Challenged Chipmunk

This little chippy has been a frequent visitor to my deck, probably because I put food where he can get to it. I don't know how he lost the use of his back legs, although there seems to be marks in the middle of his back like something bit him. Every time I see him I'm amazed that a predator hasn't gotten him yet.

Hope and Faith

Late Monday night, I got the phone call that I've dreaded.

"I found one of your cats just laying there, and he's dead".

For 5 months of the year, I leave my house in Texas to come to my true home of Minnesota, leaving my 6 cats behind in the care of a competent, caring, pet sitter. 4 of the cats are over 11 years old, and were born in my bed (much to my surprise, because I didn't even know Grace, the mama cat, was pregnant). Blue Bell was the first kitten born that night - he was pure white, and would later get the Siamese marks his father probably had.

Grace had 4 kittens that night, but I moved out of her way after I saw Blue, and didn't see the rest of them until the next morning. The rest is history - I knew that I would have a hard time finding them all homes, and wasn't sure I could bear to part with them after they were weaned anyway.

All day Tuesday was gloomy, rainy, and all-around depressing. Everywhere I looked I found more sorrow. Intervention, a TV program I watch, featured a father of two that went to treatment only to find out he had cancer of the throat, and died 3 weeks after returning home.

I saw a chipmunk struggling towards the deck dragging a useless foot behind it. I'm still not sure if it was a result of a birth defect or an injury.

My air conditioning isn't working properly in Texas, and it's sure to cost a pretty penny when the repairman fixes it.

Late in the day yesterday, I was watching some TV program I had recorded, and the lead character said something like this: "Look for the bad and you'll find it. Look for the good and you'll find it too."

So this morning was chilly and rather gloomy too, and I woke up grieving for Blue. But as the day wore on, I noticed the chipmunk with the bad leg again, and he seemed to get around just fine. In fact, when I went out to see him, he ran so fast there's no way I would ever be able to catch him.

And a Mama and just-out-of-the-nest baby bird visited outside my window, and I got to watch Mama patiently open sunflower seeds and feed the nut inside to the baby, who was already bigger than she was.

The bunnies are cavorting again, which means more baby bunnies are on the way.

And the sun is back, the air smells sweet, and I'll have tomatoes in a couple of weeks.

Not perfect, but hopeful. Maybe that's all we have when we're deep in the caverns of sorrow, or loneliness, or depression. Hope that it will get better, and faith that it always does - if we only know to look for it.

Occupations

There are a lot of interesting people that come to the campground. Some have campers here, some just come to visit.

• The designer of the house in Minot built for a deserving family and shown on "Extreme Makeover Home Edition"
• Two martial arts instructors who have previously competed in the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship)
• A pediatrician, who runs TV ads on the local channels
• A couple of nurses (including a school nurse), a couple of hair dressers, and a daycare owner
• A dog groomer, formerly an IT professional
  
• A guy who used to maintain and fix crematoriums
• Owner of a deck building company
• Seller of farm equipment, and seller of insulation
• The owner of a motel
  
• Employee of the mapping company that does Google Maps (only the coolest thing ever)
• A fashion buyer
• A lawyer (my brother, who visits occasionally)
• The CEO of a hospital (my niece's husband), who is a paramedic on Life Flight as a hobby

Some people I wish I could meet:

• A professional chef
• A park ranger, or somebody that knows a lot about the wildlife around here
• An organic farmer
• A professional photographer
• The owner of a tree service company so I could get good firewood
• Someone with a house actually on the lake (preferably single, straight, and good-looking)

Riddle Me This

The bird is the mascot of a major league baseball team. The mammal is the University of Minnesota's mascot, even though they refuse to call it by its correct name.

What are they? Bonus points if you can tell me the true name of the mammal. Hint: this mammal is related to the chipmunk, and hibernates up to 250 days a year.

Funny Bunnies

I've been watching the cottontails this week. While others worry about them eating their garden, they don't seem to like mine. Last night I watched a bunny hop into the garden, sniff at the parsley and hop away. He found some bird food I had on the deck instead. I've also seen them eating dandelion stems, which is just fine with me, although now I question my intent to start spraying them with weed killer.

They make me laugh out loud with their antics. They chase each other around my backyard like crazy. Yesterday one turned to face the other on hind legs, and they had a jump-off. One would jump, then the other would jump. They looked a bit like fighting kangaroos. Here's what I found on this behavior:

Prior to mating, the male and female cottontails display courtship behaviors that are collectively called "cavorting". The patterns observed in cavorting can include a great deal of running, racing, hopping, and even actual fighting. Fragments of hide and hair are sometimes scattered over several acres as a result of this pre-mating behavior. It is thought that the selective advantage of this behavior is to weed out sick, less agile or less aggressive individuals from the reproductive pool. Mating can occur at any time during the warmer months of the year. Cavorting typically occurs at night.

I'm witness to the fact that cavorting at my house takes place during the day too.

Things I Know June 6, 2009

1. Anything will burn if enough gasoline is poured on it.

2. The Baltimore Oriole is one of the prettiest birds ever, and the Goldfinch is a close second.

3. Even the biggest, hottest campfire doesn't keep me warm when it's 40 degrees and windy.

4. Bacon makes almost anything taste better.

5. If you add a little water to browning hamburger, the chunks break up better.

6. There are more Canadian Geese in Minnesota then in Canada (okay, I don't really know this for sure, but it seems like it).

What's Gray and Black and White and Red All Over?

A Red-Bellied Woodpecker and a Gray Catbird!

The woodpecker has a chunk of orange in his mouth.

The catbird is supposedly secretive, but "Minnesota Nice" affects them up here, 'cuz they're all over the place this Spring.

The catbird mimics other bird calls, and sometime mews like a cat (hence its name).