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I’m not sure why…
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But momma woodchuck always looks pissed off.
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Is it because her children are always under foot?
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Or because the pesky human woman keeps spraying all the tasty munchies with coyote urine?
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Maybe it’s because her tatas are hanging so low they scrape the rock wall.
Tough call… but I’m going with gravity. That’s bound to make any woman cranky.
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Remember my pretty little petunia?
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It’s not pretty anymore.
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And my colorful little leftover flower bed?
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Not nearly as colorful now.
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Yes, the baby woodchucks are on the move and munching their way through my gardens… not to mention my wallet.
Cute? Yes. But cuteness will only get them so far.
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I spread this around my garden today and if it doesn’t work?
I may have to invite the real thing for dinner. ( Kidding, but tempting.)
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Our backyard has been seeing a lot of visitors lately.
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And baby chucks are learning where the buffet is located.
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Yes, damn it.
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She’s still here.
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I don’t think momma Chuck is enjoying the competition for apple slices.
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But babies like the grain as well. And climbing in the food bowl is always fun.
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One brave little chucker ventured out from under the barn to have a nosh with his mother.
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Okay, he stayed quite close to momma…
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But he’s still the only one we’ve seen out in the open.
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They’re silly critters at this age.
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And he was having a blast scampering all over the rock wall.
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There’s a big wide world out there to explore little guy….
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Enjoy!
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Ever since we painted the barn/man cave the perfect shade of red, I’ve been sputtering about recovering the porch furniture because now… it clashes.
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I recently bought some color coordinated fabric and found a local woman who’s going to do the job.
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Me… sew? Yeah, that’s not happening. So while I was waiting for the seamstress to tell me she was done with prom and wedding dress alterations, I saw this:
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WTH?
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The edges of all the cushions had been shredded!
I ranted, I blamed woodchucks. I cursed, I blamed mice. I sputtered, I blamed chipmunks. But guess what?
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The real culprit..
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Was a bird looking for nesting material.
Mother Nature. She has all manner of ways to drive you crazy.
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Baby woodchucks are on the move.
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I spotted three.
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Make that four.
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And they’re cute as a button.
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I’m not sure if they’re actually living under the barn this year, or momma just brings them in for a nosh now and then.
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But I enjoy watching the little devils munch either way.
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Last weekend I was reading on the barn porch, enjoying the view of the neighbor’s farm…
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And of our other neighbor walking by….
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When suddenly my view changed.
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Because the husband decided it was time ( after I bugged him for 7… Yes, 7 years. ) to put up a gutter.
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I’ll spare you the four hour nightmare of angles, cutting, bracketing, ladder placement and yes a good bit of cursing as well…
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And get right to the cute stuff.
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A baby woodchuck.
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Make that two baby woodchucks. It’s summer and the little scampers are peaking out from under the barn. Totally adorable. And much more fun to watch than this…
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Especially since the gutter leaked like Hell the first time it rained.
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Even with the drought we’re experiencing, the Rhodies were magnificent this year.
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And the Barn Mahal porch has color coordinated pots of pretties as well. I find orange and yellow really pop against the red.
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This little petunia almost looks painted.
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Whether it will survive the woodchuck onslaughter is another matter entirely.
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Do you have a bed where all the leftovers end up?
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This is mine. A mini bed by the bulkhead doors where my first ever gay feather is getting ready to bloom…. and the neighboring hostas have launched an invasion.
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Love this combination Lantana.
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When the woodchucks decimated my gardens 2 years ago I searched for flowers they hated and planted them. Foxglove? Check!
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Astilbe? Healthy and woodchuck nibble free.
Did you know astilbe is also called False Goat’s Beard? What’s up with that… are there goats who need to travel incognito?
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Apparently, yes. Yes there are.
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Salvia, geraniums and New Guinea impatiens are blooming in my little stone wall garden bed, but unfortunately now and then I find a hole.
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See the empty space on the left? Thank you Mr. Woodchuck, please tip your server. 😡
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Happily my strawberry shortcake foxglove is on the list of woodchuck avoided plants.
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It’s also rhododendron time.
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And this year, they’re glorious.
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Every season I tell myself to cut them back, then they give me a riotous bloom and I cave.
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This year I planted three tick weed (coreopsis) behind the marigolds. Sadly, they must have been on the ‘favorite woodchuck snack’ list because one morning I looked out and they were munched down to nubs. Solution?
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Giant headed yellow marigolds. They’re not my favorite flower, but they’re not a woodchuck’s either … so that’s a win.
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As is this pink cosmos. Such a happy flower. I smile just looking at them.
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Last year we had a mother woodchuck and five babies.
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So far this year I’ve only seen one. One with what appears to be ripped abs…
A woodchuck 6 pack. Who knew?
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He (she?) seemed to know exactly where the buffet was laid….
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So maybe this is last year’s baby all grown up.
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River's world..... 