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
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
It had been a long spell since we had seen our squirrel kids, Punkin and Buddy, come to the back porch. I sometimes saw Buddy down at the deer feeders with lots of other male squirrels in the early mornings and occasionally caught sight of him at the wildlife water tub getting a drink in … More A One-Eyed Squirrel
Most days after FD takes off for work, I enjoy my second cup of coffee on the back porch. I read a little from my iPad and watch the woodlands wake up. The Cardinals are always the first to begin chirping and flying about. Soon chickadees, titmice, and mockingbirds join in, while a few of … More A Different Approach
Late one rainy afternoon in early September, I was putting dinner in the oven and thinking about how productive my day had been. I had managed to do some house cleaning, ironing, and a good bit of cooking and baking, and was finishing up a few dishes at the sink when something caught my attention … More A Trip Worth Making
The first times I remember hearing the nighttime yips, wails, and howls of coyotes in the night, was back in the early 1980’s when I did a lot of tent camping. Back then I was scared of them and had all sorts of thoughts about these wild dogs coming into camp and attacking me. But, … More Nighttime Howler – The Coyote
One morning back in 2013, I spotted a bobcat at the very edge of the woods just south of the house. It was moving quickly and heading north through the grasses. This was the year Daisy deer delivered her first babies – a doe and a buck. Alarmed at the close proximity of the bobcat … More Bobcat – An Elusive Hunter
For more than a year we have been watching a pair of yearling, sibling deer frequent the area. We call the doe, “Split-ear”, since she has a deep split running down her right ear, and her brother we call, “Splilt-ear’s Brother” because, well, he’s her brother. FD and I have often wondered if “Mama” of … More Woodland Headdress
Back in June, we learned that an old friend of FD’s had purchased the farm ground west and south of the pecan orchard. We heard he would be putting in wheat for winter cattle grazing on the upper south fields, and would sprig Bermuda grass on the lower river bottom fields. We were thrilled about … More The New Neighbors
The other day, I was walking down the lane rather quickly and shouting for Oscar and Lollipop to “C’mon you two! Get over here NOW!”. Those two are trouble with a capital T. Each day I take them walking with me to the mailbox at the street, and almost always I have to yell for … More Ambush in the Weigela
The early morning cool greeted me as I bumped along in the electric buggy, cruising down the path into the woodlands. Recent rains made for a muddy slide down the sloped pathway, as most of the soil in this area has a lot of clay in it, which really makes for slick travel, especially by … More A Quiet Time
