Animalia

First it was the Flicker, the Cardinal,  the Downy woodpecker,  the Chickadees
we invited our feathered friends to the feeder; morning, afternoon, evening, too,
we delighted in their antics by evening's first and last light.

Mr. Skunk came one night to eat the pickled pig's feet under the feeder;
his entrance was not expected and we took a video as he slurped away at
stinky pig's feet (something I've never touched with my bare hands).

Next, the bunnies and toads delighted us in the backyard,
soon chased by the cat, evil that she was;
but the day Mrs. Rat came and stayed took the cake;
she was building a nest (it looked to me)

Since I was growing huge in belly with son to be born, this could not be! I gasped!
she, too, was soon to have 10 tiny baby rats - well, she had to go.
we took her far away (or so we thought) in a live-trap cage we drove a few miles,
then released Mrs. Rat.

So, far away we took her but not far enough; Mrs. Rat came back - and what did we see, all three of us, me, hubby and tiny baby boy?
Mrs. Rat and 10 tiny baby rats. Horrors! I cannot have 10 baby rats and their Momma when I've got a newborn in the back yard. Where is that cat when you need her?
an indoor cat is of little use when you've got rodents in your yard.

So you know what we did next.

 
The cat we had next was Queen  of the Backyard Jungle;
our neighborly chipmunks disappeared, one by one - only to find them first thing at my front stoop.  I had to pat this evil tigress, as proud as she was when she mewed: She was so proud, "I done good, Momma."

The next few cats made rugs of themselves on the street;  we decided no more outdoor cats. Not to mention an indoor cat who escaped one night during full moon,  to return days later, mangled by other cats or raccoons.

Years ago, we saw a family of raccoons mourn one of their own, a baby killed at roadside; stood in a circle they did and watched the newly dead one, its tiny body, breathing no more.

Then there are the coyotes: one who looked like a dog and crossed at the crosswalk in front of my car, before he lunged into the wildbush late at night, to forage for small animals not yet taken by owls or housecats. Oh, he had the lean and hungry look of a cheetah that roams the zoo, its haunches loping from side to side.

One bright afternoon one October, a fox sat in the sun, his bright red coat against the cool green grass; he enjoyed the large lawn of the big house; he peered closely at us as we  parked; each stared at the other, until Mr. Foxy Fox realized we were people, likely up to no good. And off he went, slinking away.

A big, fat skunk crossed the path in front of the kids at 7 a.m. as they walked to school. Who ever heard of that happening?

The Great Horned Owl in the tree with her nest a mile from here - she was a delight at early dusk, but it was years ago and she's long, long gone; her babies, too.

Last year, it was the squirrels that abandoned the tree out front to nest in the garage next to my neighbor's 100 pair of shoes; the neighbor put mothballs in the garage to rid the squirrels;  nobody could park inside for months.

Mr. Raccoon has joined the neighborhood; he roamed driveways and backyards looking for a spot, frustrating the cats that own this territory.  He and the Mrs. took up in the knotty tree hole that the squirrels abandoned.  it's been a few weeks now since theu've taken up residence in that old Maple. We waited for something to happen. We waited. And waited.

You know what happened next, don't you? 

Last week, we saw Rocky Raccoon. And Rockette Raccoon. And another Rocky. Photos to come, but not today.