Back in March, an inner voice kept telling me “More Than One”. Of course I took it that I would be getting more than one orphaned fawn in the upcoming baby season, even though I had vowed to a few people that, with the COVID-19 situation, I would not be taking on any animals since … More More Than One…
The month of May is usually quite busy around The Ten Acre Ranch. I am continually planting and weeding in the gardens. The flower beds also need attention and I usually add more variety to them, though I say every year that I am done planting more flowers. Then I see hummingbirds, butterflies, and bumble bees flying … More When Everything Slows Down
Each spring I wonder about the logic behind cardinal birds building nests in the low shrubs and dwarf trees growing in and around our yard. Many times, the nests are robbed of eggs by snakes or squirrels, and sometimes even the hatchlings are preyed upon before their eyes open or feathers emerge. And far too often, I … More An Empty Nest
I am really quite thankful that we have welded-wire fence on the east and the south boundaries of our property. The trash from nearby streets is at least kept off of the property because of this fence barrier. However, the west and half of the northern fence lines are barbed wire, which I’m not too … More The Trouble With Fences
Wednesday evening found me in a rush to clean up dinner dishes so that I could run over to our neighbor’s backyard to check on Daisy. When I observed her earlier that morning, her udder appeared to be slightly larger than it had been over the past several days. I also noticed her resting a good bit the day prior, so I had … More Born In A Storm
In early October, I began to see signs of the rut beginning in our part of the woodlands. Where the usual deer sighting had been limited to does and fawns (mostly Daisy and her little herd), it became quite common to observe a few very young bucks roaming the area just below the slope. Often, a low grunting noise … More Lost In The Chaos of the Rut
For the past couple of months, I have not felt much urge to write. Oh, I had formulated plenty of ideas in my head about what to write, and even managed a good collection of photographs of nature through the past weeks, but my heart was heavy with other things. I was just not able … More Messages of the Wild, to Heal My Heart
Lately, FD and I have spotted Daisy’s rival doe “friend”, Scarlet, feeding at the base of the slope. Just yesterday, we found her and her doe fawn from last year nibbling on corn and eating deer chow from the feeders below. Scarlet is still very pregnant and I would not be surprised if she has … More A Case Of Mistaken Identity…
I hate to harp on this subject again, but with the upcoming Miss USA pageant advertisements on TV, I feel disgusted by the superficial hype of what Americans consider real beauty. The irritation of it all feels like a sliver of wood jammed under my skin. Who are these people who equate beauty with a drop-dead gorgeous body, … More Natural Beauty That Will Never Be Miss America or Miss USA
Friday morning of last week found FD and me packing our bags and getting a cooler together to take along on our semi-annual journey to Nebraska to visit my family. Two months ago when I planned the trip, I hoped the timing of it would be long before Daisy deer would deliver this year’s fawn(s). … More While We Were Away…
All snug in the bed this morning at 7:30, I debated in my mind whether to get up or stay put. It was a little too early to be outside with the camera, capturing the frozen state of the landscape before the morning breeze got up. It would be too dark to capture decent ice … More Quiet and Crackle in the Woodlands
Day by Day the Farm Girl Way... 