“Each species is a masterpiece, a creation assembled with extreme care and genius.”
The morning is overcast and chilly. Rain is predicted for later and for the next two days. I planted flowers and herbs yesterday so the rain is welcome, but I do hope it holds off until later this afternoon as I have more to plant. My trunk and front seat were filled with herbs, flowers, tomatoes and clay pots when I left Agway yesterday. I know I need a few more annuals so one more trip ought to do it. I say one more trip despite knowing that once I grab my wagon and wander the aisles I have an overwhelming urge to buy more and more for the garden. I bought two anise herbs yesterday. I rubbed a leaf between my fingers, and the smell of anise was a delight. I even said wow out loud. Two people turned.
Either I was sleeping too deeply or the spawn of Satan did not dine on my furniture this morning. Rubbing the metal with garlic was suggested by Christer, but with the rain coming I’ll have to wait. My luck, however, is such that the evil one will love the added flavor and bring his friends to dine alfresco.
When I was a kid, I loved feeding squirrels. They’d come right up and take a peanut from my fingers. I was delighted. I remember trips to the Public Garden in Boston. At the Swan Pond, people sat by the side of the pond, threw pieces of bread in the water and fed the ducks. People on benches all around the garden were ringed by squirrels looking for handouts. I remember squirrels running across the walk in front of me and scampering up the trunks of trees. It was like being part of a zoo exhibit where all the animals are close enough to touch. It was the neatest place for a kid.
I don’t remember seeing too many animals in the wild where I was growing up. I remember a few skunks and running in the opposite direction just in case. Raccoons would amble by but they were infrequent visitors. Once in a while, driving in the car, we’d see a deer in a meadow along the side of the road. That was the best sighting of all.
Where I live now, I see many animals in the wild. Coyotes and foxes are common. Deer have run in front of my car just down the street. Wild turkeys are getting more and more common. Rabbits sit on my front lawn as they munch the flowers. The possum was here a whole summer. He was after my tomatoes. I think it a wonderful thing that despite the numbers of houses there is still room for all these animals to ignore us and go about their business.
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May 18, 2010 at 10:58 am
Ho, how I wish I had such a lovely neighborhood…
May 18, 2010 at 2:19 pm
I also loved feeding squirrels and still does. Even if My brother saved me from over thirty hungry squirrels when I was very little.It was a cold and hard winter and they were all starving. Since we all always fed them theu naturally thought that I had something with me 🙂
I think our squirrels here in the forest aer a bit more shy than other places since there also are martens that eats them there.
Gotheburg is a city full with parks and green areas so we always saw lots of wild animals. Even nowdays mooses are walking around in the city now and then 🙂
Grey and rainy here (but warm)and now they are warning for heavy thunderstorms the comming days.
Have a great day now!
Christer.
May 18, 2010 at 8:50 pm
Christer,
The squirrels here are defiant. They want food no matter what. They have eaten tops of feeders, the furniture and the barbecue grill cover. They are beasts.
There have never been moose here, but I did see them in Colorado last October. Magnificient!
It rained all afternoon so I didn’t get done what I had planned. That’s okay. I napped.
May 18, 2010 at 5:27 pm
When I was a kid my backyard was bordered by a patch of woods. Imagine our surprise one day when we saw a pheasant showing off his plumage as he foraged for food. What a sight!
We saw him many times thereafter over several years. He even was given a name – – Phil the Pheasant.
That is, until one day he came out of the woods trailed by several little pheasants. Then he became Philomena.
Good to see you again Kath. I thought I’d lost you…
May 18, 2010 at 8:53 pm
Coleen,
I would have been so excited to see one when I was a kid, but I wonder if I would have known what sort of bird it was.
Either way-they are perfect names. I love Philomena.
Sorry about the change but it wasn’t by choice, and I didn’t have time to tell about the move. Thanks for looking!! Welcome back!!
May 18, 2010 at 5:28 pm
I have loved animals in nature all my life which is why we couldn’t wait to sell the house on the river and move to the woods. We love the Manatee but boat traffic was driving them further north into the Lagoon. Since moving here we share an abundance of nature and love our squirrels down, feed them daily, and they even walk behind us to the mailbox. Our Porch Kitty is still with us and only brought out her brood, five kittens, one time so far. She probably did that to say thanks for all the food and fresh milk. But she is a nervous nellie and we keep our distance. Right now we are awaiting our yellow speckled hawk who homes on the old part of our undeveloped college owned 40 acres. Then swoops down here to feast on a mole or two. Woodpeckers! We also love to hear and watch our woodpeckers. Good post today Kat. Save it for the book.
May 18, 2010 at 9:03 pm
Z&Me,
Thanks-about the post!
You and I see squirrels in a whole different light. If I saw them following me, I’d figure they were planning an attack. I have always liked the stories of your Porch Kitty. There is always such anticipation for the changes in season and the return of old friends. I look for the cardinals, a pair, and the orioles. I would love a hawk for a neighbor.
May 18, 2010 at 7:09 pm
We too have rain today, the first ‘good’ rain for many weeks. Unlike you we get no native animals visiting our garden we do however get many species of lizard and lots of birds, which are a joy, and a few snakes. I have built rock-pile shelters as refuges for the reptiles (my neighbours have free-ranging cats).In Australia all native animals are macropods (think pouches) dingos are placental mammals but were introduced by the first Australians and are considered by some to be native. Rabbits would be good, in my childhood they were an important source of food!
May 18, 2010 at 9:10 pm
Bob,
Like you, I love the birds so I keep all my feeders filled. In the summer I sit outside, and the feeders are right beside me. The birds don’t mind. What a neat thing-the rock-pile shelter. The smallest animal we have is the chipmunk, and they would love something similar. Eating rabbit is rare in this country. People see the rabbit as a white, cute bunny with a pink nose and a fluffy tail. It would be like easting the Easter Bunny.
I didn’t know about native animals being macropods.
May 18, 2010 at 8:46 pm
“Wild Turkeys becoming more common”??
Jeez Kat, what are you doing with the empty bottles
Heh Heh
May 18, 2010 at 9:10 pm
Pete,
On the bottle tree in the backyard-people think they’re just decorations.
May 18, 2010 at 11:38 pm
We’re leading parallel lives today! Yesterday I got a Did-you-buy-your-flower-yet call, to which I responded Yes-I-did-but-I’ll-be-happy-to accompany-you-$$$$$ and today it rained and I have plants all over the place that need to go into the ground. Tomorrow is another day…..hopefully not a rainy one.
May 19, 2010 at 10:35 am
Nosila,
Yup, plants lie my walkway until a break in the rain. As it is raining only lightly right now, a dry spell may be on its way. I do have one more trip to make-I forgot a few pots needing to be filled.
May 19, 2010 at 9:29 am
Hi Kat,
I still shake my head in wonderment at the memorial in the park in front of the White House that commemorates saving the endangered Gray Squirrel.
I have an oriole. I am thrilled because we haven’t had any for decades. Now I’m afraid to change anything in the yard in case that’s the thing that brought him in.
May 19, 2010 at 10:36 am
Caryn,
If they are so endangered, I’ll send a few to the White House. Maybe the paint there will taste as good or even better.
They are the most beautiful birds. I love it when the oriole comes by to visit. The rain had probably washed away the grape jelly so I’ll be out on the deck later refilling it.