As I sit here, mid-afternoon, fighting off the desire for a nap, I'm watching the most amazing thing unfold in my backyard. My tiny, compact yard (most of which is taken up by house, garage and pool), is full of animals - both wild and domestic. There is a natural surreal cohesion going on, and it's like looking at one of those brightly colored animal calendars that I had as a kid. The sun is shining, the green grass freshly cut even and uniform, and spring flowers are bursting in a color competition.
In the midst of this ideal setting, there are baby skunks, six of them, actually, that have decided that my yard is the most desirable one on the block. One has been sleeping by my front door, and the others come and go between the bushes, but mostly they graze on my lawn in search of bugs, like tiny fuzzy cows.
My cats simply walk by, as if the skunks are part of the landscape. My rabbit lazes in his cage, and sits up for attention or to smell the wind.
Our golden retriever is sunning herself in a happy bliss, and occasionally takes herself for a swim in the pool. There are two hummingbirds which sit on my front deck railing, in between frenzied flower feedings. When my daughter plays in her room, they often come up as a pair and chirp at her, enjoying the mutual noise they all create.
A fuzzy-headed, yet unidentified black bird with white chest chatters up a storm when he sees us, and does not fly from us, ever. He will often come closer as if he's telling me the day's news before pooping on my Adironack chair. The orange tree is "his", he says.
A hawk sits in a tall pine and eyes the protein-rich yummies that are abundant in my yard. We all scowl at him, and tell him to get a rat.
Rats and mice, are unfortunately abundant and plentiful. My cat Kirby will often bring us one, usually alive and frisky, around 3 a.m. What's fun for him simply must be fun for the whole family.
Gophers are tunneling through my yard, and serve as amusement for my other cat, who will sit for hours and hours waiting for a 'head' sighting.
Ducks will eat water beetles out of our pond at dusk, and the raccoons will get what the ducks missed several hours later in the dark of night, chattering away in gangster fashion.
This nature show, as I call it, happens on a very small plot of land. However, it's on every day and it will always be my most favorite 'channel'.
In the midst of this ideal setting, there are baby skunks, six of them, actually, that have decided that my yard is the most desirable one on the block. One has been sleeping by my front door, and the others come and go between the bushes, but mostly they graze on my lawn in search of bugs, like tiny fuzzy cows.
My cats simply walk by, as if the skunks are part of the landscape. My rabbit lazes in his cage, and sits up for attention or to smell the wind.
Our golden retriever is sunning herself in a happy bliss, and occasionally takes herself for a swim in the pool. There are two hummingbirds which sit on my front deck railing, in between frenzied flower feedings. When my daughter plays in her room, they often come up as a pair and chirp at her, enjoying the mutual noise they all create.
A fuzzy-headed, yet unidentified black bird with white chest chatters up a storm when he sees us, and does not fly from us, ever. He will often come closer as if he's telling me the day's news before pooping on my Adironack chair. The orange tree is "his", he says.
A hawk sits in a tall pine and eyes the protein-rich yummies that are abundant in my yard. We all scowl at him, and tell him to get a rat.
Rats and mice, are unfortunately abundant and plentiful. My cat Kirby will often bring us one, usually alive and frisky, around 3 a.m. What's fun for him simply must be fun for the whole family.
Gophers are tunneling through my yard, and serve as amusement for my other cat, who will sit for hours and hours waiting for a 'head' sighting.
Ducks will eat water beetles out of our pond at dusk, and the raccoons will get what the ducks missed several hours later in the dark of night, chattering away in gangster fashion.
This nature show, as I call it, happens on a very small plot of land. However, it's on every day and it will always be my most favorite 'channel'.
1 comment:
just found your blog, I love the name, I am a superly bored mom of three, and found your blog by googling bored mom to see if there was anything interesting out there. I love the blog.
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