Wile E. Coyote

Ever watch Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner?  Before you jump to conclusions, no, they have not made a visit to the farm.  I was just wondering if you ever watched them.  I bet ACME has gone out of business since they took them off television.  Another sad, sad example of a weak economy.

This will be a short, short story.  I know you don't think that I am capable of such a thing, but I am going to prove you wrong.  Here we go...

Last weekend, my Full-Timer was on barn duty.  She usually takes one day of the week-end and that is her shift.  She headed outdoors, and I was trying to get my day going.  I think I had showered, and was in the process of trying to get some coffee made. 

A critical step in any successful day.

Like most women, I already had fifty-two things running through my head.  One item in particular revolved around my Full-Timer, and I had it in my mind to talk to her about it when she came back inside.  It wasn't long, and she busted through the door, into the kitchen.  She was talking and I was talking.  Neither one of us hearing the other, and we were repeatedly interrupting each other.  We were both getting really agitated, me probably more so because I am the elder party here.  I mean, really?  A little respect.  Besides, what I had to say directly related to her and a situation that she needed help with.

Finally, between words, she blurted out, "It is about your Chickens!" 

Okay, so she had my attention.  What about my chickens?  Apparently, she had let the girls out, and was inside checking water and filling feeders.  As she was winding things up, she came out the door just in time to see the cat screaming by.  He was in a full sprint from the pasture to the horse barn.  He was cruising at a speed that made her stop and wonder what that was all about.  About the same time, she heard a chicken.  She stepped around the back of the barn to see a coyote in hot pursuit of one of my girls.

I didn't have to ask what she did about the discovery, because by now she was spilling the story as fast as the words would come out.  She didn't take a second to think about the situation, she just yelled, "Hey!"  That was enough to make the coyote stop, and allow the chicken to keep running back to the barn.  As the chicken ran by my Full-Timer, the coyote considered the meal he was losing.  He took his eyes off of my Faithful Helper, and looked back in the direction of his breakfast, as if considering to continue his pursuit.  At this moment, my Full-Timer again yelled, "Hey!"  She also made a move to step between the hunter and the hunted.  Mr. Coyote could tell she meant business, so he turned and ran back to the creek.

Now, all of this is shocking to me on so many different levels. 

1.  I have never seen a coyote that close to the barn.

2.  My girl confronted a coyote to save a chicken.

3.  My girl did not run for the house, leaving said chicken to deal with it alone.

4.  Not only did she confront a coyote, she then made it clear that she meant it.

5.  She was willing to take me on so that she could tell her story first.

As if that wasn't enough, as the coyote ran to the creek, she pursued it to see where it was headed.  Upon reaching the creek, the coyote was gone.

This may be a little more understandable if you understand past behavior of my Full-Timer.  I think I have written about her usual behavior during times of excitement on the farm.  As a matter-of-fact, I know I have.  If you missed it, you can catch up on things by clicking here.  To say that this new behavior blew me away would be an understatement. 

After telling her tale, she then immediately went on a rant about how I don't listen to anything she says.  She told me how rude I am because I don't listen to her.  She expressed how frustrated I made her because I kept interrupting her.  She then closed with how ungrateful I am because I did not stop interrupting until I learned that she wanted to tell me something about my chickens.

At times I am a little slow, but I think she was insinuating that I put my chickens above her. 

Once she paused to catch her breath, I did tell her I was going to write about this on my Blog.  She said that she knew I would.  She then informed me that if I didn't share how I was trying to talk over her until I learned that it was about my girls, she would tell her side in the comment section.  At this point, she turned and left the room.

I hope I have satisfied her requirements here.  I will again close with the fact that what I had to say revolved around her, and therefore I was putting her above anything else. 
   
P.S.
She did get the chickens back in the barn before she came inside and had it out with me.  They are all safe and sound for now.  We have not seen the coyote again, but I feel like he will come back eventually.  We are taking measures at this time to be ready for him.  If either one of us has our way, it will be the last chicken hunt he goes on.