A Small Herd of Deer

It has been raining for days. When I took the dogs out this afternoon Chewy the chihuahua immediately ran to the front where he could keep his paws dry by standing beneath the overhang of the roof. The chocolate labs quietly made their way down the driveway, sniffing here and there, glancing over at the front lawn then back at me, looking rather sheepish.

I sensed that there was an animal in front, most likely a rabbit, and that they wanted to bark and chase, but knew this would make me unhappy. They reached the end of the driveway and stood very still, staring, waiting.

When I reached the end of the driveway, I suddenly understood. On the side of the house, near my bedroom window, a small herd of deer was standing in the rain and lying down on the grass. I could see a small, brown fawn lying near its mother and a taller female standing just a few feet from my labs. They were all holding very still, but they weren't watching the labs. In fact, they seemed to sense that Buddy and Holly did not intend to harm them. They weren't watching me, either. They were watching Chewy...and this was probably very wise!

I quickly took a picture then called to Buddy and Holly who immediately turned and followed me to the back door. I was hoping to attract Chewy, who loves to chase the larger dogs and generally does not allow them to beat him to the door, or anywhere else. Unfortunately, just as he turned to watch the labs race up the driveway, he caught sight of the deer and raced down the stairs--suddenly quite willing to dampen his paws--chasing the deer back into the forest.

I was heartbroken. We have lived in this house for four years now and often see droppings or signs that the deer have slept in front of our house, but rarely see the deer themselves. Ever since I have returned from Colorado, though, the deer have appeared in front of the house nearly every day. I feel as if they are trying to connect with us somehow, and the dogs are getting in the way! I think I will start searching for them in the morning through the windows before I walk out with the dogs!

Squirrels and Cardinals

Squirrels in my backyard. Photo by D.S. Dollman.

I was lying in bed this morning, watching a movie, when I noticed a squirrel hop onto the side of the bedroom patio trellis. I thought this was a litlte strange so I leaned forward and looked out the window. I couldn't see any other squirrels, though I assumed it was another male chasing the squirrel away. A few minutes later, it happened again, then again. I stood up and walked to the window, careful to stay to the side so they wouldn't see me, and then I saw a deep red, large male cardinal flying onto the patio, chasing the squirrel away from the food dish. I quickly ran outside and refilled the bird dishes--they seem to eat more when it's cold outside and we've had very cold weather the past few days.

This isn't the first time I've seen a bird chase squirrels away. We had two bluebirds in the backyard last year and they would chase the squirrels away from the corn cobs. They would wait until the squirrels loosened the corn nibs with their teeth, chewed out the white section then dropped the rest back onto the tree branch, then the birds would chase off the squirrels and eat what was left of the corn niblet.

The cardinal surprised me, though. I've never seen them chase squirrels. In Colorado, I watched a squirrel in the park who liked to run up the trees and chase away the crows, but the birds chasing the squirrels seems odd as the squirrels are so much larger.

Male cardinals can be very aggressive, though. In the spring, during mating season, they attack each other often, trying to establish a heirarchy in their tiny flocks as well as fighting over females. We often have bird strikes on our huge picture windows and more often than not it is the cardinals. They see their own reflection, puff out the chest and attack. We even saw a cardinal attacking the side mirror on my husband's truck once. It would back off, then dive, back off, then dive. It may sound funny, but it's a serious situation for the birds as they can easily break their own necks.

This has happened a few times in the four years we've lived in the house. I have a small animal cemetery beneath the wysteria vines. I bury them with cards that my artist-sister made with drawings of angels and a little seed, then I pray over thier grave. I know some may find this eccentric, but I believe all God's creatures deserve to be recognized for the contribution they made on this earth and honored for their beauty and grace, their precious gifts from God that make them gifts from God to us.

Deer, Squirrels, Grocery Store Sparrows and Grackles

I woke up this morning to the glorious sound of rain, reached for the cord on the blinds and gave it a good, hard tug, and as I did so, I thought, "What are you doing? You always open the blinds slowly so you don't frighten any animals standing by the pond!" And, of course, there was a small herd of deer standing just outside my bedroom window!

They didn't run off. They stood and stared at me for a few minutes as I took pictures then wandered into the forest when I ran to fetch my husband to share the experience. They were lovely, calm and graceful creatures, such wonderful gifts from God.

The squirrels are back in full force. I knew they would return as soon as they realized I was home. They spent the morning scampering up and down the tree branches and one sat on the back porch munching on sunflower seeds until she had cleaned out the entire dish. She appears to be pregnant. There doesn't seem to be a pregnancy "season" for squirrels around here. They seem to have babies year-round.

We went to the store and the grocery store was filled with the sounds of sparrows chattering as they flew back and forth amongst the metal rafters. I think they come in and out through the huge windows on the ceiling, but that could also be where they keep their nests. It amazes me how many birds live in the grocery stores out here, and no one seems to mind that they can't here the drone of the elevator music over the lovely bird songs.

In the parking lot, two grackles hopped nearby as we unloaded our groceries into the truck. I took out my camera and they moved even closer as if they were posing for shots. They really are lovely birds with their many shades of brown and black. I like the way the chocolaty feathers on their necks blend into the black feathers on their backs. Very pretty.

Texas!

