I Love Horses and Tractors
Stories and adventures from a city girl becoming a country girl
by
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When we got to the eagle he was definitely still alive and laying on his back in a depression in the ground and under the wire fence. We could not see any blood and he tried to flap his wings which just brushed the dirt up and down since he was on his back. His head and eyes followed us. He looked fierce but yet definitely in trouble. I wanted to wrap him in the towel but Steve said no way was he getting that close because the beak and talons could do major damage. Steve got our smooth cattle stick and walked over to him. He touched the talons on his left foot and pulled, the eagle lost his grip. Steve touched the talons again and this time he grabbed it and held on to the stick as if he knew we were trying to help. Steve pulled slowly and the eagle held on until he was on his stomach. The eagle's grip was so tight that Steve had to use his foot to help slide the talons off the pole. The eagle stood there and we waited. He was mottled brown with baby feather fuzz so we thought he was young. After a couple minutes he stretched out his wings and flew, he hit the fence, hit the tree and hit the other fence. My heart ached. I so wanted him to be safe. We knew that he was not injured if he could fly but he was so young he was not very good at flying yet. He dropped down to the ground and just stood there. We debated as to whether or not we should get him and put him in a tree but decided that we had given him a chance and would let him rest where he was. We started to drive back down the hill and were checking out the horse corridor for our rotational grazing system. The grass was not up yet and we had not had a chance to take down the electric system before winter caught us this year so we decided to check it out. As we went down the hill we heard this big whoosh, whoosh and saw a huge brown eagle fly by and it was oh so low and close. It bounced off a tree, went to another tree and then finally settled in the third tree. I told Steve that was our eagle and he said he did not think so but we drove back up to check and our eagle was gone. So, our young eagle did get up and did fly and hopefully is still safe out there.
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About the Book
Survival, horses, wild life, farm life and farm humor. This book is a look at the adventures and stories of a city girl becoming a country girl and many of the lessons she and her husband learn along the way. It is filled with stories of the animals they love, the wild life they find and the challenges that just happen on a daily basis. From the eagle they saved, the cat that adopts them, the funny things that horses do, saving a cow in birth, the agony of trying to save a horse that colics and the countless things that have to be fixed as they live in the country. This is a story of retirement as they learn, adapt and overcome obstacles in their transition to country life.
About the Author
Jo Ann Byars earned her BA and MA from Long Beach State University in Southern California. She taught high school physical education, English, math and coached boys' and girls' volleyball and boys' and girls' swimming for thirty-four years. She spent three years in Hawaii when her husband was stationed at Kaneohe. During that time she taught math and coached girls' volleyball for Punahou private school for a year and a half. Jo has always been an avid athlete and outdoor enthusiast. She competed in volleyball, swimming, basketball, field hockey and softball. While in Hawaii she was certified to scuba dive and she and her husband loved to kayak. She and her brother used to play beach volleyball in Newport Beach, ride roller skates and bikes. Since Jo and her husband Steve have retired she swims and spends her days riding horses and working on projects at their ranch.