Wild Life Refuge

10/3/2013

I live in an urban area where there are more roads than sidewalks.  Where nobody, except for the super fittest people, walk to do their shopping.because it's a hike.  And nobody wants to drag home bags of groceries when the car is just sitting in the driveway doing nothing.

For the last twenty plus years our house has become some kind of wild life refuge.  Under our porch lives a ground hog or hedge hog - trust me I don't know the difference.  What he's doing under there all day I probably don't want to know. 

We have a number of oak trees in our yard and the biggest one is in the front and has proven to be a squirrel's paradise.  The little furry creatures scurry up and down the oak tree all day long and have become so bold that they don't always run away when we come out of the house.  At this time of year we buy dried corn cobs (I know this exacerbates the problem but we feel like somebody has to feed them )and put one or two out in the front yard every other day or so.  I know, I know, once you feed something they will never leave.  We do enjoy watching the squirrels and like the critter that lives under the porch probably don't want to know where they take their naps.  Who knows it might be a pretty busy place under the porch,.  I'm hoping that they burrow under the house rather than try and get in the attic.  I hate the sound of scurrying feet over the top of my head.

Deer live in our neighborhood and while it's rare they occasionally get brave enough to saunter on a front lawn and they want to nibble on the flowers and plants that they find.  Since I don't have a Better Homes and Garden yard filled with delicate flowers, I don't get too worked up about nibbling deer.

Then there is Chip and Dale (and I don't mean the kind you automatically thought of).  We have two little chipmunks that also apparently live under the porch.  Who knows maybe there is a whole city down there.  Now Chip and Dale are fast creatures and the only time you see them is when we open the door which surprises them.  By the way these guys are fast - they can get out of the yard, across the driveway and over to the neighbor's house in a nano second.

Even knowing that a whole city of animals may be eating the concrete that holds up our front porch (which isn't likely), it is more likely that there is an intricate living arrangement down there.  Since we humans can't get under the porch, we'll just have to surmise what and who live on our small piece of  land.  

During the dead of winter when snow and ice cover the ground that is when we are very likely the people who are throwing out bread and any remaining corn cobs to feed these wondrous creatures, who in the big scheme of things, don't bother us at all.  One of the advantages of having squirrels in the yard is that it gives Sam (the terrier) some much needed exercise while he races around the backyard trying to catch his prey.  He never does of course but once he has spotted a squirrel he winds up his high pitched bark (neighbors love that so much - not) and
proceeds to run around like crazy.  Maggie (the lab) who is too big to cut corners like Sam does lags behind.  Half the time I don't think Maggie even knows what she's chasing - just playing follow the leader!

Off to my day program this morning. Have a great day.

P