I've been home for five days and it's taken that long to convince the birds and squirrels to return. My husband leaves seeds on the picnic table, but I know all the secret places the little creatures like to eat, the safer places that offer more protection. I leaves sunflower seeds behind the fence beneath the half-dead tree for the male squirrel who lives near the second garage and sunflower seeds in a cup hanging from a tree just inside the forest for the baby squirrel born in the fall who is still too shy to come into the yard. The sparrows like seed on an easily-cleanable tray beneath the grape vines where they sit year-round, singing until nightfall when they hop onto the roof in small groups and fly into the forest to find safe places to sleep. The doves and cardinals prefer the picnic table in the backyard. They are larger birds and it provides a larger eating space.

The first night I returned I was taking pictures of the sunset in the front yard and spotted a young buck walking across the lawn. He stopped to watch me as I took a few pictures, then slowly walked into the woods. I set some corn out for him, but he hasn't eaten it yet. I think he's returned, though. There are a few spots in the grass where it appears as though a large animal has been sleeping.

I am surprised by how many butterflies I've seen considering it's the middle of January. It hasn't been terribly cold here, according to my husband, and last years torrential rains seem to have taken a break, thank goodness. There is still a little water in the creek bed, but the creek is not running and the water is filled with algae. Our two ponds in front of the house are sparkling clean, though. The fish and plants have a solid system going now.

I dropped my husband off for a haircut yesterday and drove down the road to see if I could photograph any vultures. I spotted two about twenty feet away from each other sitting on posts. I spent about half an hour photographing them. They were very cooperative! At one point, a truck driver honked his horn and spooked one of the vultures. Instinctively, I clicked the camera and got a shot of him spreading his wings, looking down at me. It looks very spooky...

Still in Colorado

I am still in Colorado. I miss my dogs and cat, my little sparrows, Mrs. Toady, the butterflies that appear out of nowhere any time of year, and most of all, my friends, the little squirrels. When I left in October they were hanging upside down by their toenails and stripping my pecan trees of all the pecans. Now, according to my husband, the leaves have fallen from the trees and the pecans are safely tucked away in little squirrely hiding places.

I've seen so many red-tailed hawks and kestrels in this Colorado neighhborhood! Last night, I took a picture of a bird sitting on a nearby rooftop, and when I enlarged it I realized it was a sparrow hawk. They are interesting hunters. They sit very still on posts and telephone wires facing the fields, then suddenly, without warning, they will dive straight down and snatch their prey.

We've spent a great deal of time at the park near Lake Loveland. It's been a wonderful, yet sometimes heart-breaking experience. The lake is wedged between a playground/picnic grounds and a high school. The high school students spend breaks and free time at the park. Many of these students are very polite and respectful, but there are always a few bad apples.

I can't even count how many times I've seen adults--not children, but adults--chasing the ducks and geese, tackling them to the ground, or unleashing their dogs to allow them to attack the birds. The children and I watched in horror as a teenager grabbed a red crowbar from his truck and chased the geese around the lake, just for fun. There must be close to a thousand Canadian Geese migrating on the lake right now. Last week, we pulled up to the park to find one was torn to shreds right in front of the parking spot. There are three large Egyptian Geese at the park. One day, they were fine. The very next morning, one of them had a broken wing. We've seen two Canadian Geese with broken legs. It's just shameful.

I've complained to the local Humane Society and sent extensive letters to the local Audubon Society. I would think they would have some protection under the International Migratory Bird Act. Hopefully, someone will respond with some sort of help for these glorious creatures. Hopefully...

Colorado

I am once again in Colorado visiting my children and grandchildren and it has been a busy time, especially with the little creatures. I have been teaching my two oldest grandchildren how to search for creatures to photograph. The now know to whisper when we come upon a herd of antelope or a hawk perched on a fence post.

My grandson and I drove out to our old home in Wellington. We saw two sparrow hawks, three red-tailed hawks, a herd of antelope, and photographed a mated pair of Harris Hawks on the way back to school to pick up his sister. He calls the hawks "big birds" and whispers when he says the words.

Watching the antelope herd was fascinating, but it also made me miss Colorado terribly. I remember watching the large fall/winter herds daily as they crossed our hills and valleys, then they would split up into small family units in the spring and summer and wander beneath my bedroom balcony with the children playing behind them, leaping and chasing each other down the hillsides.

The herd we saw north of Wellington wasn't very large, but it had one buck and he kept a tight rein on the females. He didn't lead them away from us, which was nice because it enabled me to take quite a few pictures. He seemed more concerned with keeping them rounded up. When one of the females would step more than a few feet away from him, he would chase her down!

A few days ago, we also took a drive in Big Thompson Canyon. My son-in-law told me he knew of a spot where he could see bighorn sheep every time he went up the canyon. Sure enough, the sheep were there, hopping from rock to rock as if the stones were soft grass. They seemed perfectly content to have their photographs taken. Of course, they were on the other side of the river!

Spider Tree

We drove into the next town for an appointment and on the way home I found another spider tree. I have seen three now. These are trees that are covered in large garden spiders, huge webs, egg sacs held in place with carefully spun webs.

