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Our resident juvenile red tail hawk dropped by the other day.
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He uses our backyard bird feeders as a training ground for hunting, but that afternoon he was perfectly happy hanging out on the back deck railing.
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Until he spied Lord Dudley Mountcatten stalking him from the window behind the couch.
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Then it was bye bye birdie…
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For those of you who haven’t seen the header image on my blog this month…
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Flying woodchuck witches seemed more than appropriate.
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Birds?
Yeah, we got ‘em.
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Flocks of hundreds of starlings that fly in and empty our bird feeders in record time.
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I’m guessing “Your nuts are in this box” is not a package most men expect to receive.
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Can you see the beautiful buck hidden behind the blueberry bushes?
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It seems Lord Dudley Mountcatten has had enough of the glorious fall foliage.
And finally, in honor of Halloween…
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I wish I’d seen this sooner.
It’s a holiday yard decoration I could totally get behind.
🤣
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We haven’t seen a woodchuck for weeks now.
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And while my flower gardens are sighing in relief…
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I have to admit I miss the fat little buggers.
( note – spellcheck always changes buggers to nuggets… and is that really better? )
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It’s ironic that now the ground is littered with apples from our trees, the apple munchers have left the building.
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This is the fourth year in a row we’ve had a woodchuck family move in.
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So I guess we’ll say so long chuckers.
( which spellcheck changes to chiclets every damn time )
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See you next year.
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The woodchucks have left the building.
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After momma chuck and her spring brood of voracious garden nibblers cut a swath of destruction through my flower gardens this spring….
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And fattened up quickly at our all you can eat buffet this summer….
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They have now moved on to where ever the hell it is woodchucks go in the fall.
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And all I’m left with is empty flower pots and leftover photos to sort through.
😊
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Autumn is here and it’s by far my favorite time of year. Crisp air, brightly colored foliage, pumpkins, apples… what’s not to love?
Of course if you’re my husband, who just spent countless thousands turning his barn into a man cave, you might not fully embrace the season.
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Because nothing says ‘private domain of men’ more than a strategically placed fall wreath.
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And speaking of turning leaves….
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Ours are just beginning to put on a show. It’s the season I starting twitching for a road trip to the mountains. Whether that will happen is still up for debate.
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Weren’t expecting that?
Neither was I, but it popped up on my FB feed all the same.
🥴
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A photo of Lord Dudley Mountcatten meeting my new toy. He was not impressed, but I am.
Since blowing out my knee last year, getting on all fours to scrub the kitchen floor has been a no no. Enter the Bissell steam mop. Cheap and surprisingly efficient.
How well did it clean the floor?
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So well that I literally gasped at how filthy it had become.
In my defense, I mopped right after a rain storm and had to erase an artful array of the husband’s muddy boot prints, but still.
😬
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Many projects are underway at Casa River and much thought is being put into them.
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The little deck landing my husband threw together from leftover brick pavers years ago had heaved out of place and needed a little work.
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But instead of telling me about it so I could purchase new stones that actually fit and lined up properly…. he asked a friend to help while I was picking apples.
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It’s been a banner year for fruit up this way and our trees are bursting.
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I see….. pie!
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The downed section of tree was a bonanza.
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Back at the unsupervised project?
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Things were not going well.
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And now we have a landing with faded bricks that is just a bit less than square.
🥴
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People think I’m crazy for the daily and nightly buffet I lay out for our wild visitors…. but ya know what?
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I’ve totally been phoning it in.
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If you can access the Dodo from your phone, check out the video. It’s a riot.
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Cats are clever creatures. So can someone please explain why Lord Dudley Mountcatten doesn’t get on board with walkies?
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He’s wise to the notion that the appearance of the harness means he gets to go outside….
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But once there?
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Walking is not high on the agenda.
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We have a vast yard for his Lordship to explore with numerous flying and scurrying creatures to meet… but no.
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If we get 20 steps out of him per outing, we consider it a win.
🥴
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Lord Dudley was looking stylish as we headed outside to walk.
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And by walk, of course I mean sit.
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My attempts to get his Lordship up and on his feet were not well received.
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After some futile tugging and a bit of cajoling, I did manage to get the little bugger moving…
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But only as far as the deck, where he immediately plopped down under a chair.
Walking the cat….
It’s a process.
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And it’s clear from the hundreds of dollars I’ve spent on deterrents… I can’t.
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Yeah, I gave you a chance…. and they ate right through you.
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You might as well join them.
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Or rather feed them your fruit and salad scraps in the hopes they’ll leave your flowers alone.
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Watermelon was a huge hit. They positively inhaled that.
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But honestly, would it kill them to wipe off the scowl off their faces and maybe shoot me a grin now and then? I think it’s the least they could do.
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River's world..... 