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The lawn in my house has a story of its own to tell. Quite a few specimens of the animal kingdom come by to the lawn.
To start off, is this single-legged Mynah, a source of inspiration to me, and a heartwarming story to be shared. It comes to the lawn off and on in search of food.
Well, after some time, it decided to revisit the lawn, on April 14th, Hindu New Year’s Day.
It must have made its appearance on this auspicious day to tell me to write about it in my next write-up.
Each time it appears in my house compound, I watch it in awe. Though handicapped, it is so very independent, and moves around freely.
I have observed that it can stand steadily on its lone leg, and can hop around, unlike human beings who need crutches or a four-legged support. Simply fantastic!
It scoures the compound for food at its own leisure, and flies off after a while.
I only wished that it would stay for life in our lawn so that my wife and I could take greater care of it.
Anyway, fat hopes that it would fly by and land on my forearm, to be pampered.
Frankly, we would have given it permanent resident status for its deed of valour.
I admire its perseverance, tenacity and endurance, in living a normal life despite its handicap.
Some human beings need to take a leaf out of the example set by this Mynah, and to be more independent despite having four normal limbs.
The shrew is second on my list. It makes its appearance every now and then. They come for the organic waste that is thrown into the garden as compose.
Onion, garlic, apple and potato skin are some of the refuse that is discarded, to decay and form humus for the plants.
The shrew has a fair share of the spoils to pick and choose.
Since they aren’t really a nuisance, I let them help themselves to it, to get some brownie points along the way.
They dart across at supersonic speed, and at the very next moment they are somewhere else. No way I can take a snapshot of it.
I have to be very careful to see to it that the netted grill door is closed at all times, so that it doesn’t get lost in my house, or else, hell will break loose.
Cats too are on the list, but for the wrong reason. They are the naughty ones. They are aplenty in two of my immediate neighbouring houses.
These cats have the peculiar habit of keeping their own houses clean. What they do is, when they have to do their big business, they will go to a house nearby. How smart of them!
My house is very convenient for them. Early morning we will go for our walks, and when we return, their droppings will be left at our lawn to welcome us back. There will be no trace of the culprit.
No amount of spraying of water onto them or placing repellent pellets onto the lawn seem to act as a deterrent.
I have even tried being buddies with them, by allowing them a free pass in my compound, or to laze under my car in the porch.
The plan worked for a while. But, it was back to square one after that. They are a wily lot. Well, I am still in search of a solution.
By the way, they are all poor nightwatchman, closing one eye when the rats make their appearance.
However, the trick to ending the rats issue was, not to pour the water used to cleaning the fish/chicken, onto the plants in the garden.
Snails too are present in my lawn. They usually feed on the sawtooth coriander leaves that are grown in pots.
They aren’t too much of a nuisance, as they seem to feast themselves lightly on it. Their tailings are manure for the plant, and so I take it as a win-win scenario.
Small black fruit ants have a monopoly of the mango tree within the compound.
When I climb up the ladder to cover the mangoes with newspaper, they will sneak through my shirt to give me a bite or two. I accept it as I suppose they feel that I am infringing onto their area, which they are taking care of.
I have to wrap the mango fruit when it is still small, to ward off insects that will lay their eggs by piercing through the mango skin.
It is also wrapped to ward off the silhouetting mongoose from feasting itself over the ripening fruit in the night.
The lawn and surrounding plants are also sanctuary for the sparrows, magpies and some beautifully coloured birds.
It is a sight to behold, laying back on a rattan chair and observing them move from one place to another.
When I play the harmonium, they will be merrily chirping away in harmony.
Of course, the omnipresent crows can never be left out of the picture.
The only mode of destruction comes in the form of my grasscutter. Even when I barricade the plants with coconut shells or pots, he doesn’t fail to sever or injure at least one each time around. Probably his eyesight needs to be checked!
I am thankful that I live in an abode with a bit of open land space, where I can watch nature at play in a variety of forms. It is the spice of life in its own way.