It was raining softly when I got out of the truck. I looked down at my skirt and sandals and knew I was making a mistake, but I wanted those pictures! The tree is so perfect--old, gnarled, colorful and filled with spiders. It grows beside a huge field filled with grasses, and grasshoppers! Perfect for garden spiders. Oddly enough, the grasshoppers seem to line up on the tree branches as if they're waiting to become the next meal for one of eight spiders I counted on this particular tree.

As I stood in the rain taking pictures, I suddenly felt a shooting pain in my toes, then my feet and ankles. I looked down and brushed at my feet, but I couldn't see anything. I suspect it was baby red ants. Within minutes, my feet, ankles and legs were covered with blisters. They had actually taken chunks of skin from my feet.

And still I stayed, snapping pictures. I just didn't want to miss the opportunity. It was so painful it brought tears to my eyes. I pulled up my skirt and tied it, hoping the ants wouldn't climb up the hem. I couldn't believe how many egg sacs were tied onto this tree. Two of the spiders were wrapping grasshoppers for future meals, their bright yellow still showing through the spider's tight web. It's kind of gross, but the spider actually injects the grasshopper with venom and its insides turn to liquid, which the spider then ingests.

I feel a tremendous amount of sympathy for these grasshoppers. I think they are lovely with their bright yellow patterns and soft, gentle faces. On the other hand, there are so many of them that when I walked back to the car they were actually smacking into me as they flew through the air. These garden spiders play a very important role in controlling garden pests, even if it is a bit disgusting to think about!

Squirrels, Dragonflies, Hummingbirds, Vulture, Little Flowers and Awesome Sunsets

There is a young male squirrel who lives across the road in the forest in front of our house. He is a bit of a clown. My stepson took the dogs for a walk one day and happened to surprise the little fella as he was scampering up the sidewalk. The squirrel got down and army crawled into the trees. He loves to climb around the pond by my bedroom window, drink the water, eat the pecans, and hang between the branches of the crape myrtle, watching me through the picture windows. Chewy the chihuahua used to bark at him and scare him off, but Chewy has now realized it is much more fun to sit quietly and watch the squirrel play. I feel like he should have a name, like "Sammy."

I've been watching for dragonflies. It's that time of year and I love dragonfly pictures. We've been swarmed many evenings, but they don't land often. I have had some really great close-up encounters with tiny dragonflies. I am assuming they are babies because they are so small. Their faces look like robot faces. For the past few years, the dragonflies that swarm in the fall have been a silvery-blue, but this year we seem to have a lot of black ones with some kind of pattern on their wings. They are large and beautiful and fly so close to me I can reach out and touch them, but for some reason, they don't land very often. They spend a great deal of time chasing each other, which is most likely a mating ritual.

We are also getting swarmed at the hummingbird feeders. I am refilling the feeders every other day. This time last year I was filling them twice a day. Sometimes there are four and five birds hovering around each feeder. We have a lot of Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds around our house this year. In years past the majority of the hummingbirds have had shiny green backs. Those are here, too, as well as some tiny gray ones. There is a gray hummingbird smaller than my pinky finger that likes to sit on the chain of the plant hanger and guard the feeder closest to the picture window. He's smaller than any of the other birds around, which is probably why he's so tough!

White-Winged Dove season has started and I have placed extra food on the tables to try and attract the birds out of the nearby forests. It seems to be working. We have a flock of close to fifty doves now that flutter around our house. These are beautiful birds with red eyes and feet, but they're not too big and I really don't understand the logic in hunting these lovely creatures. They certainly cannot have much meat on their bodies.

Speaking of hunting, the vultures have been flying very low lately. I read that there are hawks migrating through Central Texas and it's possible that there is competition for food. A black vulture was circling at tree top level over Chewy yesterday. It flew off when I stepped out from behind a tree to let it know I was there. A Turkey Vulture landed on our lawn a few days ago and I took its picture. When I enlarged the photo, it appeared as if the bird has something in its mouth.

I have challenged myself lately to photographing the smallest flower on the property. It's been a fun challenge, but I've found that the harder I look, the more teeny little flowers I find. Every day I find a new hidden beauty never noticed before, so many gifts from God.

The sunsets the past few days have been spectacular! I climbed onto the roof last night to photograph in all directions. It was awesome! Reds, golds, oranges. There was a storm to the south, clear skies to the north, clouds moving in over the mountain behind us and the sun setting in such a glorious fashion you could hear the angels singing. I want to create a scrapbook with pictures and stories of our life here in Texas for my grandchildren so they can know and understand the incredible beauty God has gifted to this land and I think these sunset pictures will demonstrate this fact quite well!

Blessed Little Creatures

It's been so long since I've written about the blessed little creatures that live around my home and I feel as if I've neglected them in spite of the fact that I spend time with them every day. The baby squirrels of spring are growing larger and the pregnant squirrel has obviously had her babies. She was on the porch yesterday lying on her belly, propped up on her elbows, eating slowly from the sunflower seeds. She was probably enjoying the break from her young ones! There was a young squirrel exploring the pond a few days ago. He was creeping around the rocks, checking beneath the logs, and stopped for a long drink, then I think he might have noticed his reflection in the water. He seemed to hesitate a bit as if he was wondering if there was another squirrel looking back at him!

