Deer!

It felt bizarre to turn the corner and find these creatures standing in the middle of the road. They sprung into the field next to the road once they saw me. I wasn't quick enough to get the other two in the frame. There were five in total.

Head UP!

I hate it when I wish days away. I need to stop that! Time is precious. Regardless of how grueling the coming days may seem, I know I'll get something out of the experience-even if it's the tiniest of lessons. So, head up! Appreciate all of it, even the tough parts. Not everyone has the opportunity to face such challenges and the occasion to really learn something new from them.

Here is my inspirational picture to go along with my self-help speech:

Rupert has passed. RIP.

At just over a pound in weight Rupert was kept in a life supporting incubator in intensive care and was thought to be two or three weeks premature. He had all the symptoms of a premature human baby. His lungs were not inflating properly and problems emerged after he was not able to ingest his mothers milk (colostrum). Staff tried to give him the milk of a lamb but unfortunately he did not digest that properly because he needed his mother's bacteria. Staff knew that he had an unpredictable chance of survival but held onto hope as they tried this method of keeping him alive. It is only their second baby deer at the centre which they have had to deliver by caesarean and so everything was under trial and error. Founder of the centre, Les Stocker predicted that the odds were against Rupert earlier in the week when he spoke to The Bucks Herald. He said that everyone was worried about him as they had not seen anything so tiny. Talking about the death, Les said that next time they will try warm milk straight from a goat at a nearby farm. He added: "It is all a new science and this is just one more case to add to our experience."

Meet Rupert.

This tiny deer was delivered by Caesarean section at a wildlife hospital after a car killed his mother. Little Rupert (who is so small he can fit in an adult's hand) was born after vets failed in their battle to save his mother. At just six inches tall and weighing just over a pound, he is now in an incubator in the intensive care unit at Tiggywinkles Wildlife Hospital in Buckinghamshire. He has only recently opened his eyes. Les Stocker, founder of Tiggywinkles, said, "Rupert's mother had very severe injuries.  We brought him out and got him breathing, and then he went into an incubator on oxygen.  He is now being fed by a tube." Staff members are optimistic that Rupert, now five days old, will make a full recovery. "Deer are very, very tricky, but this one has spirit.  He's an extremely feisty little  guy and quite pushy," Mr. Stocker said.

The Zoo!

I've been out in Fort Wayne, Indiana for the past few days visiting with family. Yesterday, my Dad and I went to The Fort Wayne Zoo! I adore catching a glimpse of these exotic creatures up close but, in the past I've found that seeing the animals in captivity and living in less than ideal environments is heartbreaking. Dad and Jane said they were pleased with their experience at the FWZ in the past. So, off we went. 

These animals seemed to be living it up in their mud bogs, pools and leafy treetops! The zoo was in great shape and felt as natural as a zoo can feel. 

The kangaroos looked the most pleased with their surroundings. They were not confined by anything! There was a thin, low sitting wire around the perimeter of their living area. It wasn't electrified. Even if it was, these animals can jump up to 10 ft and could escape with one good leap. So, why aren't they confined? I asked the zookeeper and she said, "They seemed to have all they need: shade, food and companionship." My dad and I watched them and thought about it...we agreed. They probably were quite content. 

A costly trip...but, worth it.

Last night, I headed out of Burlington right around 6pm to have dinner with some family including my Grandmother, “Grandkee Clair” and my Dad, “Eagle Nose” who were visiting from Indiana. It was a lovely, sunny evening but, when I arrived the light was already low and dusk was settling in. Uncle Tuck and Aunt Susan are tucked away in Lincoln, VT and the hills rise up around their property. They lose the light quickly there.

The five of us caught up on all sorts of things while dinner was being prepared. Before sitting down to eat, I spent some time admiring Susan’s extensive owl collection-some (like this guy below) in almost every room!  

Susan cooked a wonderful salmon dish with maple syrup drizzled overtop and homemade strawberry rhubarb pie a la mode for dessert.  

Yummy!

After dinner, Dad and I attempted to take a few quick pictures before the light outside was gone entirely. Here are the results. I’m not so good with such a powerful flash.

After our shoot, Dad and I  went back inside to join Susan, Tuck and Grandma. Post-dinner topic: Travel, to places like China, Switzerland, Antarctica (although Tuck thinks Antarctica would be boring with no mountains and all of that snow) and Newfoundland as it's close-relatively speaking. 

Newfoundland has a special place in my Dad's heart. He used to fly in and out of Newfoundland when he was in the Coast Guard years ago. He tells stories about how he used to hang out of the back of C-130's to take "measurements" of icebergs (?). Finally, the maps came out and I learned how big Newfoundland actually is and what part of it makes the most sense to visit-if I'm lucky enough to travel there someday. Fun!

