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Before the snow fell, our resident rodent pest from Hell. red squirrel was busy.
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Stealing seed from the birds and apples from the deer.
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Seeds were stuffed in every conceivable hole and our deck looked like a fruit salad exploded.
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But after the first snow storm?
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She was a happy camper.
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And remembered most of her stash spots.
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Im sure that fruit tasted good.
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She’s annoying.
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But clever.
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So seriously, that after filling the feeders and scattering seed on the ground for the cardinals during a snow storm?
He repeatedly chased off the interlopers.
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And threw bare handed snowballs at them to boot.
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He even followed them down the hill to the woods to make sure they were gone.
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Did I mention it was a little cold that day? Well, it was.
And just so you know?
This was the third of five hasty retreats the turkeys beat, only to come back and nosh happily on spilled seed when my husband gave up. (And no, I didn’t tell him.)
Turkeys – 1.
Husband – 0.
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Because I still enjoy a good chuckle.
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No need to panic. The bad taste mandate is still in force.
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They had one job….
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With enough tequila? This is totally doable.
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Uh oh.
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You mean that obnoxious little Kenny Markowitz was right all along? How bizarre.
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See?
Distancing is important.
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Sadly our snow is all gone, but here are a few pretty pics from our last storm.
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We have a few cardinals visit our feeders now and then…
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But it always surprises me that they show up en masses during a blizzard.
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Perfect winter scenes if ever I saw one.
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They spend most of their time huddled in the small apple tree.
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But every once in a while make a dash for the seed.
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With light fluffy snow? It doesn’t always end well.
🤣
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Neither snow nor rain… nor frigid temperatures will stop the red squirrel from Hell.
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She was scurrying over the roof and across the deck railing…
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Trying to make her way to the seed buffet.
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But this snow was light, fluffy and thick and every time she tried to walk across it?
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She fell through.
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And yes, I laughed my rapidly expanding, thank you Covid 19 ass off.
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But she had the last laugh.
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Because the bitch has learned to tunnel.
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She tunneled for over an hour.
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Back and forth.
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Building an entire red squirrel subway line.
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This doesn’t bode well for my dream of her dying of starvation over the winter.
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Or the safety of our home’s foundation for that matter.
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If I wake up next month with her sitting at the kitchen table nibbling my Krispy Kreme’s? Things are going to get real.
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One of these things is not like the others.
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Which makes me wonder what that poor bird did to be ostracized.
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And speaking of wild turkeys, did you know they make excellent snow shovelers?
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We cleared the path but they’re enlarging the dining room.
And speaking of paths…
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Now that the man cave is being readied, more shoveling is required after every storm.
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Welcome… one and all.
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Aside from the wreaths on our home’s windows, this was the extent of my lackluster Christmas decorating this year.
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Snowflakes lights in the Barn Mahal. Battery powered and on a timer.
Ho! Ho! Hum…
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And while Christmas will feel a lot different this year, there are some things to look forward to.
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Are we the only people who wait for a wind driven snow to make an hour long trip to the nearest military exchange to buy beer?
Probably.
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But look! They sell beer soap too.
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As well as this evil spirit I discovered when we lived down south.
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Purple Passion was my neighbor’s favorite and when I drank 5 or 6 of them because they tasted like Kool Aid? I was sorry.
Very, very sorry.
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Beer shopping with my husband sometimes gets out of hand.
7 six packs and a case of hard cider later?
He came home with a little something extra for the barn.
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*Gulp*
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And I don’t like what it had to say.
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Not one damn bit.
Sadly after all the roofing repairs my husband and his friends did the other day… nothing changed.
It’s still leaking.
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So we went back up in the attic and realized the wood and shingles they replaced the other day probably weren’t high enough up on the roof.
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So now our ceiling looks even worse.
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And though he thinks he knows where to make the next repair?
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It was on the day our first N’or Easter started blowing in… so I doubt it will be anytime soon.
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It started out well enough, with a sighting of a beloved yet rarely seen visitor.
This time he was across the street, walking along the edge of our neighbor’s farm.
He’s a beautiful ring necked pheasant we named Phineas.
They’re not native to Maine and can’t survive the winters, but a man up the road raises them and occasionally one or two will break free. Last year, Phineas brought his woman to our backyard. She was looking for a nesting site… but we never did see any chicks.
Later on in the day….
Saturday, May frickin‘ 9th?
We had ducks.
And snow.
This is the first time we’ve ever had mallards.
Sadly….it isn’t the first time we’ve had snow in May.
The ducks stayed quite a while, raiding the droppings from the bird feeders and the leftover deer grain.
And then a friend joined them.
A fowl day for sure.
Our resident chucker was a bit ticked off the other day.
He was out back in the sun, enjoying a few apples…
Happily posing for pictures….
And an hour later?
Bam!
One cold woodchuck.
We had a squall move in from out of nowhere.
And I’m sure he was rethinking the decision to come out of hibernation.
No, he wasn’t happy.
With the snow…. or me.
