Tag Archives: animals

Let’s Liebster….

 

I’d like to thank the Academy….

 

liebster

 

The Liebster Award is an award that exists only on the internet and is given to bloggers by other bloggers. The earliest case of the award goes as far back as 2011. Liebster in German means sweetest, kindest, nicest, dearest, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing, and welcome.

The award is a way to be discovered but also to connect and support the blogging community. A great idea in promoting your own blog and others. Originally it was given out to blogs with less than 2000 readers but this has slowly lowed as the reward has gained popularity. It is now only 200 readers or less. It’s really an arbitrary number. If you like helping other blogs out go ahead and do it regardless of its size.

 

With thanks to Rebecca Wallick at  wildsensibility for the nomination….. ( I’m not sure sweetest and endearing are the first words people think of when my blog comes to mind, but hey. I’ll take praise where and when I can. )

If you love dogs, natural splendor and stunning scenic photographs, check out Rebecca’s page. She’s got them all in spades.

Onward!

You know the rules… I have to answer questions. Which I shall do with the utmost amount of seriousness.

 

1. What typically is the closest object on your right when you’re writing (not including a computer mouse)?  

You’ll probably be sorry you asked that…  but it’s a poop drone.

 

IMG_6411

 

And yes, of course it flies.

 

 

 

2. What one-sentence bit of advice would you give to your 13-year-old self?

At 13… I was a shy little thing. Reticent to open my mouth or make my presence known. (Hard to believe, I know) So I would probably tell her…. Dance! Jump off that pier! Sing with the band! Say yes to all the adventures life lays before you and don’t worry so much about what other people think. By the time you’re sitting here blogging about it? It will be too late.

 

100fkz

 

3. Describe your ideal writing space and place (assuming money isn’t an issue).

For me… that would be a treehouse.

A glam treehouse, with a frozen margarita machine and a never ending supply of tequila and limes. Surrounded by nature and the songs of birds, that’s where I’d like to be.

 

582230_73b537f4b8cfc12ba1bc2c41fdd60f3d_large

 

4. What is your most frequent photographic subject?

That changes depending on the season.. and my moods. Lately?

It’s a woodchuck who looks like Jabba the Hut.

 

IMG_1210

 

5. Favorite quote?

“I’d rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy.”

With….  “I like to have a martini, Two at the very most. After three I’m under the table, after four I’m under my host.”  coming in a close second.

Ole Dorothy Parker knew her stuff.

 

 

c1571f5eee9c05034c3a7b2464e717cd

 

 

 

6. What does blogging (writing, and reading) add to your life?

A sense of connection.  It’s like reaching my hand out across the globe and touching people I would never have otherwise met. (And by touching, I’m speaking metaphorically. Don’t call the vice squad.)

7. If you could choose to be any animal for a 24-hour period, which would you be and why?

A wombat.

And I have no idea why.

 

BEGPZH0CAAEUaul

 

8. Do you have other creative outlets besides writing?

I used to draw. I used to write poetry. I used to make dried flower wreaths. I used to cross stitch. I used to stamp. I used to paint. I used to dry brush ceramics. I used to do a lot of things. Now… I just take crazy pictures and blog.

And drink.

I drink very creatively.

 

h924B8EAB

 

Amen, Tyrion. Amen.

Okay, now I’m supposed to nominate blogs I think you should discover and make them answer questions as well.

Of course, if you know me… you know my questions won’t be normal. Where’s the fun in that?

So…

 

liveandlethtai at Paul Dance Writer

Clever Girl at Clever Girl Writes

Kathy at KNJ Tales and Snippets

Traveling Drunk With History

Arionis at Just a Small Cog

 

You’re my chosen victims nominees.

 

 

Post these rules:

1. Acknowledge the blog which nominated you.
2. Answer the questions your nominator asked.
3. Nominate two to six other bloggers who might appreciate the boost.
4. Ask them several unique questions.
5. Let them know you have nominated them.

 

And answer these questions –

 

1.  You’re a pigeon newly arrived in Hollywood. Who do you poop on first?

2.  Donald Trump has been impeached. Mike Pence has been trampled to death at a gay pride parade. Nancy Pelosi has resigned her position and run off to Tahiti with a member of BTS. You’ve been chosen to be the next President of the United States. What’s your first executive order?

3.  The Brussels Sprout is a much maligned ( and extremely gassy ) cruciferous vegetable. You run a PR firm and have just been hired to tweak it’s image. Go!

4.  Your lifelong dream of being a stripper has come true. What’s your stage name?

5.  Your cruise ship is sinking and you’ve scrambled onto a life raft only to realize it’s overloaded. What… or who… do you push overboard?  A case of craft beer, your significant other, the oars, a beloved pet wombat, or the ship’s navigator ?

*Note – if you say beer or wombat, you are dead to me*

 

Yes, those really are the questions.

If you were expecting,  “Name the most influential person in your life” or  “What is your favorite memory of childhood”  you’re reading the wrong blog.

We do things differently here.

 

 

Yes, I realize you can’t unsee that.

