.
Fair warning – our baby chuckers are on the move and there will be a plethora of photographs in the near future.
.
.
I just can’t get enough of their little paws.
.
.
The siblings stick closely together.
.
.
Though the occasional squabble over prime fruit and veg does occur.
.
.
This is the runt of the litter.
.
.
And it must be hard when the buffet is bigger than you.
.
.
But damn, he’s a cute little bugger.
.
.
My favorite flower is in full bloom.
.
.
It’s peony time!
.
.
For a bright burst of color you really can’t beat them.
.
.
And the fragrance? Heavenly….
.
.
They also make a nice backdrop for pictures of his lordship.
.
.
.
Being an animal lover, my eye is always drawn to stories and articles in which they feature.
.
.
My girlfriend caught Covid in the first wave. It was a really bad time for her but thankfully she didn’t need to be hospitalized. She is however suffering many long Covid effects. Brain fog, hair thinning and worst of all … loss of taste and smell. It’s been almost two years and still nothing. She says the only flavor that breaks through is salt. Can you imagine only tasting salt for two years? I’m crossing my fingers for the hamsters.
.
.
Shame I can’t talk the husband into it. He’s a pretty boy…
.
.
This made my heart smile. Every store/business should adopt a shelter dog!
.
.
A random chicken is loose in our town. I shall update the post if he struts by our house.
.
.
Baby woodchucks are everywhere I look lately, including our kitchen porch. I was about to open the door yesterday when I spotted this little fellow.
.
.
He scampered around for a bit and then settled in to rest.
.
.
Before I knew it?
.
.
The little guy was showing me just how much he loved living at Casa River.
If that’s not cute, I don’t know what is.
❤️
.
It’s hard to get an accurate baby woodchuck count as they’re rarely all together.
.
.
Four.
.
.
Five.
.
.
6.
.
.
If you look closely there are actually 7. We’ve never had that many babies at one time …. and now I know why momma chuck always looks so annoyed.
.
.
Babies are cute…
.
.
But can also be a nuisance when you’re trying to eat dinner.
.
.
It’s that time of year again.
.
.
Rhubarb time. When everyone who grows the noxious plant tries desperately to pawn it off on unsuspecting strangers. This rarely works, but if you’re visiting Maine in June, be warned.
Our small town has a wonderfully inventive food bank and is supported by many of our organic farmers. You never know what they’ll whip up next.
.
.
Lots of items are advertised for free around these parts.
.
.
No free turtle? I’ll pass.
.
.
Believe me when I say you don’t want this fellow nibbling on your toes.
.
.
Momma chuck has been bellying up the buffet as soon as it’s laid.
.
.
And though we offer tasty treats…
.
.
She always seems to be scowling.
.
.
The speed at which she can devour a sliced carrot is truly impressive.
.
.
But she’s none too pleased when junior joins her and starts chowing down.
.
.
Mowing and yard work done for the day, we retired to the barn porch for adult beverages.
Can you spot the baby woodchuck?
.
.
He was seriously chill.
.
.
There’s something very satisfying about spending the day beating your lawn and gardens into submission and then sitting back to enjoy the view.
.
.
Which of course, included another baby woodchuck.
.
.
Life is good.
.
.
Eight years ago the flowering pear tree we’d planted by the bird feeders when we moved to this house died. My late mother, who loved nothing more than sitting on the deck watching our fine feathered friends, told me we needed to replace that tree because the birds missed it. Sadly, she passed two months later… and because she wanted me to make the decision what to do with her ashes, I laid part of her to rest with a beautiful tulip tree in that very spot.
Unfortunately the tree wasn’t hardy enough for the rugged Maine winters and croaked two years later. As did the flowering dogwood we planted after that and the Rose of Sharon after that. Two years ago when our neighbor gave us a few river birches to plant in front of the man cave/barn, we transplanted a flowering plum to my mother’s spot. It did well, for two years.
But now….
.
.
There it goes.
.
.
Undeterred and very determined to give my mother the tree she wanted… we went to an extremely expensive nursery where I paid an astronomical sum for a flowering crabapple.
.
.
It was a beautiful specimen. Tall and bursting with good health.
.
.
So in it went, with my mother.
.
.
My fingers and toes are crossed this one makes it more than two years.
.
.
Because if this one dies, I’m really going to wonder if my mother is trying to tell me something.
.
.
When the weather turns dry and hot I always wonder how wild creatures find water. And since I was throwing apple pieces out to momma woodchuck and her brood, I thought I would try something new.
.
.
A large container of fresh cool water.
.
.
Unfortunately it sat there all day… untouched. She had no interest whatsoever.
Oh well. I tried…
.
River's world..... 