My husband and I went to Houston for the birth of my fifth grandchild, a little boy. While I was there, I wanted to take a picture of the robin that lives in my son's yard so I could paste the picture in my grandson's scrapbook, but the funniest thing happened with that robin! My son moved his car to the park across the street to make room for my truck while we visited and the robin moved with the car! The robin sat on the hood of the car and on the mirror for most of our visit, leaving once in awhile to find food and water. I took pictures, but never did figure out why he was behaving that way!

Last week, my stepson drove me to Colorado to visit my grandchildren. They have a new cat named Leroy who likes to sit in my grandson's highchair with his paws draped over the front as if he's waiting for a meal, but he does this all the time, even at night when everyone has gone to bed! Cats have so many quirky habits.

When we reached Colorado we stopped at a light near my daughter's house and I looked out the passenger side window and noticed a hawk had landed on a nearby post. My stepson drove off before I could get a picture, but I couldn't stop thinking about him. After my stepson unpacked the truck, I returned to the spot and found the hawk was still sitting on the post. I stood within a few feet of him taking pictures, then realized he was still there because he had caught a bird and was eating. It was sad knowing the bird had died, but at the same time, kept alive this magnificent, powerful animal. Life does work in circles.

Speaking of birds, the road runner is no longer hunting lizards. Apparently, he has now decided he prefers to sit in the trees in my backyard and hunt my hummingbirds. They seem to be on to his tricks, though. When the road runner is around, the bird feeders are noticeably empty.

I went to an appointment with my husband a few days ago and we saw a tree filled with black vultures and a few turkey vultures. I didn't realize they roost together. Then I noticed a huge, dead tree filled with orb weavers and their lovely, intricate webs. I also didn't realize they will live in close proximity to each other, but this tree had at least eight giant female orb weavers and many egg sacs. It was also covered with yellow grasshoppers, which may explain the presence of so many spiders--they had an abundant food source!

Pregnant Squirrels, Dragonflies and Snakes

One of the younger female squirrels is pregnant. She is good-sized, but I can tell she is young. She is also very far along. Either that, or she is expecting four babies instead of two. The older female who lives in the back yard usually has twins a couple times a year. This female is very friendly. Her belly is a creamy velvet. Sometimes when she's eating seeds, she'll stop, sprawl, and let her belly rest on the cool glass of the patio table. I'm very careful to clean the food and water dishes for the creatures and I use only filtered or spring water in their water dishes, though they still drink from the ponds. Nevertheless, she eats well, and often, seems very strong, and I think she will have healthy babies.

I am excited for her. Her belly appears to have dropped over the past two days. I'm not sure if it works the same way with squirrels as it does with humans, but this could be an indicator that she is getting close to her delivery time. They generally mate in May/June and carry the babies 44 days, so it does seem right that she would be close to her due date. She is beautiful. She has that glow that pregnant creatures tend to have.

I spent the morning photographing a large, red dragonfly with her reproductive ritual, as well. She was dropping eggs into the pond. She would stop when the winds picked up and cling to the arm of the chair or a nearby branch. I took many pictures. At one point, she flew off to chase away another dragonfly, then flew right back to where I was taking pictures and when I leaned closer to get a better picture of her, she leaned closer to me!

I woke up this morning and glanced out the window to see a snake in the pond. I grabbed my camera and ran outside and it swam up under a log I set up for shade for the creatures. The snake let me take quite a few pictures. It stuck its tongue out at me a couple of times. They use their tongues as sensors, almost like a nose, to see if what they're facing is a threat, food, or a female snake. Obviously, I wasn't any of these things, so the snake just sat for awhile while I took pictures. It was a checkered garter. It may be Checkers, the garter snake that lived in the rosemaries on the side of the house last year. He's quite a bit bigger, but that would make sense.

I have been following the life and adventures of a golden silk orb weaver I named Alice, videotaping as she built her web and captured her prey and posting her picture on Facebook. I woke up this morning and noticed she had disappeared and her beautiful, three part web was completely destroyed. My husband thinks her web was destroyed by the fierce rainstorms we had last night, but if this was the case, she would have rebuilt. I think she was eaten by a bird, or mud dauber. While I was searching for her, I noticed a mud dauber fly in behind what remained of her web and crawl beneath the ivy. Mud daubers will kill very large spiders, carry them to their houses and stuff the spiders inside. Miss Alice was a very large spider, though. I do hope she's okay.

A Rainy Day

There's a blanket of rain falling from the sky and squirrels at all feeding stations, their tails flipped over their heads like fuzzy umbrellas. They seem to eat twice as much food when it's raining outside, and it's been pouring! We're getting the tail winds and rain from Hurricane Alex, which is fine with me--these 105 degree days have turned the land a crispy brown and all it takes is one good rain to turn our world green again.

I took the dogs our earlier during a break in the rain. Buddy ran to the trees at the base of the driveway's slope and suddenly, a cottontail darted out a few feet then stopped. Buddy started toward the bunny, but stopped when I called his name. He turned around and continued sniffing the ground. The rabbit took a step toward Buddy and that was when I knew something was beneath the tree. I could also see that the rabbit had something small and dark in her mouth.

