What’s a baby woodchuck to do?
All he wants to do is peacefully munch the bounty thoughtfully provided by that crazy woman in the house.
It’s bad enough his pesky brother shows up….
But then that pesky bird tries to steal his blueberries.
And before you know it…..
The bird calls in reinforcements.
And things go downhill fast.
What’s a woodchuck to do?
Of photos.
But after the post I did the other day, I don’t blame you for wondering.
Babies have grown up.
And venture out daily. Three in the above picture.
They are also getting fat.
Though I can’t imagine why.
I’m sad to say I saw a fox run off with one in it’s mouth last week.
And though momma chuck does her best, nature will occasionally have her way.
She started with 6 children, went down to 4…. and now it’s 3.
Quadruplets are now triplets.
But they’re still fun to watch….
I’m still trying to make friends…
And Momma still needs a good support bra.
When the local nursery has a half price and buy one get one free sale in July?
You fill the back of your car.
Find room for some in an already full bed.
And replant the pots that your resident woodchucks munched to stalks.
Hopefully with flowers they don’t like.
And when the nursery extends the sale to the end of the month?
You go back again.
And cram even more flowers in a bed that’s already full just because you can.
While a red squirrel watches.
When you’re done?
You sit back on the barn porch and enjoy an adult beverage before dinner.
And watch the old doe walk up to have a snack.
Life is good.
They’re back.
And they’re everywhere.
Momma red squirrel and her babies.
They’ve grown and are venturing out.
The new wider deck railing is a favorite spot for eating snacks. And while it’s cute, there’s a problem.
Or should I say multiple little problems. Squirrel poo is now dotting the landscape where we enjoy adult beverages.
And this is a new favorite perch.
I did laugh the other day when one of them climbed on the bracket and saw what he thought was a tasty glob of food.
Only to taste it and discover it was Vaseline to keep the ants off the hummingbird feeder.
Take that you tiny poop factory!
My little town’s FB page has been lighting up with some interesting sightings lately.
One woman kept posting but no one believed her.
Well….
I’d say that’s pretty definitive proof.
To be honest I’m surprised we’ve never had this issue. We’ve seen evidence of Yogi in our backyard and woods. (and even on the deck one winter. Yikes!) But he’s never raided our feeders, for which I’m grateful.
They’re lovely creatures, but quite destructive.
The sightings continue…. which prompted this latest post.
I’m down with that.
Hi Waldo!
Okay, if you insist.
I caught a couple of nice shots of our old doe in the field.
I don’t know how many seasons she’s seen, and the poor thing didn’t even blow her winter coat this year.
But she comes for dinner every night.
And brings her kids.
Whose little Frankenstein nubs always make me chuckle.
Everyone gets along well.
Except this one.
Who sticks his tongue out at woodchucks.
I guess everyone has a rude child once in a while.
Woodchucks!
Posing in clover.
Having a healthy snack.
Kissing.
Or biting, who the hell knows? They’re rodents….. for all I know they’re discussing campaign strategy.
They love lettuce.
And since we’ve been flooded with it from our CSA, so have they.
Behold –
My first photo of momma and 4 babies together.
She’s down 2 due to fox predation, so the sextuplets are now quadruplets.
Poor momma.
She’s fiercely protective, but Mother Nature always has the final say.
Like these quick shots I didn’t have time to focus.
Do you suppose that starling called Uber….
And this was what showed up?
On Sunday morning we drove up the coast of Maine to say goodbye to a very special man.
The kind of man you meet once in a lifetime.
A humble man so good, so kind hearted and so generous of spirit… his celebration of life had to be held in an airplane hangar.
Was it because he was a pilot?
Maybe, but more likely it was because he touched so many lives no other space was large enough to hold the mourners.
I stood in 90+ temperatures (pressed against a wall and wearing a mask) for over 2 hours. I listened to emotionally wrought eulogies…. and saw grown men openly weep when they tried to speak of what Kevin meant to them.
The outpouring of love and respect was almost physical. You could feel it, in the air and in your heart.
When the service was over and four planes from the airline he started, nurtured and bled for flew over in the missing man formation?
Spontaneous applause and not a dry eye in sight.
Fair skies and tailwinds Mr. Waters….
The world will be a lesser place without you in it.
Fog is such an ethereal thing…. and for me, it’s usually hard to capture a good photograph.
But the other evening I looked out our front door….
And the strangest low lying patch of fog had enveloped our farming neighbors.
We had none at our house across the street.
But theirs was impressive.
And as the sun started to set…..
The colors began to change.
Orange and yellow fog.
A beautiful sight.
We live in a rural area of Maine…. and wouldn’t have it any other way.
Peace and quiet.
Visiting wildlife.
And beautiful scenery.
Some days more than others…
Living across the road from an organic vegetable farm has it’s benefits.
And fresh veggies aren’t the half of it.
Right now, the poppies are in bloom.
Glorious, riotous bloom.
And I’m enjoying every minute of it.
I mean really….
How can you not?
River's world..... 