Our farmhouse is frequented by all manner of birds but some of the more memorable are the California quail families and a pheasant named Percy.
I didn't name the pheasant, the landlord did, but I'm glad he's a Percy because it means he is seen as a neighbor and not a shooting target.
About two weeks ago we had a strong earthquake which shook the house for an extended period of time and made me literally sit up and take notice.
I have a rather casual "wait and see" attitude toward most earthquakes born out of experiencing a series of minor, non threatening ones whilst living in California.
This one was different however. I caught a bad case of fight or flight that lasted even when the house had grown still. I felt on edge and anxious like I need to go somewhere and take action.
If I had been a horse in a paddock I would have been flaring my nostrils and tearing around in a maddened state.
One of the first things I saw out of my window as the shaking started was that Percy had flown up to the highest branches of a large tree and was proceeding to make a huge racket in what I can only describe as "a scolding tone."
He was not pleased with the irregular movements of the earth and by gum, everyone was going to hear about it.
On Sunday night we had another earthquake at around 3 am and Nick decided he needed to talk to me about it. I however, still being somewhere between sleep and the waking world, made the call that the shaking was really just a gentle rocking motion and that full wakefulness was not necessary. As I drifted back off I heard Percy let off a series of protestation cries in the night.
About an hour ago we had a brief rattling aftershock and Percy piped up just as briefly.
I think if he had the ability to fuss before the quake he might be a valuable early warning system.
As it stands he's just like a grumpy old man shaking his cane at people on the lawn or in this case, at the lawn shaking the people.
I didn't name the pheasant, the landlord did, but I'm glad he's a Percy because it means he is seen as a neighbor and not a shooting target.
About two weeks ago we had a strong earthquake which shook the house for an extended period of time and made me literally sit up and take notice.
I have a rather casual "wait and see" attitude toward most earthquakes born out of experiencing a series of minor, non threatening ones whilst living in California.
This one was different however. I caught a bad case of fight or flight that lasted even when the house had grown still. I felt on edge and anxious like I need to go somewhere and take action.
If I had been a horse in a paddock I would have been flaring my nostrils and tearing around in a maddened state.
One of the first things I saw out of my window as the shaking started was that Percy had flown up to the highest branches of a large tree and was proceeding to make a huge racket in what I can only describe as "a scolding tone."
He was not pleased with the irregular movements of the earth and by gum, everyone was going to hear about it.
On Sunday night we had another earthquake at around 3 am and Nick decided he needed to talk to me about it. I however, still being somewhere between sleep and the waking world, made the call that the shaking was really just a gentle rocking motion and that full wakefulness was not necessary. As I drifted back off I heard Percy let off a series of protestation cries in the night.
About an hour ago we had a brief rattling aftershock and Percy piped up just as briefly.
I think if he had the ability to fuss before the quake he might be a valuable early warning system.
As it stands he's just like a grumpy old man shaking his cane at people on the lawn or in this case, at the lawn shaking the people.
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