cool sip of water without hoofing it down the hill to the seasonal creek at the bottom of the canyon across the road. Can't say I blame him. But then, his brother or sister walked up behind him and starting to eat the leaves on a small, transplanted maple tree I've been nurturing, and then, no more thoughts of cuteness! I swung open the door and "shhh'd" at them to get the heck out of my yard.
To my credit, I didn't let the little hound dog out, he would have traumatized them!
A week or so ago, we had a nice Tom Turkey come up close to the living room window to get the crackers and dried bread we leave out there at the edge of the railing for the birds. My husband built six birdhouses this spring and set them out and about the front and back yards. We have received so much entertainment and joy from the bird families that took up residence in those houses.
Bluebirds, gold finches, and nuthatches galore! In fact, we can often look at the birdbath and see about ten little goldfinches out there watering at the same time, and know they hatches from eggs inside the houses we provided this spring. We all feel like one, big family!
Ah, the joys of city livin'!
