I have caught five 'possums and done some major security up grades on the coop...set two traps again tonight...earlier in the evening I walked out on the deck to shake out a rug and all the chickens and geese were frozen in time looking to the easterly fence...so I looked too...a very large grey fox was about two feet outside the fence licking his chops and staring at the chickens...tonight, after I sign off, I will be out in the coop sleeping with the chickens and my gun...Walter the roo was trying to get out of the chicken yard and get close to the house...he kept trying to call the girls to come with him but they went into the coop and he eventually went in with them...he has been injured by a predator and saw the fox...I thought all of his feathers were going to fall out...in the dark I gathered him and his remaining girls and moved them to the kennel where they are close to the house with a spot light on them...in the dark, I moved all the goose pools and feeders up to the fence line under the security light with a spot light on them...everyone is nervous but mostly me...game must be getting scarce and the word is out about the "diner" in my back yard...Walter has lost several of his girls and I feel so badly for them all...between the long list of predators, it has been rough around here the past three weeks since they found us...we were at peace for two years...I guess it is our turn to fight for our bird's survival...even one of the hawks buzzed the yard this morning and sent every one running for shelter...I am so sick of this...I will be pulling guard duty just like I did in the Army but it will be longer shifts...we seem to get hit between midnight and 4 a.m...I do have a heavy duty charger coming and I am going to hot wire the darn place as soon as I can get all the parts and my son has a day off to help me...
