May 6, 2013 No Pack Rat - It's a Woodchuck!



Rocky, the woodchuck, peeking out from
under the battery shed.





Rocky out getting his dinner.















Friday, 5/3.  JB left for Down There at 9:30 and didn't get back until 5:00 pm.  Was a long day of tests for him.  I stayed busy.  Cleaned the wood stove and vacuumed.  Picked up more branches outside. 

Tried to identify the critter in the woodshed.  We got a better look at it before JB left and it is definitely NOT a pack rat.  Can't see a tail, so with a couple of books we have on wildlife, we thought maybe it was a large pika.  I tried to get it out of the shed, but it wouldn't go and just chirped at me.

Forgot to sent the Mother's Day cards with JB, so I will have to go Down There on Tuesday.  I need a few more things, including dog food that I can get with our Tuesday senior discount.  Also have to get a special insert for my shoes.

With so many of them around, I simply could not resist picking and pressing more Western Spring Beauties.  Am seeing lots of lupin sprouting, but no blooms yet.  Lots of prairie stars blooming and a yellow flower I have not been able to identify.

Just after we finished dinner, five deer came ambling up the driveway.  The dogs were inside and we kept them there for a while so the deer could graze.  It was another perfect Spring day with a high of 60, and our first night without a fire in the wood stove.

Watched "The Happening" but were a bit disappointed.

Saturday, 5/4.  Partly cloudy and 47 this morning, with the clouds coming in from the east, which is unusual.  But the clouds mainly disappeared by 10:30 and it was another great day with a high again of 60.

We got an even better look at the critter inside the battery shed and this time saw that it indeed does have a tail, so it is definitely a young woodchuck.  They are in the marmot family and on the west side of the Rocky Mountains are referred to as rockchucks.  Okay.  So we named him Rocky.  He is so cute!  Dinga is very curious about him and when she gets to sniffing too close to the shed, he will chirp at her.

I took my little hatchet and began cutting fat wood sticks from the larger pieces of wood that have a very high pitch content.  Forgotten how much I had collected!

After lunch we drove down the shortcut in JB's Jeep to cut down the tree that is across the road.  Also picked up four tall, thin trees for JB's baker tent.  He took them back up in the Jeep with Dinga, while Jesse and I walked back. 

I trimmed the trees by north fence in the yard.  They are growing and needed their lower branches cut off.

While we were eating, Rocky came out to eat too.  So we watched him and got some more photos.  Fascinating!

We watched three episodes of "The Closer" season one.  One of our favorite series.

When we are finished watching TV, JB always goes out on the porch to bring in the dog beds and check the temperature.  The dogs went out with him and Dinga started barking.  Not unusual, but JB yelled at her to come back and then came inside to get the gun.  Seems when he shone the flashlight across the driveway there were four red eyes staring back at him - coyotes.  He fired off one round which scared the coyotes away and got the dogs running back home.

Sunday, 5/5.  Clear and 48.  The first morning we did not have a fire.  Had my coffee out on the porch and called to chat with Sandy.

Hung the laundry outside.  Trimmed some rose bushes.  Suddenly there are a lot more shooting stars blooming, so I picked more and pressed them.

We watched Rocky leave the shed and go towards the garden and west ridge in the morning.  Since he had not returned by 2:30, I used small pieces wood to block up all the openings.  We are pretty sure he decided it was time for him to build his own home, but his visit certainly was fun.

I brought down two wheel barrow loads of branch wood from two different piles.  Many of the pieces were already about the right size or just needed to be broken in half or thirds.  Got them all stacked in the wood shed.  JB baked French bread to have with our soup for dinner.

Before dinner we were sitting outside on the porch enjoying the incredible weather when I glanced to the west and noticed a deer eating the horseradish by the garden.  Then the dogs jumped up and ran in the opposite direction to chase several more deer up the east ridge.  It certainly has been a weekend of wild life!  I love it!  Well, most of it. . .

Monday, 5/6  Clear and 48.  It is supposed to be in the 80's Down There all week, which means mid 60's Up Here.  Will definitely leave early to go Down There tomorrow morning.

Thought for the day:  There are two things to aim at in life: first, to get what you want; and after that, to enjoy it.  Only the wisest of mankind achieve the second.  Logan Pearsall Smith