THE COUGAR AND THE PEACOCK
True Tales of the farm

Who would have thought that the farm located very near the Big City would hold such delight, so many adventures, surprises and discoveries for two generations of the Buck family? Orah tells of the peacock who loved strawberry yogurt, a scary visit from a cougar, the discovery of countryside heronry, the unexpected find of an archaic adze, and even criminal invasions on a country road, among other unusual happenings. Nature lovers and environmentalists will find much pleasure in these stories, particularly the effort to save the eastern bluebirds and the sincere respect accorded to wild and cultivated areas and their inhabitants. Away from their city homes on weekends and holidays, the Bucks learned to appreciate nature’s bounty and endless variety and to wonder at the many creatures that shared the land with them. The stories are suffused with deep gratitude for this pristine, bountiful “great good place.” This endearing memoir is brought to life with hundreds of Orah’s photographs.

© Orah Buck ISBN# 0-9681733-1-4

101 page softcover book.
True tales with numerous colour photos.

The Peacock Who Loved Berry-nice Frozen Yogurt

It was a foggy, wet June day when the delivery man said, "Lady, is that your peacock over there by the pond?" "We have a lot of crows, blue jays, robins and cardinals but I've never seen a peacock here," Orah said. "Wait, I'll get my camera and you can show me where you spotted the peacock."


They walked along the driveway until they reached the pond. Orah spotted the peacock off in the distance. As the driver left, Orah clicked her camera taking photographs to prove the unbelievable - that a peacock had appeared out of the wilderness. She was so excited, she didn't know whom to call first. Orah tried Adam, but he was in a meeting. Then she called Ruthie at work to tell her, "There's a peacock out here. And I've named him Sir Peek-a-boo because of the way he suddenly appeared."

Orah sat there all alone. She was still just bursting to tell somebody, anybody, everybody. So she called Margaret and Art, her bird-watching friends. Margaret said, "Do you want to keep it? If you want that peacock to stay, you'll have to feed it." Orah could barely lift the huge bag of birdseed Adam had bought for the other birds, but she managed to sprinkle the whole bag over the farm in trails leading up to the bedroom window. And then she waited - and thought. Maybe the peacock belongs to someone? So, she called her neighbours. "Is the peacock yours?", she asked one and all.

They all thought Orah was a little crazy. No peacock had ever lived in the area. There were no bird sanctuaries or zoos nearby. Then Orah called a zoo in the far-off city. A zookeeper told her that a lot of farmers keep peacocks because their sharp claws and loud honking sounds chase away animals and insects that might eat crops. "Peacocks are very tough birds. They can even live in our cold country, if they have shelter," he said. "Besides bird seed, peacocks love sour milk." She didn't have any. But she had stale frozen strawberry yogurt which she put in a paper dish and took outside. An hour later, Adam and Orah saw Sir Peek-a-boo near the farmhouse.

He had followed the trail of birdseed and was lapping up the frozen strawberry yogurt like it was the best treat he'd every tasted. Eating frozen yogurt on the patio became his morning and evening ritual. At night, Sir Peek-a-boo strutted around displaying beautiful, iridescent greenish blue feathers and stretching and twisting his long neck for 20 minutes. He timed his strut to finish just before it was dark. He seemed to know the exact second he should lift up like a 747 and land on the roof above the bedroom. He slept on top of the chimney where the shadows protected him from foxes and raccoons that waited to attack him. From this perch, he guarded his realm. The Bucks didn't need a doorbell. When anyone arrived, he would walk along the roof to investigate and then honk loudly. He spent the lazy days of summer strutting around the farm, visiting the pond for drinks and snacks of bugs and frogs, and walking alongside Adam's tractor while he cultivated the fields. Soon summer was almost over. What would become of Sir Peek-a-boo during the long, cold winter? Orah called Norman who offered to make room for Sir Peek-a-boo in his new barn.

When moving day arrived, Norman coaxed Sir Peek-a-boo into a corner near the front door and grabbed his feet - very carefully. That's because peacocks have large beaks and killer toenails, and don't hesitate to attack when they're afraid. Within the blink of an eye, winter was over and it was time for Sir Peek-a-boo to return to the Buck farm. The day after his return, Adam and Orah went to visit friends.When they were driving up the long driveway by the road, there was Sir Peek-a-boo walking down drive to greet them.

He wanted his frozen treat. Weeks later, they saw him shaking badly at the front door. He was hurt and needed their help. They didn't know what to do but they knew their neighbour John would. So they called him. When John arrived, he said, "Stand back, I'll grab him carefully so I can examine him." And when he finally spoke, his voice shook. "Another animal has attacked him. He really needs a peacock doctor to stitch the hole in his neck, but we'll never find one on a Sunday night. I'll clean his wounds and we'll put Sir Peek-a-boo in the little wooden hut by the swimming pool. Give him food and water and just leave him for a few days." Five days later, the pool cleaners got a surprise when they opened the door to Peacock Hospital.

Out marched Sir Peek-a-boo honking loudly. He had recovered. But he was changed. He no longer liked to be by himself - he wanted to be around people. After three seasons, Sir Peek-a-boo disappeared from his winter home at Norman's as mysteriously as he appeared at the farm. Poof! And he was gone. It was as if he had never been, that the whole experience was a dream. But dreams don't leave behind beautiful feathers.