... all is calm ...

    A co-worker recently asked me how my dog liked the new house and state, and it occurred to me that there has been a significant change in Charlie since we arrived.  A reflection, I was told by a friend, of the change in me also.

    In Wisconsin, he barked constantly.  At every sound, every car door slam, every dog bark, every shadow of someone walking past the house.  He was constantly on edge and defensive.  Which when I thought about it, made sense.  He never knew who [or rather what] would be coming through the door.  An angry man, a drunk man, a high on meth man.  He never knew if someone would slam in the back door, the front door, break a window, rip out a screen and come in a window.  He never knew if the man would be alone or with other drunks, and high, angry men.  If they would play loud, electric guitars all hours of the night with amps that popped and terrified him.

    Here, he has rarely barked, and even the few times when a stranger was at the door or in the house to make repairs, he was quickly forgiving and welcoming.  He is relaxed.  Peaceful, and sometimes I catch him just sitting calmly on the back patio, enjoying a spot in the sun, watching the world go by.

    There is a dog one lot over that barks constantly.  Charlie could care less.  Cars come and go on the street, much closer than they did in Wisconsin.  People get in and out.  Charlie could care less.  Although he does still hate the UPS driver.

     When we go for rides around the area, he has a sense of curiosity about him, rather than apprehension.

     The birds here seem to be a little unsure about my intentions with feeding them.  I've had feeders out for the past two weeks and they still appear to be full.  I finally put some food in a tray on the patio table to see if they just didn't like what I was offering.

    I think it is just that there is an abundance of 'wild' food available.  I haven't seen any chickadees, but tufted titmice are the local comedians.  There are three of them that I've seen at one time, and they sneak down to the tray like they are little thieves, grab a sunflower seed and dash off like they are afraid of getting caught.

    The cardinals, however, just settle in and eat their fill, completely ignoring the other birds.

    Carolina wrens are really the only ones I've seen at the feeders, and they are pretty happy with not having any competition.  I'm hoping that I will see more birds in the spring and that I can finally identify the trees in the back yard.  It is a toss-up between green ash or dogwood.