I ran down to Buddy and moved him away from the tree. I could see a nest beneath the tree. I turned around and the rabbit was still behind us with the dark object in her mouth. Buddy jerked toward her, then stopped and looked up at me. I shook my head and led him back to the house. I am certain there are babies in the nest and think it's possible that the mother had a baby in her mouth, as well.

One of my girlfriends was at the playground with her children when they discovered a snake. They tried to call the police and humane society and were confused that no one would come to remove the snake. They live in Arizona. I cannot imagine anyone responding to a snake call here in Texas, either. I think when you live in areas such as this you are expected to learn about the animals and how to avoid them and/or live with them. My friend's husband eventually realized it was a bull snake, walked over to the snake, picked it up and tossed it over the fence. Bull snakes

The incident did make me think about the way we approach wildlife, though. We teach our children about stranger danger, doesn't it seem logical to teach them how to respond to wildlife encounters? Many of the women who responded to my friend's post seemed to think it would be appropriate to grab the children and run, but if the child or parents is too close to the snake that would be a sure way to startle the snake into striking.

Back to the rain, our hummingbirds don't seem to be bothered by the downpour. We're already seeing three and four hummers at each of the feeders either eating or chasing each other about. I have another friend who was trying to take a picture of the hummingbirds outside his door and noticed two birds coming toward him, so he flipped on the video recorder and captured the two birds chasing each other in circles in a territorial dance. It's a fantastic video that I've watched more than once. It seems as though I never tire of watching God's creatures at play.

Baby Creatures...

It's been awhile since I've blogged. I have another grandson--Keller Elway Agnew--and he is beautiful, strong, and very intelligent. It was obvious within minutes that he recognized his mother and father's voices. However, he was also born with an infection and is still in the hospital--a serious reminder of how fragile life can be. He is surrounded by strong, loving, and compassionate parents and grandparents and has so many people sending prayers and loving, healing thoughts and energy to him, and I have no doubt that he will recover fully. I have been blessed by God with five beautiful grandchildren and I am so grateful. As I watch the little creatures out my window fly from tree to tree or scramble across the ground, I wonder how many of them will survive and I marvel at the miracle of life.

There are four juvenile cardinals on the property. I never see them apart. I know that some day they will leave each other and find spouses--cardinals mate for life--but for now it is nice to see them enjoying each other's company and protecting each other by calling out when they sense potential dangers--like my little chihuahua whose greatest thrill in life right now seems to be running into the yard barking to frighten off the birds!

There is another cardinal that seems to have made friends with a painted bunting. A young male painted bunting who is still getting his colorful feathers. This is an odd pairing, but I have yet to see these two marvelous creatures apart. They are always standing only inches away from each other, eating from the same dish or drinking from one of the ponds. Sometimes I wish I could read their minds or explore their memories and discover exactly what happened to cause these two birds to trust each other as they so obviously do. I know they, too, will some day part in search of mates, but for now, it's fun to watch.

I accidentally startled a very large raccoon this morning. I woke up at five and decided to make some tea, and when I walked in front of the door I noticed one of the largest raccoons I've seen sitting in the middle of the bedroom patio table, eating sunflower seeds. I think she must be the grandma. Female raccoons often live together for many generations. She glanced up at me, then climbed onto the chair and started to slowly slink away. She must have changed her mind, though, and realized I meant no harm because she had returned to the table when I came back into the room with my tea.

I was stung on the neck by a red wasp yesterday afternoon as I walked through the garage shaking a paint can. They do not like loud noises. I quickly covered the hole with charcoal to draw out the toxin, but I still needed to take a little allergy medication. Our garages are both filled with yellow wasps and mud-dobbers and we will have to do something about this because the garages are also filled with all of our boxes of books and such since we're preparing to move to New Mexico. I don't want to start unpacking and suddenly find my new home swarming with wasps! We usually just ignore these creatures. It's the red wasps we watch out for because they are so aggressive.

It's that time of year again and the hummingbird feeders are filling up with birds. I saw the tiniest hummingbird I've ever seen yesterday morning and I know it must have been a baby. It was half the size of my pinky. There is a lovely gray bird that seems to be competing with the black-headed hummer who usually dominates the feeder by our back door. She is very careful to watch and wait until the other bird leaves, then she darts in for a quick drink.

I stopped to put fresh water in Mrs. Toady's bowl last night, thinking she might like a cool soak after spending such a hot day in the toe of my black garden shoe, but she was already out of the shoe and sitting in the bowl! I am amazed by how much she's grown in the past four years. She filled the entire bowl. I can't believe she still fits in the toe of my shoe! It must be quite a struggle to squeeze in at night and turn around--she's always facing out. Obviously, she likes her home. I don't blame her. I love this house, I just wish it was closer to my grandchildren.

Lizards, Hare, and Painted Bunting

I've had so many lizard encounters lately. I've made friends with a lizard that looks like a dragon. He lives in the agave plants by the back garage door and I think he likes the sound of my voice. When he comes out, I ask him to wait until I get the camera and he always waits. He likes to turn around and watch me and cocks his head from side to side while I speak. Once, my stepson uncovered a bunch of bug eggs for him and he was very happy. I am amazed by how friendly, and how photogenic, this lizard is when he poses for pictures!

