On The Prowl...

Our hens really look forward to autumn...

After we are through with the garden

for the season...

They are allowed to range free

 almost all day every day.

We're free at last!

Such was the case on Saturday...

The "ladies" spent the better part of the day

Traveling around through the leaves

and what was left of the garden...

Running up to the back door whenever it opened

Hoping that someone would toss out a tasty treat.

Generally, in our home,

as soon as Samuel rises in the morning...

He runs out to the henhouse...

And frees the captives.

On Sunday morning, however,

for no apparent reason

We left the "girls" in their pen...

Thankfully...

For it wasn't long before my husband said,

"I think we have a visitor..."

A beautiful but sneaky fox

was sitting just at the edge of the woods

spying on our "ladies"

Thinking about the tasty dinner

that awaited him.

We watched for a while

From the kitchen window

As he sunned himself by the pond

And then began to creep ever closer

To the coop.

Finally, my husband decided

that it was time to scare him away.

Up to this point,

he had no idea that we were watching him,

But as soon as the back door opened

He was gone in a flash.

"We'd better leave the hens in today,"

my husband advised.

"He might be back."

Well, the fox did not return...

But after dinner

just as we were about to take a walk

Another visitor stopped by...

There she was...
Just sitting in the big tree
That overlooks the pen...

My husband, old eagle eyes himself,

Spotted her first.

She had no idea we were watching...

Until we pushed open the screen door

She silently swooped down over the pen

And was gone into the woods.

We were very grateful that we had left

the hens in their pen...

But, we didn't know how grateful

Until our third visitor arrived...

A lady who was up for Thanksgiving
staying with one of our neighbors
Was out walking her dog.

She was unaware that we had chickens
Until her dog took off down our driveway
And headed out back for the coop.
Once again, the hens were saved
because we had left them in the pen.

The dog was so excited at his potential catch
He didn't see us standing in the backyard
So we were able to quickly take a hold of his collar
As the lady hurried to put him back on his leash.

If it had been Saturday,
Our entire flock of hens
would have been wiped out in one day...
But thankfully, we were "watching"

And, once again, as I took a deep breath,
And gave thanks..
 I was suddenly reminded of the times
When perhaps I forgot
And thought that no one was watching...

When I was being  "sneaky"...
Thinking I could get away with something...
Doing something that I know I shouldn't be doing...

Perhaps it was just a little bit of gossip...
Or an unkind thought about someone
A touch of pridefulness or boasting
or jealousy perhaps...
Or, as Nana would say
"Butting my nose in where it doesn't belong."

I may have tried to justify it with
"Well, I'm not hurting anyone"
or
"It's really not a bad thing"...

When I knew in my heart of hearts
That it grieved my Lord.

And so, as I give thanks that our Lord
saw fit to protect our small flock this Sunday...
I also give thanks
that He is always watching...

And I pray...
That the Holy Spirit will continue
to prompt me to repentance
whenever I have a mind
to be "sneaky"...

"The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way:
but the folly of fools is deceit."
Proverbs 14:8

"Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit,
hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind."
I Peter 2:1