But you look like weirdos this time of year.
Last fall, this buck was a 12 pointer.
Today?
He looks like a Princess Leia wannabe.
I mean come on…
The other deer are laughing at him.
And apparently, so is Chris Hemsworth.
Sorry guy…
But it’s true.
You do look kind of ridiculous.
I read an article the other day about one of the world’s most expensive teas.
Yes, tea.
Those lovely little leaves you drop into hot water and steep.
Pure ambrosia….
As long as it’s not the dishwater my MIL used to drink.
If you’re drinking tea? For God’s sake, drink tea.
I love tea, and am always intrigued to try a new one.
Except the one I read about the other day. It was called PET, short for Panda Ecological Tea. This particular tea sells for $200 a cup….. and if that’s not enough to frighten you away, the fact that’s it’s grown in China and is fertilized entirely with panda poo should be.
Apparently pandas poo 40 – 50 times a day, so I’m guessing supply isn’t an issue.
Grown high in the Ya’an mountainous region of Sichuan China, the panda manure tea—or Panda Ecological Tea (PET) by its formal name—is said to be smooth, and offer health benefits because of the way that pandas digest bamboo in the wild—which leaves around 70% of the nutrients in their dung, not their bodies.
Panda manure has also been shown to carry bacteria that break down organic waste more effectively than any other known source. One experiment showed that the bacteria broke 100 kilograms of waste down into 3 kilograms after only a 17 week period, with only carbon dioxide and water byproducts. Researchers think that there is a market for this organic compound capable of reducing waste by 96%, but whether or not organic tea at $200 per cup is the answer, is questionable.
Questionable?
Probably.
Although you can’t fault the marketing campaign….
It’s simply delightful.
And while I was researching this topic?
I stumbled across another panda poo product…
A new type of luxury facial tissue made with recycled Panda feces is set to be launched in China.
The bizarre product, called “Panda poo,” will retail at for $6.54 a box, ten times the price of ordinary tissue paper.
Addressing concerns of skeptics who may find it unhygenic to wipe their faces with feces, Zhou said that there are many processes in place to ensure the product is ready for consumption. After washing and streaming, the paper will be sterilized in high temperatures.
Panda poo.
Who knew it was so versatile?
Good news?
Our visiting Kestrel is back…
And he brought a friend…
(Apologies for the photo quality, I was at the utter limits of my zoom lens)
They’re such pretty little things, and I enjoyed watching them fly around the yard all morning.
Until I heard a thump…
And looked out the window.
Yeah.
Not for the dove anyway.
Kestrels will be Kestrels.
But it would have been nice if he’d finished his meal and not left me the pieces and parts clean up detail…
As well as a blood stained lawn.
Okay, granted… it could be worse.
But still….
Since the little darlings have been raiding my bird feeders of late, I thought I’d put out more deer feed and a few chopped apples for them as a treat.
Apparently this went over quite well.
So well…
They called in the cavalry.
Note to self –
Buy more feed.
This is better than cable.
Well, almost.
Yes.
There really is a Game of Thrones meme for every subject.
(Disclaimer- this post was scheduled incorrectly and is appearing 2 weeks later than planned, hence the brown lawn. )
It’s finally spring in Maine.
The temperatures are warming, the grass is greening and the deer in our backyard are spoiled rotten brats.
We put out a few bowls of grain and chopped apples in the late afternoon and enjoy watching them stroll leisurely up from the woods.
Yes, I’m talking about you.
So imagine my surprise the other day as I was taking pictures…..
And this one stuck his tongue out at me.
How’s that for appreciation?
Yeah, you.
Hey now…
Cut it out!
Don’t give me that look.
Cheeky little bugger.
We watch the birds here at Casa River.
Lots and lots of birds.
We also feed the birds.
Which brings all manner of beasts to our backyard to eat what falls on the ground…
On any given day you can see woodchucks, chipmunks, skunks, raccoons, squirrels, and fox.
During the cold winter months, the birds eat me out of house and home.
I fill and fill and fill those feeders but their appetites seem to know no bounds.
But lately….
I’ve noticed the seed levels were dropping at an alarming rate.
In mere hours multiple feeders were stripped clean.
Ah.
That explains it.
(Photos and video taken 2 weeks ago. Even Maine is greening up by now.)
I love living in the country….
Because you never know who will drop by.
Or deliver the mail.
The other day?
It was this little beauty.
An American Kestrel.
We have many birds of prey fly over head…. Bald Eagles, Red Tail Hawks, Golden Eagles, Ospreys .
We have a Sharp Shinned Hawk who plucks mourning doves off our bird feeders.
Yes, even the ones in disguise.
We have a Barred Owl who perches on our deck railing waiting for mice to scurry by.
But this Kestrel is the first one I’ve seen on our property in the 18 years we’ve lived here.
For bird lovers like us?
It’s a beautiful thing.
We had a bizarre late season snow storm last week and the critters were not happy.
The deer weren’t happy.
The turkeys weren’t happy.
Wasn’t nobody happy.
But there were all hungry.
Which made for wonderful backyard viewing.
I love living in the country.
Have you ever seen a turkey smackdown?
I hadn’t, and to be honest….
I’m not anxious to see it again.
When there’s snow on the ground, we get wild turkey visitors. They come in for the bird seed that falls under the feeders and while the husband will shoo them off due to the copious amounts of poo they leave behind….
I usually enjoy their comical turkey antics.
Until yesterday.
When it turned into a brawl.
It went on for what seemed like forever.
Two combatants, who I assume were males fighting for spring mating rites…
Went at it hard and heavy.
They bounced, and flew, and scrambled, and chased each other all over the back yard…
Until this happened.
Not sure if you can tell by the picture…
By one bird literally had his beak down the throat of the other.
They seemed to be stuck… and were thrashing like crazy.
It was horrible to watch.
While I usually don’t interfere in nature, after what seemed like an eternity I finally went outside and made some noise.
It startled them and thankfully they broke apart.
I’m sorry, but no amount of sex is worth that!
I believe it.
Damn!
Those little buggers are mean.
River's world..... 