Since this morning’s post was about death and ridding our property of an unwanted visitor (sayonara Mr. Rat!)…. let’s pivot to some welcome visitors this afternoon.
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Lots of people dislike grey squirrels as they raid bird feeders and eat most of the seed.
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But at Casa River we applaud their bravery at crossing the wide open expanse of back lawn and let them enjoy the buffet.
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Caution is key as there are numerous birds of prey patrolling the neighborhood.
In response to the recent rat sighting at Casa River, steps have been taken.
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While I will never use poison on our property, this was recommended to me as an alternative.
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While killing any creature is not a pleasant thought, I’ve seen what happens when rats are given free reign and it’s not pretty. This products interacts with the strange digestive hairs rats and mice possess and blocks thirst receptors. Basically it tells the animals not to drink and they dehydrate. A State animal control officer assured me this will not harm birds of prey or mammals if they happen to eat the dead mice/rats.
I often cruise the Facebook page of the wilderness rehab where we donated apples. They do wonderful work with wounded animals, and I like to check on the progress of the little guys we saw on our visit. This time I stumbled across a photo of ‘Pinky’ enjoying the fruit from our trees.
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Now that makes my heart swell.
And speaking of swelling…
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Today’s acupuncture treatment found 19 pins in my injured knee… and I don’t think I’m exaggerating when I say my pain has decreased by a good 30% since starting this prickly journey.
We’d never been… and though we’re long past the heart shaped red velvet mirrored honeymoon beds the area is known for, 6 years ago we decided to take off for the mountains and spend Christmas there.
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I booked a week at an amazing place, full of atmosphere. ( Think the Overlook Hotel in Stephen King’s The Shining, minus Jack, his ax and the twins )
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It was old, built of stone, and so huge I couldn’t get a photo of it in one shot.
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It was an old resort like you see in the movie Dirty Dancing. Rich people would escape summer in the city and live here for months. It had multiple dining facilities, a spa, a theater, game rooms, multiple bars, a library, a stable and even its own post office… complete with a personal hotel zip code.
The best (read weird) part? We had the entire place to ourselves.
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I’m not kidding, we were there for a week and didn’t see another guest until Christmas Day. Talk about eerie.
And while the interior of this grand old dame was impressive…
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It was beyond strange being the only inhabitants.
Have you ever eaten dinner by yourself in a dining room that seats 400?
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Or breakfast in a room that seats 300?
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Trust me, it’s a little creepy.
Thankfully we weren’t murdered in our bed, but in retrospect the odd accommodations turned out to be the highlight of the trip.
For a full week we toured the area and never found anything the least bit scenic. Rows of strip malls, trash lined roads and extremely tacky “family fun resorts”?
There were plenty of those. And in true “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em… we’re going to have a good time if it kills us” fashion… we bar hopped every tacky resort we could find.
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Indoor purple waterfall?
Check!
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Bizarre robotic decorative Santas?
Check!
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Elephant driven sleighs at an African themed resort called Kalahari?
Check!
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Giant topiary squirrels?
Yeah, those too.
And while the husband and I manage to have a good time wherever we go?
The Poconos are definitely at the top of our been there, done that, don’t need to do it again list.
So how about you? To what place are you never returning…
A night out has definitely changed over the last year and a half.
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This is so true it isn’t funny.
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Amen to that.
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That’s been my go to phrase for quite a while. The news gets more depressing every day and the utter lack of respect, not to mention the down right hatred between Americans makes my heart hurt.
River's world..... 