Tag Archives: sw missouri

Bobcats, Opossums, and Bears…Oh My!

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I live in rural SW Missouri where it’s common to see wild animals. I absolutely love it! I see raccoons, opossums, and skunks almost daily. I’ve seen the usual black skunks with white stripes but also completely white skunks!

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Image by BowmanStudios from Pixabay

I’ve seen bats at night and once a bat got in our house. I had gone to bed and kept hearing what sounded like a big moth fluttering about. I turned on the light, and was shocked to see it was a little bat! He was hanging from the ceiling since I turned on the light. I woke up my son because someone had to witness this! I got a small waste basket, emptied it, stood up on the bed, and carefully placed the waste basket over the bat. Then I took a cookie sheet and carefully and slowly moved it across the top of the wastebasket. Then my son and I took the little bat outside and released him. I bet he was thankful!

Years ago, I was coming home from work and saw what I first thought was a big dog. As I got closer, I realized it was a young bear! I figured his mama was nearby but I didn’t see her. I haven’t seen a bear since then.

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Image by Brigitte Werner from Pixabay

I’ve most recently seen a bobcat and my cats saw it, too! Thankfully, my furbabies have an enclosure to keep them safe. I think the bobcat jumped on top of the enclosure because there were indentations in the wire, like footprints.

I’ve seen red foxes, coyotes, and mountain lions. The red foxes are beautiful! We have an overabundance of squirrels, armadillos, rabbits, and deer! People have told me about feral pigs and I may have heard them in the woods late at night a time or two, but I can’t be sure. I have yet to see one! I’ve seen moles, voles, groundhogs, chipmunks, gophers, weasels, and even a flying squirrel! It’s amazing! I can’t forget about box turtles, snapping turtles, skinks, frogs, toads, and different species of snakes!

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Photo by Alex Andrews on Pexels.com

I can’t forget about birds! I’ve seen pigeons, wild turkeys, mourning doves, owls, roadrunners, starlings, herons, egrets, and several species of woodpeckers including pileated woodpeckers. The most awesome of the birds are birds of prey. I can’t even count how many species of hawks I’ve seen over the years. I’ve even seen bald eagles!

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Image by Kathy Büscher from Pixabay

I got my love of nature and wildlife from my dad. He taught me to respect, watch, and learn instead of disturbing or killing. Do you live in an area where you see wildlife?

Blowing In The Wind

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Here’s it is, nearly Spring with Winter at our backside. I was so looking forward to this month and next, however, today was a sharp reminder of what the weather is like for us here in early Spring.

The wind is blowing violently today. Our lawn chairs will end up in our neighbor’s yard by day’s end. Our neighbor is 1/4 mile away! There are several branches down and laying in the yard. I worry about our roof, as this house is very old and the roof not in great condition. It wouldn’t surprise me if the whole roof blew off! The furniture (cat and human) in the catio has been tossed all over, and a board (used as a rain shield) has come unattached. That made a horrendous noise as my furbabies were having their dinner and they all scattered like a 747 was about to crash on our house! It took me 15 minutes to get them all back into the kitchen to finish eating.

 

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                                          Image Copyright Being Aunt Debbie

 

I just glanced out the window, sitting here at my computer and lo and behold there are snowflakes falling! Whodathunkit? That wind is bitter cold so I’m not too surprised….but now the snowflakes are gone! Go figure. But there’s a saying here in Missouri: If you don’t like the weather, just wait a few minutes! (Hate to tell them, the wind has been blowing longer than 5 minutes!)

 

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                                                         Image Copyright Being Aunt Debbie

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                                                          Image Copyright Being Aunt Debbie

 

I’m still looking forward Spring, although March and April are usually very wet and windy here in SW Missouri. I have seen a few new blooms on trees and heard the birds chirping early in the mornings. The first woodpecker of the season woke me up the other morning. The robins are running amuck all over the yard as I type this, pulling whatever worms they can find out of the soft ground. Most of the trees are brown and bare (except the evergreens, of course) and it’s really not a pretty sight. That will soon change as Spring and summer gets a grip on things. I’m hoping for a “not-so-freaking-hot” summer this year…… Wishful thinking, I know.

 

 

Sick & Tired, Part 2

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What’s with all the snow? I think my toes are going to freeze tonight.

I took care of Doodle Bug today and when I took her home the road was beginning to freeze over. Snow was coming down, and still is. I doubt anyone will be going anywhere tomorrow. Good thing we have supplies to last for a bit.

I’m really sick and tired of this cold, cold winter, although just thinking about the hot, humid summer not too far ahead of us just makes me want to pass out! I use to love the hot summers but that’s when I lived in California. The heat was dry, not humid like it is here in SW Missouri. Of course, I was a younger woman back then too!

I really like the Spring. Why can’t it be like Spring all year long? Is there anywhere in the world that’s like Spring all year long? I’m looking forward to the Spring. I want to take the grand babies to the park and to the zoo. I want to watch them run in their bare feet on the grass. I want to share with them my love of birdwatching. I can barely wait until we can bring out the toddler wading pool so they can splash and laugh and then cry when it’s time to come inside. I’ll be taking plenty pictures, that’s for sure.

I guess I’ll just have to be sick and tired of the cold until the Spring decides to pay us a visit.