Sunday, November 8, 2015

Critter Thoughts and Weather

It's an absolutely gorgeous day out - the sun is shining, the sky is a brilliant blue with no clouds to be seen, but it's a bit chilly - 34 degrees (F).  I'm guessing the trash was picked up late last night at Chez Thuy, as I can see their dumpster is empty, and there are no ravens around to keep Lovey and Nedi on watch. A single squirrel is eating nuts at the place Beatrice has chosen as their feeding spot, and he is busy eating peanuts.
    After this final reference (for several months, anyway) to my bronchitis, I'll stop commenting on it.  It was very strange last night, lying in bed.  I was propped up with pillows so I could breathe easily, and I fell asleep quickly.  I woke up, suddenly, just a few minutes after I turned out the light, and tried to figure out what odd noise had awakened me.  Then I realized that both Lyra and Lily were sitting on either side of me, staring at my neck.  So I began breathing normally again, and then had to laugh, which made me cough, because I identified the "noise" that had awakened me...  Myself.  Thanks to the congestion in my lungs, sinuses, and throat, I was producing a very strange cacophony of sounds - whistles, squeaks, hisses, gurgles, bubblings, and a few other odd noises I can't even describe.  I decided I was making a symphony for myself and let myself fall back asleep, hoping I had identified all of the strange sounds and cataloging them in my mind, so they wouldn't awaken me again.  And it worked.  I slept well and deeply, even though I know I was producing weird sound effects....
  The deer in our neighborhood are learning that Rosie's sight is getting bad, and I swear they have a way of spreading the news.  I always click my tongue at the deer when I pass them, and, unless they make a sudden leap away, Rosie doesn't see them.  That isn't the case with Tessa, though.  I don't know if the deer tell them apart by their color or shape, but they try to "freeze" in both cases, when I click at them.  Tessa, though, scents and sees them well, and I try to distract her.  We still have a large contingent of cotton-tails in the neighborhood, and squirrels are making a come back.  With the drainage ditches being full of water, we also have several families of ducks who have moved in.  Only one coyote has been spotted recently, and we have no reports of missing cats or chickens.
  Speaking of chickens, I'll begin three weeks of hen care on the 18th of this month.  Alycyonia is currently laying five times a week, but the other ladies are about to moult, and will soon stop laying.  And Beatrice wants to get a bird feeder to hang in the small tree below her window - the tree is located on the small strip of land between our apartment buildings and Chez Thuy.  I think we should get a cheap bird feeder to begin with, and see if it stays in place, before investing in an expensive one.  People walk through the area hundreds of times each day, and I don't want to buy a nice, long-lasting feeder if it's going to be (a) stolen, (b) trashed, or (c) get complaints.....

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