Some people have all the luck

A close neighbor (M) had to go to help out with her mother-in-law's recovery from knee surgery. Though caregiving is definitely a chore, she knows how to make things fun and apparently the two of them are having a great time together. But enough about people. M sent pictures of the real bonus of the visit - getting to know Javelinas. For those who don't know, they are prevalent in the Southwest USA and the babies are called Reds for their reddish coat. Not particularly inventive in my opinion, but nobody asked me. Anyway, this mom and her kids are adorable. And YES! I AM SO ENVIOUS she got to play with them.

They're ba-ack (I sincerely hope)

Every morning is the same routine. Wake up, open curtains, stumble outside to greet the squirrels who immediately mug me for walnuts, and otherwise tend to the Critter Café. This is important business as my critters depend on me to attend to their every need: food and fresh water. This morning, as I looked out the kitchen window while making my coffee, expecting to see the crows and ravens swoop in to feed on the peanuts, I got a wholly unexpected and wonderful surprise. An enormous raccoon was happily chowing down on the peanuts. A raccoon. Now, no doubt you're saying, what's so great about seeing a raccoon? Allow me to explain. 

When we moved into our house with its now-too-huge yard, we loved that we were surrounded by squirrels, raccoons, opossums, skunks (well, skunks were welcome but the stench wasn't), and beautiful birds. Yes, we saw the occasional coyote too, but that wasn't too much of a problem. We even had a raccoon couple bring their kids into the backyard to stare at us while we enjoyed the outdoors seated on the lounge chairs, which the second we vacated, the raccoons would hop up on and make themselves at home. Opossum mums would show off their babies. It was a lovely time. Then something happened and the raccoons and opossums disappeared. Even the skunk population took a nosedive. Our yard was just as hospitable, our dogs as friendly, but the road bordering us became more congested with reckless drivers. That was over 15 years ago. So to see a furry bandit friend is exciting in the extreme. 

The pictures were taken through the kitchen window, so they aren't the best, but you get the idea. Enjoy Raccoony. (Yup, corny as it is, it's his name). He's near the wheel.

If only the Critter Café was a business

I should start charging the guests to the Critter Café. Business is booming and yet, though the squirrels have become very bold in demanding their walnuts, the crows and ravens are coming is large groups, and the Banded Pigeons have formed a formidable gang, not one has paid their bill or left a tip. Of course, the joy of seeing these beautiful animals enjoying themselves is really all the payment one can expect. With their native habitats destroyed and food supplies low, this is the least one can do.

The second the door opens, this little guy shows up. He's even been known to come straight in to demand walnuts. Of course, there is no point in resisting.

For some reason my ravens and crows have been camera shy the last two days, so I only managed to catch a few going for the peanuts. The Banded Pigeons, on the other hand, had no problem chowing down without a thought to posing for the camera. 

Sorry for the bad quality. Had to take the photos from the kitchen window. Click on the photos to enlarge.

Dave the Animal Guy...

Dave is the animal whisperer who helped us introduce Nellie to our other furry resident, Kuma. Since Kuma isn't the most well-mannered dog when it comes to other dogs (cats, skunks, or anything else that moves), having Dave around to ease the meet and greet made all the difference for getting our two rescues to unite. He also trained Nellie not to leave the house or run through our garden gates without a direct command. That is something that can save a dog's life.

Well, Dave has set up a YouTube channel with all sorts of good insights and advice on living with wildlife and your furred, feathered and scaled friends. I don't always agree 100% with what he espouses, but I do think he has some very interesting insights. Thus, I wanted to share the link to his channel. For those who are as nuts about creatures other than human beings as I am, it's worth checking out.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVWQB8fBKvkx_0hUGw5D_Yw

Peahen on patrol (part 2)

I'm relieved, and yet somewhat dismayed. The peahen moved on down our street in the late afternoon and at dusk she flew up onto a roof, presumably to roost. Smart move considering the coyotes in our neighborhood are getting bolder and healthier -- which translates into quicker, more efficient hunting. That said, as Nellie and I were out for our morning stroll, of course I couldn't help looking for her iridescent beauty. No luck. But yesterday, when she was enjoying the delicacies in my yard, I managed to capture another couple of pictures. 

Here she is pretending I'm not sitting just a couple of feet away:

I hope she finds her permanent home soon and she's safe.
 

Peahen on patrol

The last couple of days have been a bit traumatic. Kuma, our big bear (who now looks more like an elegant wolf), has had an attack of vestibular syndrome. We're not able to see our vet until Monday (booked solid), but we have instructions for how to make him comfortable until then. It's already been a long couple of sleepless nights and round-the-clock nursing. 

Life goes on, though, and as I headed out to the Critter Café to feed my squirrels and birds, imagine my astonishment when I saw a magnificent peahen standing right in front of me. But here's where it got really interesting: when I spoke to her and moved to place the walnuts in their dish, she actually came toward me. Wasn't fearful in the slightest. In fact, she seemed curious about today's menu. Mind you, wild peacocks and peahens are nothing new to the area, but NEVER in my yard. This is a first. Now you're thinking that she should adopt me and make me a slave to her every need. But no -- been there and tragically done that with Ninja. She is welcome, that goes without saying, but I hope she re-joins her friends wherever they may be and stays safe with her ostentation (which is a group of the clearly show-off birds). So here she is in all her glory:

Quoth the Ravens..."No photos allowed"

As those who visit know, I feed birds and squirrels in what I call my critter station. Among the wonderful birds that are attracted to the station, there is an entire platoon of crows that visit. I love the crows. They are so much fun to watch as they try to stuff multiple peanuts in their beaks or wash them in the bird bath. They are less fun when we have to clean the rain gutters jammed with peanut shells. But I digress.

