I will never forget the first time I heard a co-worker exclaim, “Dad gummit!” in complete frustration over a problem we were trying to solve. At first, I thought I heard her wrong, so I asked her to repeat what she said. After a repeat of the phrase confirmed I had indeed heard what I … More Dad Gum Tree
The weather was bitter cold the day after Tukker’s release, but the sun shone brightly and a mild breeze from the south brought hope of a better day. FD and I were up early, with plans to take Tukker on another hike to the west end of the property and cover more of the orchard, … More The Fawn Who Walks With People (Tacicala Tuwe Mani Kici Oyate – Lakota Sioux)
When we took in our orphaned buck fawn, Tukker, we created a better set up for his raising than for any of the white-tail fawns we rehabilitated in the past. From Daisy to Emma and Ronnie, FD and I learned a lot along the way, and made improvements accordingly to our fenced quarters and barn … More Wide-Eyed on a Windy Day
Last week I found myself picking acorns for our orphaned fawn, Tukker, from an oak tree near the old river channel. We have a good number of oak trees on our property, but it just was not a great production year for acorns. I had been picking from this particular tree for a couple of … More Winter Foraging For Tukker
I was a bit sleepy-eyed yesterday as I walked towards the deer pen in the dim morning hours. There, I knew I would find Tukker on the other side of the gate, anxiously awaiting his bottle of warm formula. As I slipped through the gate, he began bopping my leg with his nose, hoping to … More Breakfast Interrupted
The day I got the phone call about orphaned fawn, Tukker, I was given very little useful information by the woman who brought him to me. Mostly, the story sounded like a fabrication. I was told he was a month-old fawn that had been taken in by a local trucker, who claimed he’d scared up … More Keep Trying
I have written, more than once, about how the Eeyore in me tends to look first to the down side of everything. For instance, when FD’s mother passed away in March, all I could see around me was a lot of chaos and overwhelming work to do. The house she lived in had not been … More Tukkered Out
The weather here has been cold and overcast the past few weeks, making me feel trapped in the house. But each time I did venture out to do chicken chores or put feed down for the wildlife, I was quickly ready to come back inside to the warmth! Despite the cold, I still hoped to … More Woodland Walk in Snow
The kitchen window is often the spot through which I see all sorts of wildlife passing by. Ms. Foxy trots along the neighboring fence line each morning around ten o’clock. The red-tailed hawk perches in the old hackberry tree most mornings, and the little sparrows hang out in the forsythia bush just below the kitchen … More Crash Landing
One morning a couple of months ago, I was racing around with the electric buggy trying to get the property ready for mowing. Storms were predicted that afternoon and there were good chances for rain over the next few days and I had already let the lawn get too long. After driving around both sides … More Alive and Hopping
Late September brought the first heavy rains of the year, at last refilling the dried-up slough and old river channel in the pecan orchard area. With all this rainfall, I heard the nearby river was up several feet, so I was anxious to hike to the leased property to the west as soon as the … More Autumn Offerings