I thought we had a strange-looking rabbit that visits the bedroom patio at all times of the day. It has a long nose, long ears, but regular-sized feet, so I knew it wasn't a cottontail or a jackrabbit. I finally figured out it is a hare. I see it at all times during the day--the cottontails usually come out at dusk and dawn.

It is not as shy as the cottontails. Once, one of the dogs chased it out from beneath the wysteria and Chew the chihuahua chased it between my legs and it just sat between my legs as if it knew it was safe. I led the dogs back inside and the hare stayed in the field, poking around for food.

There is a male Painted Bunting that has been visiting the food dish outside our bedroom window. It is rather small and the feathers on its back are still coming in, so I know it is very young. Painted Buntings visit our home often, but they are very shy and it's hard to get their pictures. I did get a couple of this one, though.

We also saw two red-tailed lizards mating on the driveway yesterday. At first, my stepson thought they were fighting because they were chasing each other around in circles, so I grabbed my camera to take their picture and we quickly figured out what they were doing. It's amazing how much larger the females are than the males. Like frogs and toads, they are almost 2/3 larger in overall body size.

Snakes, snakes, and more snakes...

It's been a very eventful two weeks! We have had so many snake encounters I don't even know where to start! I was walking the dogs when I suddenly noticed what I thought was a stick in the middle of the sidewalk, then I saw the tail end go straight up as one of the dogs approached and my heart started racing. I was certain it must be a rattler. I ran to the house with the dogs and grabbed my camera and when I returned, the snake was still there. It turned out to be a rat snake. My stepson and I followed it to some trees. It tried to climb the tree, then tried to climb into a hole in a tree stump and that's when I decided to stop taking pictures. I wasn't trying to frighten it, but it was a beautiful snake and I wanted pictures to share with my grandchildren.

A few days later, we were getting ready to leave for an appointment when we noticed the tail of a snake slip into the garage. This one was a bull snake, and he did not want to leave the garage! Bull snakes love birds and bird eggs, and we had a bird's nest with very noisy baby sparrows in a box on the top shelf just beneath where the snake was coiled up and hissing. The mama bird came in with some bugs while we were trying to coax the snake back out of the garage. The snake snapped at us a few times, but eventually returned to the forest.

The next morning, we woke up to a ruckus in the garage. I was afraid the snake had returned, but it was the baby birds leaving their nest. A few of the babies appeared to be a little immature for leaving the nest, but I think their parents might have pushed them out a little early because they were worried about the same thing I was--that the bull snake might return. The last baby fell out of the box and to the floor, but she wasn't injured. I put her back in the box and mama brought her some food. We ran our errands and when we returned, the last bird had left the box. They are still in the trees in the backyard. We seem them on the picnic table every day eating bird seed. It's so sweet to see multiple generations of bird families.

A few days ago, I did something I know I should not do--I went outside at dusk to fill the bird seed containers. I had the dogs with me and thank goodness I left them behind the fence. I was by the back forest, raising my foot to step beneath the cup that the doves like to eat from when I realized that beneath me was the largest snake I have ever seen. I slowly stepped backward, assuming it was another rat snake. I said hello and carefully walked backward to the yard, then ran the dogs inside and fetched my husband and my camera.

We really were much closer than we should have been, but it did appear to be a massive rat snake. However, when I focused the camera, I realized the snake had a triangular head and flattened nose. About the same time, my stepson said he thought he could see venom sacks on the side of its head. And again, at the same time, my husband had picked up the water sprinkler. The water spooked the snake and it pulled the rest of its body through the fence. At first, I thought it was lunging at my husband, then I realized it was simply turning around. As it flipped the back end of its body through the agave plants we clearly saw a long row of rattles. It was a Western Diamondback Rattlesnake and was at least seven feet long.

Since the day we moved here I have had a feeling I would some day encounter a very large rattlesnake. I don't know why I had that feeling, I just knew that I would. I never felt threatened at any time by the snake, but I'm still having trouble falling asleep at night thinking about how I was standing with my foot above its head. Before I take the dogs out now, I walk out first and check the yard for snakes.

Colorful bugs, Butterflies, Doves and Squirrels, Snakeskin

Yesterday, I was outside taking pictures of the Hundred Year Plants in our backyard. These plants do not live to be one hundred years, but they do shoot up tall stalks, stalks that grow as much as six feet in a day, as they start to die, then baby plants begin to grow on their roots. It is a remarkable example of the circle of life. The stalk has buds on the end and these turn into flowers that are consumed by beetles. The stalk eventually dries out, then the plant dries out as all of the energy is sent to the baby plants.

As I was taking pictures, I notices some beautiful, colorful bugs creeping along the leaves of the plants. I saw these same bugs on the Prickly Pear cactus plants outside our back door. I took some pictures and posted them to the right.

I have been collecting flowers that I generally dry and use in flower decorations. Flowers such as Lamb's Ears, Dusty Miller, Lavender and Yarrow. At first, I concentrated on collecting as much as I could, then I began to notice how many of the yellow caterpillars were on these flowers, sliding up and down the stalks. I also started to notice the hundreds of butterflies on the flowers of these plants.

I took pictures of a few of these butterflies and caterpillars,as well. I decided it just wouldn't be right to cut down all the flowers and deprive the little creatures of food, so I decided to leave half of the flowers on the plants for the butterflies and bugs. I still had a huge harvest and will have plenty for my flower vases this summer.

