Twasn't Bigfoot

 

Sunny came to see me while I was inspecting my potatoes this morning. 

Welcome puddles and not-so-welcome pine pollen. Cottonwood blizzards can't be far behind.

We have solved the mystery at the bird feeder. 

It took several days of seeing big rocks removed from the base of the bird feeder and thinking that either a bear or Bigfoot was coming to visit in the early-morning hours, setting off the dog alarm. 

Well, the canine alarm went off a little later than usual this morning. 

I was actually about to step into the shower when both Liam and Foster started barking vociferously. 

Though tempted to run and see if I could get an eye on the culprit, I decided that racing through the living room nude at 4:30 in the morning was probably not the best idea. 

So, I lamented the timing and continued with my shower. 

Unlike other mornings, however, the barking continued off and on clear through my drying off and getting dressed. 

Then, I heard Bill say, "Look out the window and see if the raccoon is still there." 

So I did. 

Yes, it was WITH its friend. 

One was on the ground; the other, dangling from the wooden bird feeder which is shaped like a house. 

Both looked back at me, as if to say, "What's your problem? We aren't bothering anything."

Pretty bold little creatures and cute.

Cuteness is and always has been a problem with raccoons, but we've been around the block long enough to see that their cuteness is only hair deep.  They can do a nasty number on dogs. 

The coon duo hung around for another minute or so and then ran to my periwinkle patch which sits amidst four trees. 

They cowered there for a few seconds and then ran off to the south down a mowed pathway west of our Love Canal.

It's obvious that they know their route both to and from the bird feeder. 

So, until we figure out what we're going to do about this situation, a careful raccoon check will take place before any dog leaves the house in the morning. 

In the past, when we lived over on Great Northern Road, we observed that the little creatures got bolder and bolder with time.

They hung out on both our back and front porches and looked in at us through the big windows that surrounded our living room. 

One afternoon we looked over to see two perched at the top of a light pole next to the bunkhouse.

And, one time, when our golden lab went after one, the raccoon drew blood when it slapped back. 

So, we'll put cuteness aside in exchange for pet safety. 

I hate to quit using the bird feeders because of the population of beautiful birds which come daily, including those grosbeaks, which have hung around for months. 

This all brings me back to a perennial observation---always something when you have animals. 

We had another more visitor that stayed overnight too; it's called rain.  

Enough fell last night to leave some good-sized puddles.  We have needed moisture desperately, and from what the weather forecast says, it will stay through the day. 

The earth around here will be happy.

Annie went back to Seattle yesterday so it's a quiet Monday morning 'cept for the dogs. 

Even with the rain, I'll probably spend some time almost finishing most of the transplants.  

I am hoping that the tomato plants bitten by last week's frost can revive themselves, but in case they don't, more plants from the greenhouse will go out today. 

I also replanted green beans last week.  Could be a bumper crop if those that had not yet popped up for the frost survived.  

Only cukes will remain in the greenhouse, but I'll probably put a couple outside just to have a head start if there's no more frost. 

And, of course, it doesn't matter how cold or warm it is---the weeds always flourish. 

Wet days are great days for weeding. 

Happy Monday.