Visitor

It is not unusual for us to look toward the end of our fenced-in yard and see deer, but it is a rare sight to see a single, female wild turkey at the deer's feeding area, as happened this morning.

She was there for a little while, scratching at the ground, picking up the corn and nuts and other seed that we put out for the deer. The crows also have started hanging out in that area, often right along the deer themselves.

Lizzy noticed her and started barking and the bird must have heard her across the yard even through the closed glass doors and windows because she thought better of the stop at the free salad bar and scrambled toward the woods.

Story has it that Benjamin Franklin didn't want the eagle as the U.S. national symbol, proposing instead the wild turkey because of its intelligence and despite its evident homeliness. Since we moved in last July, we've seen rafters of the wild turkeys hanging around this area. But this is the first time we've had a single visitor and we wondered how she'd gotten separated from her group.

At least February is now done (finally!), earning the infamous distinction of the being the snowiest of its kind in Ohio history. Perhaps now that March is upon us the weather gods will be kinder and stop dumping snow and buffeting us with frigid temperatures. Here's to hoping.