Walden's Pond

"Where are the hens?" my husband and I asked each other as we drove down the hill to the chicken yard to feed them yesterday. The gate to their pen was standing open, yet we could only see one chicken enjoying its freedom over in the house yard.  Our son must have let them "free range" when he left last evening after a late visit to the farm.

When they heard the car door, one by one our feathered friends emerged through the little door of their coop, hopping down rather gingerly and diffidently.  We counted, and they were all there, so when the stray hurried toward us, we fastened their gate.  Maybe something had scared them into keeping close quarters, we thought.  Or else they didn't like the high winds blowing like a gale.

As is our habit, we drove through the pasture to watch the ducks gathered in picturesque panorama on the pond.  Howard particularly found the peaceful scene relaxing and therapeutic.  "Look at that!" I exclaimed at the flap of huge wings that made the ducks seem small in comparison.  "A heron!" I cried, as the beautiful bird landed on a limb of a dead tree across the lake.  There was always something new to see here!

I called our son, Greg, and told him about the sighting.  He was pleasantly surprised, and remarked wryly that maybe that's what was getting our fish.  He and his father had had less than stellar results fishing on Saturday. He mentioned that he had been out to feed the dog during his lunch hour and had let our chickens out.  Good! I thought.  At least the gate hadn't been open all night.

Suddenly a streak that was almost a blur caught my attention across the lake.  Something was running like the wind!  Was it two dogs?  I heard the sudden barking of dogs, but I realized it was from dogs in a pen startled by what was flying past.  Too large for foxes, I realized the darkly silhouetted forms had a cat-like shape, smooth and curved with long tails.  "Howard, those are bobcats!"  I exclaimed.  Soon they were gone from sight, obviously heading for a thicket across the highway. Wow!  I would hate to be out here alone, with that kind of wildlife about.  Is that why the chickens were staying so close to home?

We are always trying to identify animal prints along the water's edge, recognizing canine (we thought), pawprints, the crisply defined toe-prints of a racoon, or cloven hoof tracks that could be deer.  Now we had another imprint to watch out for! Ferocious or benign, from deer, ducks, birds, raccoons or bobcats, every species leaves its "footprints" as evidence of its presence, even the fish's skeletal remains.  In their fascinating existence, these amazing creatures all have one thing in common:  They bear the fingerprints of God!