Sunday, November 22, 2015

Wildlife in the 'burbs




         
        Fall is here and getting to and from my car has taken on a reflex-sharpening feature.

          I’m on my out, or on my way in, my thoughts on other things, and juuust as I reach the door to the garage, there’s a 50/50 chance of attack. The already limited porch area is suddenly filled with hysterical diving and flapping. I run for the door and my attackers race for the trees.

With the arrival of colder weather, small birds looking for a warmer nighttime spot have begun roosting in the tangle of our clematis vines.




          The acorn crop was sizeable this fall, as were the acorns. Still, the Front Yard Gang must be tiring of the monotony of their diet. At the beginning of the month we had arranged six tiny pumpkins on the wall around the old oak tree.

 Then there were five.

 This morning another one was gone. Mysteriously, there are no half-eaten shells lying about or tell-tale trails of seeds. There is also no sign of the teensy block and tackle or the ropes pulling last night’s spoil upwards by itsy furry paws.

But the squirrel I saw this morning looked suspiciously smug.




The skirmishes with the new convenience market in town continue.


Parking in our small center of town, particularly during coffee happy hour, is at a premium. Between 7 and say, 9, the spots are packed with people on their way to work, people with time for a chat before work, and people for whom work is happily a distant memory. The primo spots – in front of the village store, source of coffee and conversation – go fast. Next to go has always been the row across the street, in front of the once-gift shop, now convenience market.

Early one morning a customer for the village store failed to see the “for customers of the market only” sign and parked in the new forbidden zone.

The owner of the new market dashed out and began berating the transgressor with: “Can’t you read?” and several other comments, followed up by a call to the police.

          Apparently these owners missed the workshop on community relations.


8 comments:

  1. They didn't read the memo. There's a lot of that going around. This must be something a bit of ingenuity sould solve.

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  2. Love your wildlife.
    Sigh on the parking police.

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  3. Well, if the spot are that valuable, I guess they feel they can piss off the regular customers. Grrr! :-)

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  4. It's surprising that your pumpkin disappeared without a trace. Now for the guy having a melt down over parking? Give it a rest. The place is too small for a fight.

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  5. The market needs a bigger sign perhaps, or maybe they could just learn to get along with the previous system.
    Disappearing pumpkins eh? Maybe they're making pumpkin pie with acorn flour crust :)

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  6. At least raccoons didn't try to make off with your entire trash can.

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    Replies
    1. No, but one year they got in the garage and figured out how to step on the pedal and open the trash compacter.

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  7. I'll bet it was the smug looking little squirrel that made off with a pumpkin. Have a happy Thanksgiving!

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