critters

You have likely realized we are not the most exciting people in the world.  As our values dictate keeping life largely simple and quiet, and our single-income budget limiting things from there, we’re left with our own little selves, our imaginations, and nature for entertainment.  Honestly, ninety percent of the time, I wouldn’t want it any other way.  [As for the remaining 10 percent, well, I promise I'll try not to blog on those days, OK?]

 

I really love our backyard.  I’ve mentioned before that suburbia is right where I want to be, right between city and country, with the advantages of both.  I’m endlessly enthralled with nature, and — as you may have figured out — I pay pretty close attention to what goes on behind my house.  (It helps balance out the crazy stuff that goes on INSIDE my house!)

Deer

I haven’t managed to entice anything into the live trap lately, so the frontier girl in me has been just longing for some critter-related action.  Thankfully, things on the deer front have been remarkably quiet.  The gol’-darned buggers apparently found a new food source since hubby and I surrounded our four maple saplings with chicken wire. 

Rabbits

The bunny population, while the largest we have seen in our 13 years here, hasn’t yielded any drama worth following for more than 5 minutes.  Apparently, young maple bark is a tasty complement to our varied grasses and prolific weeds.  How have I learned this scintillating fact, you wonder?  Well, Peter Cottontail and his many relations have found their way underneath my chicken-wire described above. Luckily, Ace Hardware had drainage tubing on sale this week.  Yesterday, I purchased six feet of this, slit it, and placed a piece around each sapling trunk. 

If you’re a rabbit lover, like one of my neighbors, fear not.  I’m pretty sure that Flopsey and Mopsey won’t go hungry simply because I’ve taken a stronger claim on my trees.  We’ve got a swamp full of grasses and a mini-woods full of all kinds of goodies to satisfy the common herbivore.

Robins

We’re on our second brood of under-the-deck robins this summer.  It would have been three, but the first nest was mysteriously and savagely destroyed one night.  I have yet to determine the culprit (and woe to him or her if I do!).  Anyway.  Yesterday’s picture, shown below, marks hatching day.  If you click on the picture itself, you’ll have a larger view of it, and you’ll be able to see where the third and final hatchling is making it’s entrance into the world.

Today, as I fired up the grill for dinner, I thought to grab my camera and add to our photo-documentation of this interesting event.  As you might guess, Mama Robin wasn’t too happy with me; she sat on one of the maple saplings about 10 feet away and squawked at me.  Too bad she doesn’t understand the historic and educational value I’m providing so many of you. 

I have to confess, I am totally enamored with the whole baby birds thing.  And honestly, I sincerely hope that my fascination with and interest in nature and our backyard helps expand my children’s view of the world.  I suppose that could come across as a little corny, but please know that I’m quite sincere.  I am honest enough to acknowledge that my own reliance on my smart phone, my love for my laptop (my conduit to all of you!), and even my affection for my new camera are “fixtures” that don’t escape their notice.   Hopefully, seeing me equally interested in, smitten with, and amused by hatchlings and groundhogs and even the occasional possum will help ground them in non-digital realities that are infinitely more important.

Anyway.  Stay tuned for more robin family adventures.  Between my passion for this topic (nature) and my 30-day commitment to blogging, robin updates are sure to help me meet my writing goal!