My 94 year old "Grandkee Clair" is getting more grand with each year that passes!

At around 9:30 or so I decided to head home. I said my goodbyes for now, and hopped in my car. The roads between Lincoln and Hinesburg are dark. I used my high beams while driving over the hills and around the corners. All was well until...blue flashing lights.!!! Hmph. Yep. I was pulled over for going 61 in a 50. The man cop was very friendly. When he returned to my car to deliver the verdict he said, “I’m not big on tickets or lectures. Tonight, you’re getting both. You said you were visiting your Dad. Well, I’m a dad. Last night on this road, a Suburban hit a moose. If you had hit a moose in your car your best case scenario would be, a visit to the hospital. Do you have questions?” I said, “No. Thank you.” He was right. So, I continued on my way, driving slowly and carefully back to Burlington feeling thankful that the moose had other plans on this occasion.

Your days are numbered, squirrel.

I love most creatures but, these guys are aggressive and just plain a nuisance at the cabin. They are digging up our geraniums and burying their nuts in the soft, fresh soil. We've lost 3 of the 20 already! Yesterday, as I raked the path, I saw two large squirrels in a tree. I stopped raking and started talking to them (I know, crazy). "Are you guys doing this?"  They started chattering. It was almost as if they were mocking me. "When you leave Kim, we're heading back up there to dig up your plants." This experience has taught me to empathize with my Mom and her squirrel battles. So frustrating!

Hmm...a few interesting ideas here. 

QUESTION: How can I keep squirrels from digging in my outdoor potted plants?

 

ANSWER: Commercial repellants (sprays, etc.) are usually only marginally effective for controlling squirrels. Your best line of defense is to physically separate them from wherever you don't want them to be. Here are some things to try:

• You might try fitting screen or wire mesh around your potted plants, or covering the dirt around plants with sticky tape or stones. Squirrels seem most attracted to digging in loose, newly turned dirt so follow up with a top layer of mulch.

• Lure them away from potted plants and bulbs by feeding them corn or sunflower seeds in a feeder located in another part of the yard. This can ultimately result in an increase in the population of squirrels in your yard, but the distraction of the constant food supply is also a good distraction.

• Try laying human, dog or cat hair around the base of your potted plants. Blood meal may also work in some cases. To be effective, these will need to be reapplied weekly and after it rains.

• Spray a foul-tasting product, like cayenne pepper spray on and around your plants as they are growing and after each rain.

• Plant bulbs that squirrels don't like to eat, like narcissus, alliums (ornamental onions) and hyacinths.

• If all else fails you can live-trap them and relocate them. You'll need permission from authorities to do this, however, and it will not reduce the density of squirrels in your area over time. As old squirrels are transported out, new squirrels simply move into the newly emptied habitat.

Since the squirrel population is likely to outlive your potted plants, your best bet is to deploy a number of these methods, alone or in combination with one another until you find something that works. Plan on having a few victories and probably a few defeats.

Squirrel-4, Kim-0

The Duke of Knollwood.

My mother is engaged in a rather large project that will always be classified as a work-in-progress, her backyard garden. It has been evolving over the last ten years or so.

It all started when she and her husband decided to construct a substancial slate wall, which creates a division between the upper and lower areas of the yard. They built steps into the middle section of the wall so one can easily pop down to the lower section to visit with the coy fish in the pond that now exists. I remember the morning the pieces of slate were delivered to my mom’s house. I wasn’t given any warning that a truck was coming to dump tons (literally) of building material into a pile. The earth shook! I remember crawling out of bed and looking out the window of the upstairs bathroom to see the pile. The truck was gone almost immediately. I’m sure I placed a call to my mom posthaste.

Since then, many flowers have been planted and shrubs repositioned to cover up the ugly fence that lines the perimeter of the yard. When I was down in MA over the weekend, my mom and I sat and had a cup of coffee next to the pond and looked around. Every year the garden is fuller, the clematis climbs a little higher and things look as if they’ve always been that way. The signs that this garden was built over time are becoming harder to spot and the plants and wildlife are establishing themselves (enter, "Duke of Knollwood").

Many creatures are happy to call my mom’s backyard their home-frogs are at the top of the list of occupants. Occasionally, we’ll hear a splash and see one of these guys swimming away from us. Over the weekend, I was checking things out in the pond when I realized that hundreds of tadpoles were looking back at me. I summoned my mother over to take a look. “Oh my god! Look at all of them.”  I don’t know where they came from or why they haven’t been a problem in the past but, they are here now. I’m not sure how this story will end but, I’ll be standing by for an update from my mom. In the meantime, we think this guy is the culprit.

“The Duke of Knollwood”