Springtime Visitor

Seems there are always surprises in nature.  We have a pond - it needs work right now but the fish are doing fine.  We always look forward to spring weather when the fish start appearing after the winter.  The other day Tramp 1 was most excited to have found a new visitor at the pond.

This is one big fella!  We have named him Black Bart.  He is so very dark in color that we aren't sure what kind of amphibian he actually is.  It seems that he most likely is a bullfrog.  

He is so dark, he looks like he was dipped in tar.  And he is very shiny, even after sitting on a rock for several hours.  So far he has not made any sound.  It is possible that at night he is out prowling around looking for a mate or food - and maybe he is a she.  We hear many frogs now as the Pacific tree frog and western chorus frogs are headed into mating season. 

It will be interesting to see if any frog eggs start appearing in our pond.  We will sure be watching!

Long absence, bouncing back....

Wow, can hardly believe it has been so very long since I have posted.  Life ballooned up for us at the end of January when my mother in Washington had a fall.  She wasn't hurt but spent a night at the hospital and it was apparent that she could no longer live alone.  We stayed with her for several weeks trying to arrange adequate home care for her.  Also had relatives pitch in for several weeks, too.  When it became obvious that quality care we could depend on where she lives would not be possible, we brought her home with us and set about moving her to assisted living.

At the same time, our dear Chucky dog was very ill and after numerous ultrasounds and quality diagnostics by three vets, he was diagnosed with cancer.  He had surgery and they removed six inches of his small intestine, along with a tumor.  He needed 24 hour care, too, so we did not get mom moved right away.  After two weeks, Chucky started chemo.  It has gone well and today was his last of four treatments, now we wait...  He will have more ultrasounds to look for anything that might have grown or changed since his last one.  We are optimistic for a good outcome. 

 

 

Mom did not fare as well as Chucky did.  She made it three nights at the assisted living facility and two of those nights were at the ER for many hours.  She suffered some pretty severe trauma from leaving her home of over 50 years and she was found to have a severe UTI, plus possibly a TIA.  She spent eleven days in the hospital being detoxed off all meds and new ones started.  Then moved to a rehab facility for almost two months.  Needless to say, we were with her most every single day.  When I needed to be home with Chucky after chemo, Tramp 1 went and had lunch with mom from work.  It has been tough, very tough for everyone.  Being 90 years old is not easy!

 

 

Last week we moved mom to an adult family home.  She doesn't like it and neither do we.  But for now, we know she is safe and cared for.  We will start searching for the right place for her again - this one was picked out by a sibling and it is not a good fit.  Mom is bored and lonely living with very inactive women, younger than her but she calls them all old ladies.  She thought the food was bad at the rehab facility but says this is worse, that she would not feed it to a dog!  Yep, a very vocal and unhappy lady we are dealing with.

 

 

So that is what has been going on around here - or should I say going on AROUND us, since we haven't really had time to be here!  The weeds are winning and the garden is very sad.  The boat we bought last spring has been in the water just one time.  But we have mom and Chucky and that is all that matters!

 



Flicker Family

This season we have three Flickers that are visiting regularly.  The first time we had them visit some years ago, one was working hard to chisel away at the vent to the attic on our shop.  We needed to get him interested in something else quickly.

We put up this bird house in a secluded space under the very high deck on our shop.  We covered the hole with a piece of thin wood with just a bit of it cut open.  We also filled the box part way with wood shavings.  That way the Flicker could dig his way in and toss out shavings and create his own space, which he did.  It was used by them for a number of years.

This bird house is in a dead tree near our orchard area.  As you can see, the Flickers have also taken over this space.  Usually the Flickers are only here in the winter.  The Jays have used this house to nest in the spring.

This season we decided to give the Flickers their own dedicated suet basket.  It is about twenty feet up on a delimbed Juniper tree.  They seem to like it and we feel that they are safer away from the other feeders as the hawks prey there.  We hate to find a pile of feathers and know that we helped cause this by providing a buffet of birds for the hawks to grab!!!

Trail Cam Season

 

With fall here now, I find myself excited to set up trail cams again.  And more critters are on the move with the cooler weather and shorter days.

 

This coyote seems to come by every week lately.

 

Look closely - the jack rabbit and the deer are both surprised to see each other!

 

 

 



In the garden....

Gardening is always a challenge here in the high desert.  Between the weather with excessive heat as of late and some chilly nights, convincing plants to produce can be difficult.  Add in the issue of critters and it is game on around here.

 

We came home after a trip to find that the gate to the garden was either left open or had blown open.  Some deer had a very tasty meal of potato vines, green beans, tomatoes, zucchini and flowers, too.  Really sad as it is too late to start things over again.  We just have to live with it.



 

This doe was resting yesterday in the back yard, enjoying the coolness that grass and shade can lend to a hot smoke filled day.  She looks like she might have had a fawn/fawns and has lost them.  She has been hanging around here all week in various locations.

 

Then last night the truth came out about her - Tramp 1 found her in the garden.  The gates were closed and he could see where she had jumped the fence.  It was an area where he had not put the deer netting back after adjusting the cattle panels.  When she saw him, she got very nervous and flung herself back up and over the fence.  After checking on what she ate this time, Tramp 1 got busy fixing the fence and reinforcing any areas that looked vulnerable.  Will see if she stays on her own side now!

 



Mt. Hood - Weather Transition

Strong winds blowing a cap of snow over the top of Mt. Hood.

 

 

Early November trail cam check -

Found this nice buck had been visiting when I checked my trail cams.  Notice how is neck is swollen being in the rut.  Since we live on acreage out in the country, I like to have the cameras up to see what goes on.  The one thing I have not caught on any of the cams is a cougar - and that is a very good thing!

