Spring Awakenings

Spring awakenings conjures up in my mind the singing of birds, the sweet smell of blooming jasmine, warm breezes, and of course spring break from all the kids' activities. But that was not to be here! Oh no, our Spring awakening happened on Monday morning at 4:00 a.m. by someone banging on our door, not knocking mind you, banging HARD. Of course we were sound asleep, and snug in our beds.

Now we don't have too many visitors at our house anytime day or night. We live in the middle of 26 acres, so it's not likely that someone is just going to stop by. Well, we were startled awake by the banging, and of course, the dog barking like mad! My husband fumbled in the dark looking for his shorts to put on, and I looked out our French doors and saw lights shining in the pasture. He and I were trying to figure out who could be banging so hard on our door at this time of morning and shining a flashlight through the side-lights of the front door. He finally managed to make his way hurridly to the front door to be greeted by not one, but two Hernando County Sheriff Deputies! Well, they were called by our newspaper delivery person. The delivery driver heard screaming coming from our house. Yes, screaming!!! Now mind you, all our windows are closed, and the delivery driver has his motor running. What could he possibly hear? The sheriff deputy questioned my husband and wanted to know who else was in the house. Then they questioned me to make sure I was o.k. They also proceeded to ask how old the children were. Of course I told them 8 and 10. Not thinking that they are 10 and 12!! Who answers these kinds of questions clearly at 4:00 a.m. We couldn't possibly think of what that delivery person heard that made him call the police?! The officer told my husband that maybe the children were having nightmares and screaming in their sleep. Oh yes, I'm sure that was it, even though my husband and I heard no sound coming from their rooms and the newspaper deliverer hear all this through the walls of our house. Once the deputies were satisified that we were all o.k., they left. WE were still puzzled and mad of course of what possessed that driver to call them. At last it came to us.................THE PEACOCK!! Yes, that has to be it!! Mr. Purty, our resident peacock, had to have sent out his cries in the early morning for the benefit of the newspaper delivery person. The peacock was sleeping in the tree near the driveway, which is not his usual sleeping spot. The dog happened to chase him earlier in the evening, and he escaped by flying up to the first branch he could reach. I guess the peacock decided it was too late to roost in his usual spot and slept peacefully till the lights and sound of the delivery drivers car awoke him! Never a dull moment on the farm!