Last fall, I cut some holes in a plastic butter container and hung it from a tree branch. I filled it with seeds for the baby squirrels in case they were too shy to come onto the back porch. I have discovered that the baby squirrels prefer my bedroom patio, in spite of the prospect of being disturbed by my chihuahua. Instead, the seeds are eaten by many white-winged doves. Often, when I look out my bathroom window, I see two or three of them at a time with their heads stuck inside the container, picking out seeds. As long as they are happy, all is well.

While collecting flowers, I glanced down and spotted a huge snakeskin under some plants. At first, I didn't realize it was just the skin. Instinctively, I pulled my hand back--it would have been wiser to hold still--and fell backward down the front slope. After I dusted myself off and located my shoes, I climbed back up the hill and found a very long snakeskin. I can even see where the snake's eyes and mouth were. I'm fairly certain it belongs to the large garter snake that has sat on my shoes on a few occasions.

Scorpions, Yellow Caterpillars, Lizards, Baby Squirrels

It was a long night last night. Just as I finished my yoga, I slipped my feet into my slippers and felt something sting or bite the back of my ankle. I immediately put a charcoal draw on the area and the pain left, but I still felt a little sick and head-achy. Then, as I prepared to get into bed, I glanced down at my slippers and noticed a baby scorpion creeping out! Because of my spiritual beliefs, I cannot harm a living creature and tried to capture it, but my husband got to it first.

He's feeling a little uptight about the scorpions right now. The night before, we were sound asleep when he suddenly jumped out of bed, shouting. He had a scorpion on his cheek. It didn't bite him, but it was incredibly fast and we had to chase it around the room for at least ten minutes before we caught it. Books, blankets, and the cat went flying everywhere as we tried to catch the little creature. I couldn't sleep then, either, so I did a little reading and discovered scorpions are actually considered a beneficial creature because they eat spiders and other insects that damage plants and get inside houses. I'm sure they have scorpions in New Mexico and I hope they're the same type because I already know I'm not allergic.

We now have yellow caterpillars everywhere. We practically have to walk on tiptoes outside to avoid them. They are much larger than the black fuzzy ones that brought the black and orange butterflies, and they are super-fast! They climb eagerly onto my finger when I try to assist them across the driveway so they won't get hurt, but then I have to rush them to a plant or they will crawl up my arm!

I have seen so many pregnant lizards lately. I think you can tell the difference because their stomachs are unusually large and flatten out very wide on the ground. I have accidentally dug up their eggs before, but re-buried them immediately and they hatched just fine. I noticed two red-tailed lizards on the driveway this morning and thought they were a couple, then they noticed each other and started chasing each other and wrestling around. It was kind of funny to watch, but I hope they didn't harm each other. They didn't appear to be harmed.

I think we have at least four brand new teeny tiny baby squirrels now. One has been appearing on a regular basis near the bedroom picture window. It climbs up and down the tree, is very timid, jumps when the wind moves a flower, and is absolutely adorable. I took some pictures of it today, but I have to take pictures of the squirrels through the windows and they don't always turn out very clear. I am praying that God will send me squirrels in New Mexico. I have never lived without squirrels and it seems to me that God has sent them to me for a reason. Squirrels tend to be intelligent and curious, and perhaps these are qualities God is trying to encourage in me, as well.

Mother's Day Butterfly Swarm

I forgot to mention our butterfly swarm on Mother's Day! Last Sunday, we awoke to find the gardens filled with butterflies. There were so many that when we opened the doors to walk outside, butterflies would land on us and sometimes stay on out clothes when we went back in so we were catching them and sending them back out the doors.

There were yellow butterflies and red and black butterflies, black butterflies with blue spots and soft gray butterflies that only landed on the white, baby's breath-like wildflowers that grow near the road. I suspect that the red and black butterflies are from the fuzzy, black caterpillers that we've seen creeping across our driveways for the past few weeks. There are still many, many butterflies fluttering around our property, but I have never seen as many as we did on Mother's Day. It was a wonderful treat!

Elk, Squirrels, and other little creatures

I haven't written in so long! I was in Colorado visiting family. It was a stunning drive through New Mexico. As always, the crows flew alongside our truck as if guiding us to our destination. They always surprise me with their size and deep, dark beauty.

It snowed as soon as we reached Colorado. This was not surprising in one way. Colorado generally gets one last wet, sloppy snowfall in the spring, but this year, winter just seems to be going and going. We were surprised, however, to run across a herd of elk in town. Apparently, they have made themselves at home in a field on the outskirts of Loveland and are perfectly happy there. I posted pictures and discussed them on Facebook and many of my friends sent messages to tell me they had also seen them in smaller or larger groups. The herd we saw consisted of about ten or twelve adult elk.

We spent some time in Rio Rancho, New Mexico on the way home. I have been distressed about the move, worried about leaving all of our little creatures that live around our home in Texas and worried that I will not make new friends in New Mexico, but I was very happy to see lizards scooting about everywhere we looked, so I know there will be some friends for me there. I already know there are crows! We often see red-tailed hawks as we drive through New Mexico, as well. I suspect they also have raccoons, and know for certain that they have ringtails. The trick will be in finding the right house. I hope we can find some squirrels to make their home in our trees. I don't think I've ever lived without squirrels.