Love them, hate them....

 

 

 

A visiting Cooper's Hawk scoping things out.

 

 

 

Chasing after another bird.

 

Caught in the act with what appears to be a dove.

 

While all birds have their place, this guy has been dining here way to often.  I don't know what his dietary requirements are, but it seems like a bird a week is being taken here.  First a quail, then a flicker, something unknown, then another quail and now a dove.  The fencing around the feeders to keep the deer out sure doesn't stop this hawk.  Come the weekend, we will be making some changes to provide better escapement to our feathered friends!

 

 



Inspiration -

Okay, I really do need to learn how to crochet!!!

Trail Cam Captures - June

A couple of lucky shots from my trail cam last month.

 

 

 

Finally some Spring...

 A sure sign of spring - pear blossoms and pretty birds.

 More deer ghosting through the trees seeking tasty treats.

 

 

 A buck deer with new antler nubbins sprouting on his head.

 

 

This deer shows how they are dropping their winter coats now.

 

 

 

And of course, daffodils blooming - yes, Spring is here.

 

 

 



Winter Visitor

A nice mule deer buck with an a-typical rack of antlers.

One side appears to have suffered some damage down near the pedicle.

It makes him easier to identify when he visits!

But it won't be long before his antlers drop off and new ones start growing.







Mountain Majesty -

The South Sister in the Oregon Cascade mountain capped by a lenticular cloud.

Was it this one???

This buck sporting velvet on his antlers came to visit right before dusk.  He was munching on some greenery when I looked out and saw him.  He has a very a-typical rack of antlers with one side having some oddly branched tines, most likely from a prior injury.  Can't help but wonder if maybe he was the culprit that got into the garden.


Since we added a perimeter fence so Chukar dog has more room to roam freely, I haven't seen the deer coming in as often.  But very early this morning I was walking from the shop back to the house and I glanced to my left and saw three big bucks ghosting through the juniper trees.  They were walking single file, taking time to stop and listen/look around as they kept heading up towards the buttes.  Most likely they had spent the night down in the farm fields below and were making their way back to some obscure location to spend the day resting in the shade of an old juniper tree.  Cool places are hard to find with our temperatures being in the 90's this week.


Time to get the trail cameras back out and set them up so I can see what critters are visiting.  I have been surprised a few times by how active animals are at night.  And seeing a raccoon captured on a picture was quite a shock.  Didn't think we had them here but our pond must have attracted him.  There is always something out there to look at, if you are watching!!!

Surprise, Surprise!!!

Yes, we live in the country and we know we are in the territory that belongs to others.  But we sure don't like to share with them....  At least not when we haven't invited them!!!

Hoof prints in the raised beds were a dead giveaway as to who came to dine in our garden.


This blueberry bush, or lack of... shows that the deer had a very tasty time. 


Going by the tracks, it appears to be just one - one that either really jumped high coming in or out, or one that decided to possibly exit or enter through the metal gate.


Plenty more plants got munched - especially the tomatoes and even the rhubarb.  No point in posting more pictures of the sad sticks that remain...


But we were really lucky because a lot of the flowers were not touched.  And we were able to repair the gate.  We know that once that deer tasted those lush green plants, it will be back to attempt this again....


So we will be increasing the height of some of the fencing.  And I am going to put out the trail cams to see if we get a repeat visitor!

Calving time -

Every time I make a trip to town lately, I am seeing more little calves in the fields.  They are so darned cute as they race about on their spindly legs exploring their new world.

 

This momma was keeping a sharp eye on her new baby.

 

 

 

A trip to town always involves checking on this cute donkey and his bull buddy. 

They are always together and seem to be very bonded to each other.

 

 

Crazy weather and the need to plant -

Our weather is so wrong - it is 60 degrees today and was even warmer yesterday.  We should be shoveling snow, not watching things grow!  The weeds are germinating with great success and in volume, too.  There are weeds growing thick as a carpet in places where we never saw a weed.  Looks like it will be a busy spring for us.

 

After our tough garden season last year with so much hot and dry weather, I thought I would maybe just hang up my garden gloves.  But time heals - yes it is true.  And the inspiration of a dear gardening friend - (you know who you are, Sue - Sue's Garden Journal  - in Michigan) - I am starting some seeds indoors.  Just a couple of things - a few grasses and some pansy seeds.  Nothing on the scale that Sue does, but it is still a start for me.

 

 

 

 

Of course, when I went to town the other day, I found myself looking at seeds.  And I reminded myself that it is way too early to be planting annuals here.  But I decided to get these two packets of seeds.  For whatever reason, snapdragons don't seem to get mowed down by the deer or rabbits here.  And they have been wintering over, too, which is amazing with our extreme weather and plus they also self sow.  The other packet just looked fun - a pretty climber that will attract hummingbirds.  We love those hummers - so entertaining all summer.  I want them to be happy and stay with us until fall - hopefully they will like this bright red climber.

 

So what about you?  Anything going on in your garden - or just in your gardener's heart?

 



Books to start the New Year -

Just as the calendar turns to a new year, we like to start a pile of books that we want to read.  Sort of a literary game plan for the next few months.  We both enjoying reading a lot of the same books, so that makes it easy other than deciding who gets which book first!   Are you reading some good books this winter?

 

 

Happy Thanksgiving - got snow?

We sure do - and we won't be eating our turkey outside this year!

Happy Thanksgiving from our camp to yours!

Fresh Snow - Finally!

This is the North Sister in the Oregon Cascade mountains at sunrise this morning.  Fresh snow fell overnight and more is on the way.  We really need it here and are grateful for every flake!