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I woke up this morning to proof of late night visitors.
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Thankfully they weren’t the kind who deploy the anal probe….
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But it does look like they surveyed the Barn Mahal.
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And who could blame them?
Heated winter space with a fully stocked beer fridge is a hard thing to resist for any species…
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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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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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Livestock run amok in my town…. as witnessed by a flurry of recent Facebook postings.
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Poor goat, he’s just lonesome.
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Goat tracking is a wonderful thing.
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Uh oh, now the law is involved.
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Apparently this isn’t a first for local law enforcement.
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Pie rewards. Ya gotta love it.
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Benny Hill music would be the perfect accompaniment to guard rail hopping goats.
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When your community is requesting goats in heat? You know things are about to get real.
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Goat Busters. Where do I sign up?
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Goats in tutus? Yes, please.
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If the goat shows up at our backyard buffet, I shall report back.
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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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Mother and Bambi are chowing down regularly and trying to lay on extra winter pounds.
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But sadly I was right about the blue eyes fading. Once this little one grows up we won’t be able to distinguish him/her so easily.
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But look who’s made our backyard his new hunting ground….
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A juvenile Coopers Hawk.
He perches on the bird feeder pole and waits patiently for lunch to drop in.
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I got excited when I saw this:
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And was seriously hoping mother red squirrel had met her doom…
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But unfortunately it was a dove.
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Better luck next time guy.
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That’s what I need to do.
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Because my feeders empty as soon as I fill them.
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Everyone’s trying to lay on a little extra fat for winter.
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Except me. I’m not trying… but it’s there damn it.
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Critters eat me out of house and home this time of year.
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But that’s okay.
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I wouldn’t have it any other way.
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