My Home Entertainment Center

As my aunt has said to me, Culebra, while certainly the place for me, is not the center of the cultural universe. I always beg to differ, especially since we now have a library and a movie theater, a ballet once a year, the occasional appearances of world famous musicians, and Dinghy Dock open again, not necessarily in that order. But I admit, most of my personal entertainment happens in my yard, a never ending series of random events that keeps boredom out of my vocabulary.

This would have to be a mini-video to do it proper justice (I haven't gotten there with the camera yet). Right now, there are millions of these flutterby's on Culebra. When I walk through the tall grass, it explodes with white wings, disturbed from their pursuit of feeding, or in the late afternoon, resting, looking not at all unlike a slightly yellowed leaf. Stillness. Explosion. Stillness.

From my bay I often see boats of every description heading in between the channel markers. They either hang a hard right toward Dakity or gently shift to come into Ensenada Honda. Once in awhile they bear straight ahead to anchor as far as they dare come into Coronel, usually not too far, as it gets really shallow. Good thing.

Horses and chickens. Can you think of Culebra and not think about horses and chickens? I can't. I don't mean my chickens, spoiled and dependent on the likes of me (and the friends who help out when I'm not around), for plenty of food and water, giving eggs in return. I'm talking about the hundreds of wild chickens roaming the island...yet each pretty much sticking to their own neighborhoods, rotating as time moves them on to chicken heaven.

I had a rooster around here once for a couple of years who sounded like someone had tried to strangle him in his youth. He'd try to get friends to answer him but his cracking crow wasn't that inspiring. The other day, I heard a similar crowing and wondered if it was a offshoot relative. I've only heard him once though, so maybe he got a phone call mid-crow and isn't genetically impaired at all.

When I first saw this tableau, the horse had her head deep in the bucket, with the rooster working to shove her out of the way. At first I thought there was a goat over there, or that the horse had grown a new and feathery head. Most animals back down from the chickens and rightly so.

He got the horse moved and got deep in the bucket, with surveillance breaks every few seconds. 

Mama and I were thinking the same thing ~ who's watching the kids? Who HAD the kids? Who does all the work around here? Who needs that food most? Hmmmmmm?

There was not much delay between thought and action

Papa's not a fool. Selfish and strutting cock-o-the-walk, yes. Self preserving? Yes again.

But he's also bigger and she still had to keep an eye on the kids

I could swear there was disgust in her eyes as she rounded up her little brood and moved off into the mangroves

Hard to believe this cat chased three dogs out of the yard earlier. I would have missed seeing it happen out the window except for the whimpering of one of them; probably the pit bull, who is very  friendly - not being torture trained as a fighter, he is quite a wimp when it comes to dealing with CWIM. Inside, with fur puffed far beyond her normal size, 'My work is done for the day, reward food please.'

Have a take your stand Tuesday. Do something territorial.