When
I got up this morning I found it hard to do anything but watch the fields –
first from this window and then from that. A buck and two doe grazed to the
south. The doe moved out toward the canyon and disappeared but the buck
continued to graze. Perhaps he’s the same buck that seems to have taken
possession of that ridge. To the north, a big doe rested in the field. I’ve
never seen them lie down in the open before.
I
was awake at 4:00 a.m., or maybe it was 5:00. Click, click, click. Click,
click, click. It sounded like someone rhythmically striking two sticks
together. I didn’t rouse myself to investigate, but when I began to watch the
southern field, I saw three big birds with whitish breasts. By the time Mike
came to see, they had disappeared into the draw, but he surmises we have finally
been invaded by the wild turkeys. Over the years, we’ve observed them coming
closer and closer from the brow of the hill. Perhaps they were making the
clicking sound.
Mike
left for the wilderness – Indian Post Office – at 6:30 a.m. and
returned about 2:30. He planned to check on a geocache he owns and perhaps set
out a new one, but alas! the road was closed due to snow. 
So
with Mike away, Nellie was my pal today. We hiked out behind the house to check
the elderberry bushes. She kept me company while I hung the clothes, took a nap
while I had quiet time, and followed me as I watered my plantings. She’s an
intelligent dog, but she just can’t wrap her mind around some concepts, like “Mike
will be home before supper,” or “Please pick up the kibble you left on the
floor.”
Hummingbirds.
We don’t see many this year – can’t say why. Last week, Mike asked me to fill
the hummingbird feeders before we left the farmhouse. Our policy has been to
feed the hummingbirds only when we’re here, but at the time it was chilly and
he wanted to insure that our few hummers were encouraged to stay.
Arriving
back at the farm, I noted that the feeders still held about as much nectar as when
we left, but it was old and the hummingbirds knew it. Several times one hovered
at the kitchen window to complain while I washed the dishes and Mike was buzzed
in the yard. So, I quickly made new nectar and they settled down. That’s the
first indication I’ve had that the hummers know and care when the nectar is
old.
It’s
important to keep the feeders clean, too, and I finally found a brush adequate
to the task when I looked for a feeder brush instead of a generic bottle brush.
Of course, you can order them online, but I found one at Home Depot for $2.78.
We
had our second rattlesnake sighting Friday evening (June 7) at the top of the
lane as we commenced our walk. Moving ahead of us, Nellie must have stepped
right over it. It didn’t coil or rattle until Mike tried to grab it with his
tongs. Then she slipped away into the grass and was gone. I always think of my
dad and his “rattlesnake rules”:
Watch
where you step
Wear
boots that cover your ankles
Stay
out of tall grass
I
don’t wear boots often, but I try to scan the road ahead as I walk and take
care to avoid tall grass.
I
don’t know if anyone was ever bitten by a rattlesnake here, but by the tremor
in my dad’s voice when he spoke of them, you would think he’d seen the danger
of rattlers first hand. KW
6 comments:
My Uncle used to hunt for rattlesnakes. He lived in the rugged foothills of Placer County above Sacramento, CA where I am from and was always catching rattlers. He would use their skin for different things and I think he ate the meat too! Ewww
Rattlesnake meat is good - tastes like frog legs.
I was mixing topping for my crostata while reading my laptop screen and flipped flour and sugar on my keyboard. Mike cleaned it with a vacuum cleaner.
Anyway, Mike killed a rattlesnake a long time ago. We cooked the meat and he used the skin on a belt and some buckles. But now he doesn't kill them, much to the chagrin of the neighbors, who say that the only good rattlesnake is a dead rattlesnake.
I was in Sacramento just this last week. Much too hot for me!
We finally got a picture of "Orange Guy", a new hummingbird to our neighborhood this year. I'll have to send it. "Big Red" does not like Orange Guy at all! The war wages daily outside our window.
I was visited by a hummingbird yesterday as I weeded the raspberries. He had a black head and an iridescent green back. I've got to get a better hummingbird identification book -- or else find them online.
I'm not a lover of *any* snakes!! Watch me run!! Mom and Dad have tons of turkeys where they live.
Did you eat the rattlesnake meat??? I bow to your bravery if you did!
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