Too much drama

First Dog gets doused with skunk. Then a fox tries for the chickens on Sunday night, and last night an owl tried for the chickens. I believe that the dry weather has pushed the predators to spots they wouldn’t ordinarily be and to try things they wouldn’t ordinarily try. If my theory is correct, the rain that dampened the forest early this morning should put an end to all the drama. I hope so.

Dog is well, and his stink is now at a lower level. At least it is low enough to allow him back in the cabin during a storm. The chickens are well, too, but after two attempts on their pen in as many days, they are jumpier than usual.

Last night the chickens woke me up around 3 a.m. They were all worked up, but nothing was visible. They wouldn’t settle down, though, and then I heard a great horned owl call close by. I shone my headlamp in the direction of the sound but couldn’t find anything through the dense canopy of leaves. The girls took a long time to mollify and longer to settle down.

Just before 5 a.m. a thunderstorm rumbled through the forest, lighting up the sky and waking me up yet again. I went through the cabin, closing windows, relieved to hear the sound of rain on the roof and glad that it didn’t fall in a downpour. The rain was steady but would likely do some good and not just run off. By daylight, nearly an inch of rain had fallen in about 2 hours or so. That’s a good start, though after days of a heat wave and no rain, a bit more wouldn’t hurt. I sure hope it’s enough to ease the nightly dramas that have plagued my last few sleeps, though.