But if you’re struggling for a stripper name… feel free to be inspired.

I love my town… Part 3.

 

 

 

af61c33242007b095b0aa86f44b68820

 

For once, our small town’s Facebook page rose above the petty gossip and backstabbing and actually came in handy. Last night, along with the usual lost pig notices… there was a report of a dump truck flipping over, taking out a power line and closing the main road. This was helpful since my husband’s car had overheated and left him stranded on I-295. Knowing about the closure in advance saved me taking the out of the way detour.

Of course the page also had some other gems.

 

IMG_E6113

 

Rent a goat! There’s a start up sure to make a fortune.

Heck, they love to eat…

 

 

Are easy to transport….

 

 

And give great back massages.

 

 

How could you lose?

Then there was this:

 

IMG_E6071

 

Someone wants to cook pie for me?

That can’t be bad.

 

pie

 

And finally, there was this heartfelt thank you note…

 

IMG_E6070

 

Moral of that story?

If you live in the country, always carry carrots and apples.

 

DaWRKaFXkAE1TZ8

 

Okay, well….

There’s no correct amount of produce for that.

 

Mystery solved.

 

Remember a while ago I posted a picture of the sunflower seeds the chipmunk from Hell had planted in my petunias… and how they were growing?

 

IMG_5502

 

Well over the past few weeks they grew tall and budded, and then started disappearing. One by one… shredded, stripped of leaves, and gone.

I’ve seen a few grasshoppers, so I thought maybe that was the reason.

 

IMG_E5817 (2)

 

How pathetic is that?

One lone stalk remained.

Then I woke up this morning and saw….

 

IMG_E5817

 

A woodchuck…

 

 

 

On the table.

 

IMG_1306

 

That’s something I hadn’t seen before.

 

IMG_1305

 

First there was a little pole dancing….

 

IMG_1301

 

Then he got down to business.

 

 

 

So now I know why there won’t be any blooming sunflowers this season.

 

IMG_1302

 

He made short work of it and left me this…

 

IMG_5846

 

As well as this…

 

IMG_5847

 

Yes, I could have yelled and scared him off, but I admit … I laughed instead.

We’ve had woodchucks all year and they haven’t touched a single plant, shrub or flower. Which if you’ve ever had woodchucks, you know is highly unusual.

So I let the little devil have the sunflower.

The fact that he can even get his fat butt up on the table to begin with is comical and worth the price of a sunflower to view.

 

 

Because you never know what you’ll see…

 

I woke up this morning to fog.

 

IMG_1155

 

Hanging over everything like a gentle blanket of white…

 

IMG_1157

 

9a59ad73b8e3b0bd732f07cfdfdfd07d083c9a50442f4185a39420c3ffa61359

 

In some places there was a sharp delineation.

 

IMG_1152

 

As if it cut by a knife.

 

data-center-fog-machine-welcome-to-my-cloud-228441

 

IMG_1153

 

But as it started to lift…

 

IMG_1154

 

I looked way out into the back yard by the woods and saw…

 

IMG_0507

 

A piner!!

 

 

I did!

 

IMG_0500

 

And in the 17 years we’ve lived here?

Not one single porcupine sighting… until now.

There’s elusive creatures, solitary by nature. Shy, quiet and slow… but apparently willing to high five in Philly.

 

 

 

 

(I totally need to visit Philly now, damn it.)

Sadly, while we see plenty of them dead on the side of the road…. we’ve never seen one at our house since the majority of our property is open lawn or field and they prefer the wooded areas.

So… a piner!!

 

 

I was thrilled… and attempted to creep across the back lawn to get a better picture. Naturally, I don’t creep well and he spotted me….. and shimmied down the tree before I could get close.

 

IMG_0535

 

But I saw a piner on our property and have blurry photos to prove it.

Yay me!

 

 

Here’s a piner eating corn on the cob.

 

 

Note to self – buy corn on the cob.

 

 

Going hog wild…

 

I’m beginning to wonder if my town has a problem.

A pig problem.

 

tumblr_lax7qocekd1qcu6oxo1_500

 

On the contrary, I love pigs….

But I’m starting to think they’ve all heard about the backyard buffet we lay out and are on their way.

You see, they’ve been escaping at an alarming rate.

Every time I check our local FB page –

 

IMG_5668

 

IMG_5667 (2)

 

Well, they’d be pretty hard to miss now wouldn’t they?

 

IMG_5666 (2)

 

And as much as I love seeing new wildlife at out house, technically these guys aren’t wild…

 

 

And usually make a mess of their lawns.

So unless they’re housebroken and well groomed?

 

 

Kindly keep your piggies corralled.

 

 

IMG_E5698

 

I’d hate to explain that accident to my car insurance company.

 

A critter filled post.

 

Because my photo files are filled with critter pics.

 

IMG_0405

 

A wet fox.

 

IMG_0443

 

Two wet foxes.

 

IMG_0400

 

Okay, okay… moving on.

 

IMG_0785

 

Baby woodchuck.

 

IMG_0789

 

These pics are a month or two old, they’re not babies anymore.

