Tag Archives: nature

Blog number one thousand two hundred twenty whatever, where River chases turkeys.

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Wild turkeys. They’re comical and I love to watch them…

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But then they discovered my deer grain pans.

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I chased them, but half heartedly and with ridiculously cringe worthy baby talk.

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But they’re turkeys, so as soon as I walked in the house and looked out the window? This.

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So I chased them again. And that time they stayed gone for an hour… just long enough for me to put out the nightly deer snack.

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While I don’t mind them coming to eat the dropped bird seed and assorted Casa River insects, they’ve figured out the buffet of deer grain, fruit and fox food is laid out at 3:00pm and this might be a problem.

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Timing is everything.

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And it’s always bad at Casa River.

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Yesterday morning I saw that rat bastard red squirrel.

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She was running all over our roof and gutter probably looking for a way back into the house.

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I chased her off with the broom, but 10 minutes later she was back. She hung around for another half hour or so and for once….

I wish she’d stayed a little longer.

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Well, hello there.

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 Your timing was awful, but please come back another day.

I have multiple squirrel recipes to share.

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Giving them the bird.

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Today the turkeys beat the deer to the buffet.

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Come on mom, I’m hungry.

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Bambi wanted in.

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But was decidedly out numbered.

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Look at mommas face.

She is not pleased.

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But she gives in and tries to approach.

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Nope.

Even when Bambi runs at them they just scatter and regroup.

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Still hungry…

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Bambi finds an alternative source.

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Still in love!

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Yeah, yeah… still the husband. Soul mate, best friend, whatever.

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But today I’m talking about critters.

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Whimsical…

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Magical….

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Absolutely adorable….

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Little critters.

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Yes, even the pesky red squirrel.

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And the mice that make their winter nests in our garage.

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The fact that these creatures are ephemeral and disappear with the first gust of wind just makes it bittersweet.

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I’m in love!

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With my husband, yes… of course.

But also with these:

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Gorgeous little masterpieces made with leaves,twigs, blooms and berries.

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Called land art…

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Because as soon as the wind blows?

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They’re gone.

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Each of Bullen-Ryner’s pieces comprises locally sourced and foraged materials. Nothing is glued or tethered, which means her work might only last a few minutes before parts begin to fly away with the breeze. So, why does she choose to work this way? “People often ask me why don’t I make something more permanent or they say it’s such a shame that it’s temporary,” Buller-Ryner shares. “But for me, it is the ephemeral nature of what I do that has become like therapy for my soul. I get to put down all my anxieties, my fears, all the chaos from my brain and turn it into something beautiful to honor Mother Nature. I take some photos and then walk or cycle away, leaving it all behind and feeling calmer, more connected, and truly lighter.

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Such beautiful little treasures.

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Yes.

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I’m definitely in love.

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Admit it….

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You are too!

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Motherhood can be rough

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We hadn’t seen much of mother red squirrel lately, which after the last pregnant photo I took of her.. was a very good thing.

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But she showed up yesterday…

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Looking kind of rough. Motherhood must be taking its toll this time around.

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Now if only I could coordinate her visits with this new addition to the backyard wildlife sightings….

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He could solve all our squirrel problems in one fell swoop.

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A dear-able.

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The late season Bambi is back and not looking quite so evil this time.

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Eat up little one, winter is coming and you’ve got a lot of pounds to pack on before the white stuff falls.

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The big buck was here as well.

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As was his son from last year whose felt is starting to shed.

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Hard to believe we still have a spotted fawn this late in the year. Makes me worry.

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Fall is here and with such a terribly dry summer the pickings aren’t good.

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The rut will be here shortly.

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And this guy will be very busy.

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Bambi… the Devil’s Spawn.

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Our old doe surprised us recently. She’s been with us for a long time, and every year? She has young.

She was pregnant so often, that’s actually what we call her.  Pregnant.

Original? No.

But she didn’t look like a Betty,  so go with it.

This year she’s been moving more slowly and looks quite thin. It’s September and we hadn’t seen her with any fawns so we figured that time of her life had passed.

Until yesterday….

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When we looked out and saw her bringing a baby out of the field.

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It’s late in the year to have such a young spotted fawn.

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And to be honest, something about this baby looked…. off.

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At first I couldn’t put my finger on it.

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And then I thought…

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That little sucker just looks….

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Mean.

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Look at this last picture and tell me I’m wrong.

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Go on, I dare you.

A rare sighting.

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No, it’s not me eating a meatless meat patty or getting down with the free Billy Ocean album the husband’s playing to torment me in his barn, man cave large building filled with crap.

It’s this:

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Eight baby turkeys on the run, headed straight for our bird feeders.

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Momma brought them up for a nosh for the very first time since we’ve lived here.

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And that, my friends…. deserves a blog.

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The little guys were so sweet.

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Scratching the ground and pecking for seed.

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They stayed close to mom.

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And braved the great wide open for a snack.

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When mom looked wary?

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Babies did as well.

And a few seconds after this riveting video that will cause my new found legion of YouTube fans to flee….

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Momma got spooked and gathered her chicks.

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Funny thing was, all the babies ran one way and she ran the other.

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The chicks gathered.

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Huddled, and plopped right down to wait.

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When the coast was clear, momma called.

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They ran back.

And before I could focus?

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Everyone went flying for the woods.