Animal Crackers

Some little bits about the animals in my life...

Happy Birthday, Millennium Joy!!

Today is my girl's 6th birthday. I can't believe it's been almost 6 years (December) that I've had her. I've loved every minute of it.

To celebrate she's had her daily Tuna Time and now she is having a nice nap behind the warm computer monitor.

Another Baby Picture

Bella and Duchess have established themselves. They seem not to care that their position in the feline heirarchy of this household is at the very bottom.

Here they are (sorry it's a bit blurry), hugging each other while sleeping on Mom's lap. Needless to say, we can't get enough of them.

I Break for Raccoons

Indeed, I do.

Today I ran a few errands and as I drove towards the Port Ludlow gas station, I had to slow down and let a raccoon cross the road. There he (she?) was, with the striped tail and burglar's mask, sauntering across the street as though there weren't cars coming in each direction.

I mention this here not because it is particularly interesting but because I am completely unused to communing with the wildlife. We had raccoons in Folsom, we just never saw them. Same with squirrels...

Squirrel-in-a-Box

Dad has a squirrel box on the back deck, for the squirrels to get into for sunflower seeds, bits of corn, and peanuts. We (cats included) enjoy watching them scamper across the railing, holding peanuts in their little hands, and winning stare-downs with the blue jays.

This morning I happened to have the camera nearby when I saw a squirrel getting something to eat at Doug's Diner (open all winter!).

Of course, I tried to get a closer picture and I startled the poor thing...

But they're not too scared of us--just wary. This little guy hung out for a moment to see if I'd walk away and let him get back to his eating:

Other Animal Stories

I've now seen two does in the neighborhood. They calmly walk among the houses, looking for food. Mom and Dad saw a huge buck in Port Townsend today, and their friends in Sequim (45 miles from here) have a frequent guest they call Daisy. They leave apples for her.

We also have hawks and eagles, and in the Sound, orcas. Not that we get orcas in Ludlow Bay, but once, on a ferry ride from Bremerton to Seattle, we saw some (that was back in December).

I love it--as I stated above, my interaction with wildlife in Folsom was nill. There is something lovely and calming about having them so near. Even knowing that there are bears and mountain lions (gulp) around doesn't phase me too much. I'm hardly going to go hiking on the trails around here, so I figure I shouldn't run into them.

Speaking of wild animals, the kids are back at school at St. Peter's this week. If any of my friends from St. Peter's read this, welcome back and have a great school year!

And that's all for today.

Cheers,

Meg