 

IMG_0829

 

I can’t tell you exactly how old because my stupid camera’s date and time setting is broken and everything registers 1/1/1980.

Why? I have no frickin’ clue.

 

IMG_0875

 

Buck, on the field line.

 

IMG_0872 (3)

 

Doe, in the field.

 

IMG_0906

 

Wet skunk.

 

IMG_0926

 

 

Wet skunk and deer.

This next one is blurry, but how often do you get a shot of  a deer sticking her tongue out at a skunk?

 

IMG_0930

 

Skunk Rule #1?

Do not be rude to skunks.

They will make you pay… and the photographer’s house will stink for a week.

 

IMG_0938

 

More woodchucks….

 

IMG_0941

 

Eating apples.

 

IMG_0970

 

And woodchucks eating deer grain.

 

IMG_0971

 

More deer.

 

IMG_0974

 

And deer eating deer grain.

 

IMG_1026

 

More skunks.

 

IMG_0841

 

More foxes.

 

IMG_0997

 

Skunk and fox.

 

IMG_1003

 

Please remember Skunk Rule #1.

There is no Skunk Rule #2…. when the  tail goes up?

Run.

 

IMG_0893

 

More woodchucks.

I’d like to tell you that’s all the photos…. but it’s not even close.

That’s all for now though.

 

 

Babies!

 

First there were woodchuck babies, then catbird babies (although that didn’t end well) , a quick glimpse of a fox baby, and fawns! Finally… fawns.

But now?

We have skunk babies!!

 

 

 

Simply too much cuteness.

 

 

Adorable little critters!

 

h26958079

 

I wasn’t able to film or photograph the funniest part because it was too dark, and that’s a shame because the husband and I had tears in our eyes from laughing so hard.

Our deer came up to feed and those three little fellas chased her all over the yard. In a line… one, two, three… like a little skunk locomotive.

For 20 straight minutes they wouldn’t let her near the food, no matter how she tried.

To heck with guard dogs.

Get a skunk.

 

IMG_0987

 

Otherwise known as a….

 

3efc8e56-2484-4a6c-ba9a-dffd4b578c17

 

Fun at the fair…. and balls.

 

We hadn’t been to the Topsham Fair in years, and after going the other day I remembered why.

Maine has some fabulous county fairs….. but this isn’t one of them.

With a $12 charge per person to get in? There should have been more… everything.

 

IMG_5729

 

We started with the livestock, because I do love me some critters.

 

IMG_5716

 

I got up close and personal with sheep….

 

15li55

 

While the husband chatted up a cow.

 

IMG_5728

 

This cow was lying down.

 

IMG_5726

 

As was her owner…

 

IMG_5722

 

And it took all my willpower not to yell at him to drop his phone and learn how to spell her name properly.

 

IMG_5725

 

Sorry El….

 

 

This cow had a little speck of something on her nose…

 

IMG_5732

 

Which proved to be no problem.

 

IMG_5733

 

Yes, that’s her tongue. And she knew how to use it.

 

1v1zpo

 

Did you know…

 

IMG_5792

 

Cows can’t vomit?

I live to enlighten.

 

 

 

We saw ox, and horses.

 

IMG_5747

 

Some huge.

 

IMG_5749

 

Some small.

We saw pigs…

 

IMG_5788

 

With lots of baby pigs…

 

IMG_5785

 

And goats..

 

IMG_E5717

 

With some pretty big…

 

IMG_E5719

 

Sorry…. but holy crap!

 

IMG_E5720

 

How do you walk with balls that big?

 

 

We strolled around looking for the chicken barn….

Only to discover there wasn’t one.

Very disappointing.

 

images11HET6IH

 

And then we walked past the “Decorate a Bale of Hay” contest.

 

IMG_5740

 

Which… yeah.

 

IMG_5741

 

Was a bit odd.

 

IMG_5784

 

I temporarily lost the husband to some old rusty crap.

 

IMG_5777

 

And found him checking out some sweet old vehicles for sale.

 

IMG_5778

 

We meandered through the collection of carriages and sleighs which we always love…

 

IMG_5780

 

And found a cannon…

 

IMG_5782

 

With a strategically placed ball.

 

IMG_E5783

 

In a sack.

Tell me someone doesn’t have a sense of humor….

 

 

We made the obligatory walk through the exhibition hall.

 

IMG_5751

 

But the Blue Ribbon rhubarb failed to thrill.

And aside from the carnival rides we didn’t ride and the roach coach junk food that we didn’t eat, that was it….

Until I spotted George.

 

IMG_E5775

 

And fell in love.

 

 

I mean… look at him!

 

IMG_E5766

 

George is an Emu.

 

IMG_E5756

 

Homely…

 

IMG_5773

 

Humble..

 

IMG_E5754

 

And despite the prehistoric raptor like gaze, quite friendly.

Here’s some riveting video of him drinking water.

 

 

And a little something closer up.

 

 

He’s over 6 foot tall, with coarse dense feathers.

Yes, we bonded…. and I petted him.

Totally worth the $12 admission price.

 

IMG_E5755