Doe a deer, a female deer... ok you know the rest

Ok, this is now two posts in a row that I’m writing about the wildlife in my backyard. I’ve been a bit fixated on what’s happening in the backyard with all the birds, squirrels, and other critter types. It’s something I can stare at and it helps calm me, kinda like meditating without having to find someplace quiet, which just doesn’t happen around here unless the mad spaniel is out with the DH. This week it’s about the solitary doe who’s been roaming my suburb neighborhood. I kinda feel bad for her being so alone (I can relate) but she seems to like our furry kids so maybe she’s made friends with others, too.

She appears to be fascinated with the mad spaniel. Last week Penny was racing back and forth along one side of the chain link fence and the doe, I call her Betty was watching. The name Betty is probably because the local PBS has been running Simon and Garfunkel’s concert in Central Park all summer. Something else that can calm me until all that pledge stuff starts. I’m like all calm and drowsy and the next think you know there’s someone hawking cds and asking for money, so thanks PBS for never running it without pledge breaks. The name Betty is from that Paul Simon song, You can call me Al, which has been stuck in my head and is making it crazier (which isn’t something good). I know... now I passed on the song worm ...  you’re welcome.

So Betty slowly walks over to the fence staring at the mad spaniel like she’s the most interesting thing around. Maybe to a deer she was or maybe she just couldn’t believe how insane this dog must be to zoom back and forth and not bark. I came outside with Matty and she still just stood there staring at all of us. The next day the DH was by the shed in the backyard when he looked over at the compost pile and there was Betty not more than a yard away from him going thru the corn husks I tossed there the night before. She’s way too tame.

It’s not just Penny and the DH that Betty gets up close with. I’ve actually seen her touch noses with the cat, weird huh?! Made me wish I had a cell phone on me to get a quick pic. I don’t cause I hate all phones (not kidding, I really do and it’s not because of all the annoying sales calls and robo calls, well maybe a little it is). Matty doesn’t seem to be interested in her at all. He stares but it’s like , hey it’s no big deal it’s just some weird huge dog thing.

Betty’s looking a whole lot healthier now than when she first showed up back in the spring. Guess living off my garden and probably every other one in the area has helped fatten her up. I find odd that she eats the bean leaves and vines but doesn’t seem to touch the ones with the green beans hanging from them. She does eat my pepper plants, even the hot ones.

  The DHand I have a bet on if she will stick around this winter. I say if she keeps walking down the road a car will come around the blind corner by our yard and we’ll find one very dead deer on the hillside. He thinks she’ll end up in some one’s freezer because we live on the border of a township that allows hunting. But maybe she’ll take notice that hunting season is approaching (and it ain’t Elmer Fudd hunting wabbits she has to worry about) and she’ll stay on our side of the township line and find herself a nice buck because I really don’t think Andy is her type.

A groundhog named Jill ... or maybe Jack

Here’s a short funny story. Oh, I know I do tend to write very long posts but this one is short, promise. At least it is for me.

I was out feeding the birds and refilling the birdbaths (gotta keep clean water in them to keep away the mosquitoes!). After doing the water I walked back to the house not realizing I forgot the small bucket I use to hold the containers of birdseed. Later I went over to look at the plants growing around one of the birdbaths and found the seed containers. Thinking it’s just one of those days when I’m way too lost in thought I took them back to the place where they should be, only to find the bucket wasn’t there either.

Worried some kid playing on the wooded lot behind our house may have taken it. It’s not hard to think that way since we’ve had a wire dog crate, rake, shovel, wood, and containers go missing, and then there’s the window broken in a truck we used to have. The lot’s big enough for paintball and kids from all over (yeah even ones who drive) used to play back there. But that’s not at all what happened to the little green bucket.

So I toodled back over and spotted the small groundhog that’s lives under our big shed duck under some stacked wood near by. That’s when I got the idea of maybe, just maybe, it could have taken it. Bending down and looking thru my legs (and VERY glad no one saw me) I spotted the bucket under the shed but not at the edge like I could have kicked it there. Oh, no, it was in almost the center!

Heading back to the house I started calling for the DH because I knew if I just got it out and then told him about our Jack or Jill he’d never believe me. He still didn’t want to believe I didn’t set it up that way ‘cause it’s just too weird, right? Lucky for me he recently bought a long handled tree trimmer with a hook on the end. It was just long enough to catch the handle of the bucket.

So I’m happy to get my bucket back but I can’t help but wonder just what did the groundhog have planned to do with it? hmmmm.......