As I stepped out into the wind this morning, I took off my ear flap cap and let the wind ruffle my short, unkempt hair. Finally and enjoyably, Mother Nature was providing the first well-above freezing temperatures of the week. City workers restored power to our neighborhood last night, and I slept well knowing the … More Ice Storm – A Pioneer Spirit
Tukker, the orphaned buck fawn we raised in 2019, and released January 16th of 2020, spent most of the spring enjoying his freedom. He never ventured far, though we knew he had crossed through barbed wire fencing, as his back was scraped to the point it was often more bloody than hair-covered. Fortunately, at some … More Tukker’s Yearling Summer
It has been a most quiet and and enjoyable summer here on Ten-Acre Ranch. Forrest worked from home most of the time, and our pace changed a bit because of that. I found myself outdoors even more, to keep the house quiet while he worked from his computer and laptop, and conducted meetings via the … More Nine-Hundred Spots to Enjoy During the Pandemic
I keep fairly busy outdoors throughout the day, but mornings are when you’ll find me hardest at work. I’m up for coffee at 6:00, and out of the door by 7:00, tending to chickens and working in the garden, flower beds, or yard while it’s fairly shady and the temperatures are cool. As I begin … More Tukker’s Lair
I should have expected Tukker, our newly released orphan deer, to incur a few wounds in his first weeks out in the wild. For orphaned youngsters like Tukker, it’s normal to see scratches from barbed wire fencing and a few hoof marks from being run off by some other fawn’s mother. However, Tukker’s barbed wire … More Safer At Home
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
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
