A Coyote Visit (Disclaimer - a hen met its demise in the making of this story)

If you have chickens, at some point, you're going to have critters that want to eat them for supper. Before we acquired our first flock of "girls," we fortified the little shed in our backyard to make it the equivalent of a poultry "Fort Knox." Knowing our "neighbors" included coyotes, raccoon, owls and eagles, we wanted to make sure our chickens would be protected. So, we completely enclosed a little hen yard (including a roof) adjacent to the sturdy little shed. When that was complete, we told our boys, who were 9 and 11 at the time, that it was time to order our chicks.

We went online (yes, you can even order chickens online) and each of us chose two chicks, for a total of a variety of eight breeds. The order was placed and a few days later, we received a call from the post office telling us to come and pick up our peeping package.

CHICKEN FUN FACT: Newly hatched chicks have a three day supply of yolk still in their system to sustain them while being shipped. How cool is that?


We loved our new girls, raising them first in a box in our home, then graduating to a dog crate in the garage, before moving them out to the newly secured coop. There they grew and thrived. But, it always bothered me that they were stuck to the confines of their shed and hen yard, and much to Paul's dismay, I insisted they be able to run "free range" while we were home. Even though Paul had warned me of the possible predator attacks, it came as a shock when one day I went outside to see a coyote carrying off one of our beloved hens. Even though I was within 10 feet, I gave chase, but to no avail. I watched as that coyote stole off with the limp chicken body into the woods.

You would think that I had learned my lesson, but that was not the case. I still let the girls out, but only when I was out in the backyard as well. This worked for a few weeks, until one day when I had to make a quick trip to the store.

It was a Sunday and Paul had just gotten back from mountain bike riding.  He was about to take his post workout shower, when I hollered up to him, "I'm heading to the store, I'll be back in a bit." He had just finished with his shower when he heard a tremendous squawking coming from the backyard. He ran into our bedroom and looked out the second floor window. In the backyard below, he saw our chickens running to and fro, wings flapping, feathers flying. That's when he spotted a coyote circling along the back line of trees.

That's when he realized that he was standing in the middle of our back pasture naked,
as in butt nekkid.

He quickly dashed out of the bedroom, down the stairs and out the back door into the yard. With waving arms, he ran at the startled coyote. He yelled and chased it off of the property.  Uhh, remember how I mentioned that Paul has finished his shower?  Well, he had just finished his shower.  That's when he realized that he was standing in the middle of our back pasture naked, as in butt nekkid.  He rounded up the chickens and ushered them safely into their pen and then promptly retired to the house to get dressed. 

Fortunately, we didn't have any deliveries that day.

PASTURE PALS

10x8 inches, oil on linen canvas, 2016

BUY THIS PAINTING AT AUCTION Click on this link to bid: http://ebay.to/1GkcXfG

Pasture Pals - auction ends on Sunday, October 2nd at 9:00am PST. 

These horses lived in Napa, California on a farm that has since been turned into a winery. The setting is typical of California with the golden fields with Live Oaks and purple mountains in the distance. This painting is the first of a series I’m calling “Horse and a half.” I particularly like the “photo bomb” position of the horse peeking in on the right hand side of the canvas.