The young man who watched our house was diligent about keeping the feeders filled with corn cobs. I found many cobs scraped clean in the yard when we returned. As soon as I set out the seed, the animals returned and the gardens were filled with sparrows, cardinals, squirrels and lizards.

The day we returned we discovered a small lizard on the back screen. He was walking up and down, catching bugs. I told him he was welcome to keep this as his regular job. He stopped and cocked his head while I spoke to him. Then he let me pet his back, which really surprised me. He seemed to recognize my voice and I suspect he is the creature that has been living just outside my bedroom door, the one I feared might be a scorpion. He is very cute and dragony-looking with a white spot on his head. I think he was either beneath someone when they were painting or was pooped on by a bird.

The next day, my husband was working outside and the same lizard blocked his path. Steve tried to explain that he needed to get by, but the lizard wouldn't move. Steve finally knelt down and spoke with it a bit and after awhile, when it was ready, the lizard scooted into some nearby ivy. My stepson walked up a few minutes later, though, and the lizard ran out of the rocks and blocked his path. I think he's either being friendly or declaring his territory!

Snakes, Birds, and Squirrels

I was outside filling the seed dishes and the little golden squirrel was sitting in the tree chewing on a corn cob. He watched me work, but he didn't run off, or even stop eating. I think the workers on the roof are making so much noise that the squirrels are getting used to the constant disruptions and actually adjusting to having humans around while they eat!

As I was leaving this afternoon, I saw a snake slithering up the driveway. I was afraid it might go under my truck tire, or worse yet, into the wood pile and bite one of the construction workers, so I gently guided it with my shoes and hands back into the forest. It was very docile. Not the least bit threatened. It took a little help to identify it, but I think it was a Regal Ring-Necked snake. It was about a foot long, maybe longer, a shimmery silver color with a yellow band around its neck and a black head. I took some pictures, but a few people on facebook responded just from the description. Apparently, there is a similar snake called the Northern Ringneck that lives, of course, up North
There is a flock of teeny, tiny birds in the oak tree at the foot of the front steps right now. Their song sounds like a high-pitched chirp. I had to stand beneath the tree for quite some time before I could actually see them. They are the size of hummingbirds. They have cream-colored bodies and dark wings and heads, and when they fly from branch to branch it looks like they're hopping and skipping on the air.

The mustang grape vine is filling in on the den patio and the baby sparrows--who are obviously a year old now--are still hanging out in the vines, but they're not eating as much as they used to. In fact, they seem to prefer the back picnic table, perhaps because the construction workers are on the den patio so much of the time. I haven't seen the hawk since I put the fake owl on the fence.

Mrs. Toady was not in the garden shoe today. It looks as if she buried herself in a pot of mint on the patio, but I didn't dig around to check. I think she is also a little disturbed by all the noise. She does hide in the plant pots quite a bit, though, even when it's not noisy.

Ring-Tailed Cats and Rock Squirrels

We were visited by the ring-tailed cat again, but this time it was at dusk instead of in the early morning hours. My husband walked out the back door and saw the cat sitting in the tree, watching him. It is a fascinating creature with a head like a chihuahua--including the big, pointy ears--body like a cat and long, raccoon tail.

My husband spoke softly to the cat and the cat sat and listened. He didn't seem the least bit afraid. My husband stepped back inside the house and called for me to join him, and when we returned to the yard, the cat was still there, watching us. I talked to him for a good long time and he seemed to be enjoying the conversation, even if it was rather one-sided. After awhile, he simply stood up and made his way back into the forest.

My husband thought he had seen the cat come down from the roof, so I sliced some apples and put them on the roof along with sunflower seeds and corn kernels that I feed to the squirrels. The next morning, the apples were gone. He must have enjoyed the feast. I read online that miners used to keep them as pets. They would cut a hole in a box and keep the box by the stove. The ring-tailed cat would sleep all day, then climb out at night to eat the mice and rats in the cabins. Unfortunately, raccoons will hurt these cats, so I am hoping they don't cross each other.

The animals seem mildly disrupted by the roof construction, but I think they're figuring out a schedule. They know the workers come late in the morning, so the squirrels and birds have been showing up at the food dishes earlier and earlier. This morning, I heard them outside at sunrise. I checked the dishes and they were completely bare--not even a shell, which means the ring-tailed cat showed up last night. He's the only creature that doesn't even leave a shell. So, I filled all the dishes and shut the door, turned around and the squirrels came scrambling down from the roof to eat.

We had a rock squirrel in the window a few days ago. It was a small baby and I think he was looking for a bird to eat. He was in our bedroom window. My husband and I spoke with him in soft voices and he turned and scratched on the window, which was unexpected. Chewy the chihuahua ran through the house and out the back door, then straight for the window. Suddenly, he stopped, turned, ran down the stairs and stood quietly on the front lawn. I think he realized that if it came down to a battle, the rock squirrel would probably win! I went outside to get the dog and the squirrel ran between my legs, down the stairs, down the driveway, across the street and into the forest that faces our house. He will be back, I suspect, like all predators. Now that he knows we feed the birds, he also knows our house is a good source for food.