One morning as I was watching over my flock from the kitchen window, two huge glossy crows glided down. They dwarfed all the birds there, including the banded pigeons. Then it dawned. Not crows -- ravens. Magnificent, elegant ravens. Where's the camera? OK, flick back the curtain and oh -- they flew away. Mmmm. Just to make sure the species ID was correct, as they flew I watched their tail feathers -- sure enough, wedge shaped. The calls they made were correct for ravens. How exciting!

Next morning, they came again. Quick, grab the camera, slowly push aside the curtain for a clearer shot and NOPE. Gone again. I have stalked them for 2 weeks now and they always know when I want a photo. My guess is they are wanted in at least 3 states and don't want their covers blown. Respect.

Smoke and heat make for lazy days

Though the major SoCal fires near us are reaching acceptable containment levels -- meaning they are not in imminent danger of burning down more towns and destroying acres of wildlife habitats (not to mention wildlife) -- they are continuing to smolder and burn. Plumes of smoke rise above the hills, smoke awakens us from restless slumber, and the heatwave continues to add to the misery. Projects that should take one day outside are put off in hopes of better air and cooler temps. Always lazy, my go to excuse now is heat and unhealthy air quality which is confirmed by TV meteorologists only to happy to be complicit in my goofing off. 

I should be doing indoor projects at the very least, and I have managed to start the very tedious task of backing up photos and actually labeling them (for a change). This was partially inspired by the very fires that are making it impossible to be motivated to go outdoors. With evacuation warnings in place, suddenly saving things seemed to be important. So yes, putting together a bug out kit made me think of all the things that should go in it. Important documents, check. Clothes for a week, check. Dog items/food, check. Electronics, check. But did I REALLY want to lug around a huge desktop in addition to other devices. Probably not. Hence the backing up. Not to mention the desktop is very old and probably going to die soon anyway. 

Now backing up and labeling photos isn't all bad. Going through the pictures of my month long trip to Japan was a real treat. Reminded me of all the fun I had getting hopelessly lost going down intriguing alleys or the wonder I felt at the magnificent art and architecture. A sample:

 

Then there are the photos of the garden that prove how much work has gone into it after every disaster (wind storm damage/tree removals) or change of heart about the direction of the plan. It's rather fun and encouraging to realize that, though the work will never be done, so much has gone into the look of it so far. 

The devastation of 2011:

The replacements:

 

And if you're wondering, most of my non-garden photos are of cute dogs and (now) a chicken.

When not pretending to being faithfully backing up photos, fortunately my library cards allow me to enjoy digital copies of books and I'm back on the mystery books kick. I prefer English type mysteries with a wry tone, though I'm also partial to almost any mystery where helpful dogs or cats are involved. 

Reading has made me even more conscious of words and how they affect thinking. For instance, authors who are true animal lovers often refer to a dog or cat as "it." People are referred to as "owners" even though "guardian" would be more apropos. And before you go there, I am aware that animals are property under the law. It makes me wonder, though, how much of our language shapes our thinking about how things work in our society and how they should work. 

See what being trapped indoors and reading too much does to one? It hurts your brain!

Successes

It seems I'm usually writing about projects in progress or projects in my dreams. Well, there are finished bits around the yard, so don't think I'm simply incapable of finishing anything. Though --- truth to tell, there is always the prospect of endless tweaking - a little detail here - a bit added or removed over there. Though friends kindly refer to my work mode as "organic," Attention Deficit Disorder would probably be more accurately descriptive.

So let's look at some successes. I did manage to get the pile of broken concrete sorted and installed by the edge of the footpath, along with a large portion of the brick pile. With dollops of black river rock in between the pavers, it's a successful start. The challenge is to figure out what to do with the rest of what I've got. The biggest concern is the curve in the footpath (not shown) as that happens to fall at a critical section that needs to be sturdy enough for the yard waste bin rolling over it. No doubt something will come to me...I just hope it doesn't take another ten years to materialize.

Many people walking by comment on my side yard, which is set up for the local critters to enjoy. Years ago, what little lawn remained was torn out and mulched with free, I repeat, free, wood chip mulch from the tree company. They are only too happy to dump their chips at your house rather than pay to dump them. Anyhow, the side yard is our buffer to a busy street. Since it is somewhat private because of the large hedge, squirrels, banded pigeons, crows, songbirds, doves, the odd coyote or two, and any other critter who happens to need water, nuts or seed is welcome. The bed frame was hanging out in our back yard for a long time. It seemed so obvious that it needed to be a vegetable bed (get it?) that it was put together in one day. The joke is that nary a vegetable has yet to grow there. Maybe this coming year? The table at the foot of the bed was also hanging out unproductively in the back yard, so naturally it was pressed into service to complete the vignette.

It seems that just when I need something, I manage to find it on the street waiting for trash pick up. The bird feeder is hanging from a birdcage stand someone was throwing away. The bird bath is on a discarded plant stand and the pot with seed in it is on a stray garden stool. Seriously, if you're into recycling at all, just walk a dog around your neighborhood and you'll find the most amazing things to work with. 

The banded pigeon is one of my favorite visitors and I've noticed some amazing things about them. At first we only had the one and unlike the garden variety city pigeon, they are very large and heavy. After a few weeks, more of them came and now we have 20 - 30 at a time. One arrives first and scopes out the place. Then, as if they all got a text that it was safe, the others come in looking like a B-52 bomber squadron. They are so heavy you can almost hear the Crape Myrtle groan as they land on its delicate branches. They hold their own against cheeky squirrels and commanding crows. It all makes for happy viewing out the kitchen window. Frankly, it's more uplifting than the morning news and makes a great start to the day. That and coffee.

So there are a few of the successes that will still get tweaked and fussed with, but are really done and everything is working. At least the critter population is happy.