Tag Archives: animals

You know you’ve had a lot of rain when…..

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As I mentioned before, spring has brought an abundance of showers to my little corner of Maine. As proof…. I offer the new visitors who dropped by this week.

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A pair of mallard ducks who’ve made our backyard puddle their temporary home.

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We had ducks as pets years ago and I’ve always enjoyed watching them. They’re quite comical.

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But this pair is wild and flies off if they spot me. So for now, this is as close as my zoom lens will get me.

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That is not a happy face.

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If ever a pet product was given the wrong name, this has got to be it.

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Do these dogs look happy to you?

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I’m going with no.

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The swaddling effect may calm them but if you think that’s a joyful portrait, I fear for the well being of your significant other.

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This cat is neither happy nor sleeping peacefully in his human enforced hoodie cocoon.

He is quietly and methodically planning your painful demise.

Beware.

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Try it. I dare you…

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If you’ve ever been owned by a cat… and trust me, that’s the correct word placement… you’ll know they are self cleaning and do not require nor tolerate being bathed. Which is why I have to share the utterly ridiculous thing I saw on Amazon yesterday.

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I fear for the tender flesh of the unsuspecting rubes who purchase this kit. Because if you’ve ever wondered how many layers of clothing a feline can tear through? Wrapping your cat in that abomination and spraying him with water will deliver the answer in two seconds flat.

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An adventure? Sure. You can call it that….. as you try in vain to staunch the bleeding.

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Said no cat ever.

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Obediently? Proof positive these people have never met… no less lived with a cat.

The only thing this product listing had right was a question…

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No. But it should…

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Let’s play.

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It’s time to dive into all those slightly disturbing repressed memories and remember….

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I know most people will pick a horror film like the Exorcist…. and granted, Linda Blair’s spinning head and projectile vomit was enough to keep anyone up at night… but for me there’s only one answer.

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Yes, the heartwarming true story of Elsa the adopted lioness cub that became a beloved pet but had to be released back into the wild when grown damn near wrecked me.

I’m an animal lover to the N’th degree. I rescue the ones I can and weep for the ones I can’t. I come by it naturally as my mother and father were also animal crazy. We always had a houseful of stray pets and wounded birds when I was a child. My father was Scottish, but raised in England. Stiff upper lip et al. He wasn’t a man to give in to his emotions in public, but I saw him weep like a baby at the vet when his beloved dog died. What can I say? We’re animal people.

I can’t watch the commercials about abused pets, I have nightmares and wake up screaming. As a kid I refused to watch Sounder, the Yearling and most of the Lassie tv series. I was a tender hearted young soul.

But when Born Free finally came to television my mother decided it was a good family film and we would all watch it. What the hell was she thinking! I saw elephants and antelopes shot. I saw a woman being eaten by a man eating lion. My mother’s innocent family film turned out to be pretty bloody.

I, like everyone else, fell in love with Elsa the adorable frolicking cub. I loved her even more as she grew to become a proud lioness… and wanted her to live happily with the Adamsons forever. And ever, amen.

Seeing George and Joy forced to set her free had me weeping, openly gasping for breath. I couldn’t shake the sadness. Not that night, or the next. I kid you not… I was one depressed little girl for weeks on end after watching that damn film. And the song? Wow. To this day I can’t hear it without choking up.

So there you have it. Jaws didn’t scare me. Texas Chain Saw Massacre had me chuckling. The Omen? Come on…

But Born Free? That was pure unadulterated trauma.

So how about you? What childhood movie permanently scarred your psyche…

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That bitch!

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It never ends, I swear.

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She most definitely is and judging by what’s scattered all over our lawn …

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And stuck in our shrubbery…

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She’s been busy.

It only took me a minute to find her latest project. I simply looked up….

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And there was the proof. Waving at me like a flag in the breeze.

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That little red bitch has chewed her way into our house… again! To be honest, I don’t even know what that vent is for, but I’m guessing it’s going to be filled with little red bitch offspring in no time flat.

Red Squirrel War IV will commence shortly.

😡

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I love my town.

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As we’ve previously established, my small rural Maine town has a sense of humor. This was on full display today when I saw an offer of services on the town’s Facebook page.

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While I would have appreciated a good Mother in Law trap back in the day, the picture in this post will probably give me nightmares of the inevitable beaver uprising for weeks to come.

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While we had an extremely mild winter with very little snow this year, we did have rain. And ice. And more rain. Which lead to rapid melting, soft earth, mud and occasional washouts. Imagine driving over this section of road?

Yikes.

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Sadly, this is the only bunny I’ve ever seen in our town.

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Fuzz… the end.

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And so we reach the end of another series of highlights. I have to say, Mary Roach has really grown on me. I live for weird and wonderful facts and in this respect, she certainly is full of it.

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2×3 = 9,000,000? That is a completely mind boggling statistic. You would think even a rabbit has a headache now and then. Nine million bunnies in 3 years? That’s some serious fornicating my friends.

Sadly the end of the book dealt with all the horrible ways we humans react to what we perceive as an over abundance of wildlife. Simply put…if you get in our way? You’re toast.

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Well, that’s a bit extreme.

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Climate change, loss of habitat, deforestation, pesticides. We kill even when we don’t mean to.

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Seen at the Penguin Place private conservation reserve. The Yellow Eyed Penguin is endanged.

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Another beautiful creature whose time is almost up. Adapt to the damage we wreak upon the planet or perish.

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Neither choice is good. Even if you’re wearing pink go go boots.

😰

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Rude deer and a cute cat.

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A group of deer came up the other morning and since they rarely show in good light I grabbed my phone for a few pictures. If you look closely you’ll see the same doe sticks out her tongue ….

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Twice.

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That’s just rude.

Lord Dudley Mountcatten was completely uninterested in the visiting wildlife and slept soundly on the couch.

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When I die? I totally want to come back as a cat. These creatures never have insomnia.

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He roused for a moment when he heard the click of the camera…

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And then decided nothing the human was doing was worth disturbing his nap.

❤️

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