A Mouse in the House

by Michael Hofferber. Copyright © 1996. All rights reserved.

Among the most common sounds of autumn in the country, along with rustling leaves and crackling fires, is the scratching and scurrying that can be heard inside walls and rafters of almost every rural dwelling.

These are the sounds of the house mouse, mus musculus, one of the least welcome of guests and most difficult to dissuade. This uninvited visitor will eat, or chew on, almost anything and defecate everywhere. He contaminates food, causes damage to structures and property, and  carries dangerous diseases.

Introduced by 16th century pilgrims in the holds of their Atlantic-crossing ships, house mice followed the progress of Europeans in the New World, traveling in wagons and rucksacks and saddlebags and trains and trucks and planes across the continent and back, occupying pantries from Maine to Malibu.

Continued at... A Mouse in the House

Rural Delivery
The Nature Pages
Pest Control
Artwork: House Mouse

The Stories We Tell

by Michael Hofferber. Copyright © 1996. All rights reserved.

This is how we make sense of the day-to-day chaos in our lives. We tell stories to explain the decisions we made and the actions we took. We construct elaborate justifications for the wrong turns and credit foresight and planning for our lucky breaks.

We rarely, if ever, admit to following whims or being blinded by emotions. We assume that we are rational beings who act freely after calculating the pros and cons of a situation. That's the spin we put on our life stories.

But we are not so rational as we like to think.

Continued at... The Stories We Tell

Rural Delivery
Second Nature
The Nature Pages
Artwork: Rational Chaos by Philippe Sainte-Laudy

To Market, To Market

by Michael Hofferber. Copyright © 1996. All rights reserved.

To my way of thinking, urban life's only advantage over country living is the farmers market.

Sure, there are farmer's markets in smaller communities offering an abundance of local produce. And there's nothing quite like a roadside fruit stand for fresh-picked peaches, cukes or corn.

But you could take the same produce, the same catch of fish, and the same baked goods on a smaller scale and never be able to recreate the ambience of a Pike Place, the color and fragrance of a French Market, or the teeming symphony of a New York City greenmarket. It's like the difference between the minor leagues and the majors: nothing compares to The Show.

Continued at... To Market, To Market

Rural Delivery
Open Air Farmers Markets
Farmers Market Supply

In The Morning

by Michael Hofferber. Copyright © 1996. All rights reserved.

You are washed up out of dreams like a castaway, bobbing in the surf. There's an urge to linger, floating aimlessly, but the firm tide of purpose pushes you toward awareness, that solid land of here and now.

Another day begins in darkness, like so many others. You walk as if naked on the sands of a strange shore, fumbling for recognition. A switch on the wall creates startling light. In the mirror, the face of a newborn, a bit dazed and befuddled.

A cat herds you toward the kitchen, crying breakfast. You heat water on the stove, break eggs over a frying pan, pour milk from a carton.

The kitchen windows are dark and reflective. Hold a hand against the glass and look outside. Skies are clear. No sign of those showers. There's the moon, a soap shaving hanging above the horizon with Venus, the morning star.

Continued at... In The Morning

Second Nature
The Nature Pages
Artwork: Crescent Moon and Venus by John K. Nakata

Winter Visitors

by Michael Hofferber. Copyright © 1994. All rights reserved.

Among the most common sounds of winter in the country, along with rustling leaves and crackling fires, is the scratching and scurrying that can be heard inside walls and rafters of almost every rural dwelling.

These are the sounds of the house mouse, mus musculus, one of the least welcome of guests and most difficult to dissuade. This uninvited visitor will eat, or chew on, almost anything and defecate everywhere. He contaminates food, causes damage to structures and property, and  carries dangerous diseases.

Introduced by 16th century pilgrims in the holds of their Atlantic-crossing ships, house mice followed the progress of Europeans in the New World, traveling in wagons and rucksacks and saddlebags and trains and trucks and planes across the continent and back, occupying pantries from Maine to Malibu.

Continued at... Winter Visitors

Rural Delivery
Farm Fresh
The Nature Pages
Artwork: House Mouse

Country Auction

by Michael Hofferber. Copyright © 1998. All rights reserved.

Driving down almost any rural lane it's not uncommon to come across a sudden gathering of pickup trucks parked this way and that along the shoulders. Unless there's smoke rising from some burning barn, chances are there's an auction in progress.

Step outside and, sure enough, there's a cry of "Eight-five, five, five. I have eighty-five. Ninety, give me ninety," wafting across a fallow field.

Move up closer and you'll find old plows and roller harrows and cultipackers lined up on display along with cardboard boxes filled with bolts, drill bits and other assorted items. A crowd of bidders follows the auctioneer up and down rows of tractors and corrugators and shop tools, hovering over each item just long enough to determine whose bid will buy it and then moving on.

Continued at... Country Auction

Rural Delivery
Out of the Past
Shop Tools and Hardware
Artwork: Country Auction jigsaw puzzle

Small Souls

by Michael Hofferber. Copyright © 1999. All rights reserved.

Some people believe animals are incapable of reason; others argue that their wants and needs are as important as our own. Some people feel animals were put on earth to serve mankind; others maintain that they deserve equal rights. Some see evidence of individual souls in the eyes of the creature world, while others do not.

For most of us, our relations with animals are varied and contradictory. Domestic pets are often treated like members of the family, while closely related wild creatures are treated as vermin. Cows and pigs are raised to be slaughtered, while horses are often nurtured into old age.

Animal rights activists campaign against cruelty to pets and livestock, but rarely speak out for rats, shrews, starlings, voles or pigeons. Some rail about the evils of hunting, but turn a blind eye to the sufferings of abandoned pets.

Continued at... Small Souls

Rural Delivery
Animal Husbandry
Husbandry
Artwork: Panda and Baby

These Boots That Do The Talkin'

by Michael Hofferber. Copyright © 1997. All rights reserved.

I found myself leaning back in my chair today, feet propped up on the desk, and staring absently out the window. My sentences had turned short and brittle. I was feeling taller, tougher, angrier. I wanted to get out of town. And I felt like spittin'.

Then I realized it was my boots. Cowboy boots, that is.

I wear several types of shoes. They lie in a jumble beneath a coat tree in the kitchen. Each to its own place and season, this footwear is more than just leather and canvas. Powers of persuasion are sewn up in these soles.

Take the sneakers, for instance. Snug. Comfortable. Contoured for play and relaxation. Folks who wear sneakers often smile for no reason and wish strangers good day. It's hard to get mad at someone if you're wearing these shoes. No wars were ever started in sneakers.

Continued at... These Boots That Do The Talkin'

Rural Delivery
Boots
Footwear
Artwork: Cowboy Boots