We have lots of wild creatures around here. Interesting birds, like the dark-eyed junco and black-headed grossbeak. And flickers! They are a kind of woodpecker, but with unusual markings (some orange) and a distinctive call. I've seen (3 times!) California Red-bellied Newts. Such curious little varmints! Prehistoric-looking. I had to walk around a small Western Diamondback
Rattlesnake on the way back to the house from the shop, one day. There are huge jackrabbits (so named because the long ears reminded settlers of jackasses). I have now found 9 tiny scorpions in the house, mostly already dead. I believe I was even bitten by a larger one (the mom?) outside when I was lifting a bunch of flattened boxes that had been sitting on the patio. Youch! But, in 5 minutes, it was over. As if it had never happened--no mark, no anything. Just a phobia of cardboard, now. We were allowed to pet some huge scorpions (4-5 inches) at the fair, this year, for some reason (and hold a small boa--thought I'd throw that in). I've seen the carcasses of several enormous millipedes, here and there. 3-4 inches long and 1/4 inch in diameter. Who knows where the live ones are hanging out? So interesting!
But it's most fun to see the deer, of course! They're so large and beautiful! The ones around here are the black-tailed Mule Deer. They are mostly nocturnal, so one sees them, mostly in the early part of the day, or at dusk. And, many times, especially when we're walking to get the paper or the mail (35-minute round trip), we can hear them, even if we can't see them. Quite often, while driving, we've seen them along the roads, either crossing in front of the car or wanting to. It's a good idea not to be going too fast. My worst nightmare would be to hit one (I'm gonna get those deer whistles for our cars).
A big topic of conversation in deer-country, we've discovered, is about deer-proofing the gardens and orchards. I've picked up flyers and read books with lists and lists of deer-proof and deer-resistant plants. Special fences. All kinds of deer-blocking strategies, like mylar streamers. I'm wondering why. Who wouldn't want to see them as much as possible? Really. I dream of myself as a real-life Snow White: humming along as I'm doing my chores, being nuzzled by the local deer and rabbits and birds. Every creature happy and harmonious. But Snow White wasn't growing peaches, probably. We have this little peach tree. It's more than half dead since it would appear that the previous residents (renters, as it happens) weren't interested in maintaining it. No worries. But, then, the 1/3 of the tree that was alive began to grow huge quantities of peaches. More than
100, or even 150! So we watered it. I'm seeing cobbler into December! The little tree was bent almost to the ground with them (the pictures are difficult to see). One day, I saw a doe (a deer, a female deer) munching delicately on one or two of the peaches on the tree. When she'd had her fill, I took a picture of her moving on, in no big hurry. Cute! We can share. The next morning, I went out into the yard and saw...one peach! Almost no tree! Yikes! That little, innocent-looking big-eyed creature apparently went and told about 25 of her closest, hungriest friends that there was a peach party at the Golds'. Hm. Now, I get it. So, while I still love deer, and want to see them in our yard, munching, um, manzanita, or something, I'm looking for those flyers...Meanwhile, I'm off to Boston tomorrow morning. More later... --Sandy
