Wild Thing

By: rebekah
On: 08/10/2009 07:50:35
In: Rumor Has It ...
Comments: 24

There is one thing I like about moving. Finding stuff.

Stuff I haven't seen since the last time I moved. Stuff I haven't been looking for and haven't missed, but I sure am happy to see again.

Wild Thing is an example.

He was a Valentine's Day present several years back. I saw his pink stripes and his white mane at the bottom of a box as I was going through some things in the basement. I immediately pulled him out and pushed the button on his hand.

Yes! He still has it.

Battery power. I smiled as I watched him bob his head back and forth and sing:

"Wild Thing! You Make My Heart Sing, You Make Everything....Groovy...."

Here is of a picture Wild Thing in motion doing his "thang"....

Now, just so you know. I took this opportunity to STOP packing and going through boxes and instead, learn how to use the video feature on my camera. (This is the way I am.)

Then, I thought....well, wouldn't it be cool to show you all how Wild Thing does his thang. So, I decided to figure out how to upload the video. Sadly, after all that, I couldn't figure out how to show it to you here.

But, good news. I was able to upload it over on www.thecityfarmgirl.com.

So, if you want to see Wild Thing, hop on over there. But come back because I want to tell you something else.

And here's it is: Y'ALL make my heart sing. Y'ALL make everything...groovy.

Even moving!

Thank you guys for that.

Now, what is the name of that children's book? Ah yes, here it is.

That's where I live. For a few more days, anyway...Where the Wild Things Are.

I've been encountering many "Wild Things" lately.

Just in the last two weeks, I've taken these pictures:

A Visiting Bunny

A Bug I can't identify,

and,

........

Here's what I saw just now as I was downloading pictures for this post!~

A Bear??!!

Oh my! You've got to be kidding me! I thought it was a big black dog at first.

I took the picture from our screened-in porch.

I thought for a minute about going out on the deck to get a clearer shot.

Nah. Through the screen in fine~

I'd never seen a bear around here before. Wow. Leaving just got easier.

Look at that pretty black-faced deer. Aren't her markings unusual?

(Those are the deck pickets I'm taking the picture through.)

Here is a deer doing her best imitation of those plastic deer statues you see in folks' yards.

(What are those plastic deer for anyway? Is it decoration? Or target practice?)

Here, look at this guy.

I call him "Speedy."

He was out in front of our house.

When I saw him, I ran inside to get my camera.

He dispelled the notion that turtles are slow.

You see, by the time I got back outside to take the picture, I couldn't find him.

He had crossed the entire road and was headed to the woods on the other side.

Not slow.

(Well, compared to some animals he is, but he's fast enough. Why compare him to anything?)

Here's another visiting deer, looking up at my deck.

Look at the white streak down her back. Isn't she lovely?

And more deer!

I was lucky to see this deer family as I was driving down the road from my house.

They were together, I just couldn't get them into the same photo. Dad, Mom and baby. I had no idea the male deer stayed close by to help with the kids. Is that typical for deer?

I have another picture of deer. It's a Mom with twin babies, but the picture is taken from such a distance, it's like a "seek and find" puzzle.

Okay, okay, I'll post it any way. See if you can see a Mom deer and TWO baby deer.

I recalled some of the other encounters with Wild Things I've had while I lived here.

I haven't been able to determine the breed of this goose. I love the look she/he is giving me. She/he was the "body guard" for that Canadian Goose and babies in the background.

Here's one I got of the Canadian Goose Mom with her babies when the "body guard" became distracted with a piece of bread.

A wild turkey on the run.

A Black Widow Spider with her dinner.

Ick.

It was her last meal, by the way.

Here are some Rainbow Trout a friend caught and shared with us.

I had never witnessed the "cleaning" of a fish before.

I couldn't take it; I really couldn't. My face was green as they cleaned the fish. One of the fish had eggs in it too. I thought I was going to throw-up when they "dug" those eggs out...

I'm beginning to realize that I'm not much of a "nature girl."

Here is a visitor my daughter spotted out on the road in front of our house last year:

No comment.

What more can I say? I've already said it all in the orginial post when I encountered this snake.

Turkey Vultures

(I thought I'd post something about "spreading our wings" when I took this picture.

I actually forgot about the picture until today...so, ya'll, let's remember to spread our wings and fly...)

This is one of those wooly catepillars that are said to predict how long winter will be.

Hmmm....I have no idea what the message is. Long winter? Short winter?

As I look at those pictures and recall the Wild Thing encounters, I have to say that the snake freaked me out the most.

The bear surprised me most.

The spider creeped me out the most.

The twin baby deer made me smile the most.

The turtle taught me the most.

How about you? What kind of Wild Things have you encountered lately? Did they impact you?

(Now, leave a comment and when you do, MAKE SURE to include links to your blogs and websites! There's lots of talk recently about bloggists considering it "tacky" for commenters to "plug" blogs and websites on someone else's blog. WHAT?! TACKY?! NOT AT ALL! NOT HERE! WE LOVE YOUR LINKS! Folks enjoy popping over to see what you are up to! So, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, LINK AWAY! I insist! And feel free to put it in the text of your comment! There now! That's settled.)

See ya back here next Tuesday!

Until next time, Friends, savor the flavor of life!

Lots of love, The City Farmgirl, Rebekah

Comments

: By: Jenny; On: 08/11/2009 06:54:41

I think finding wild thing was pretty appropriate since you seem to be turning into jungle lady in your environment. How cool for you! Maybe you need to re-write "Where the Wild Things are" in your environment and publish it!

The only wild things I see outside right now are 432 pidgeons walking around in my driveway and some guy walking a really cute scottie up the street. Oh wait. I hear some thunder. Yup, there goes my wild weiner dog, Oskie, running down the hall now. You must have heard a piece of food drop in the kitchen.

Enjoy the wilderness!

: By: auntpammy; On: 08/11/2009 07:33:03

Well, I can't comment on my wildlife-but,wow...a B-E-A-R!?They are the scariest, how can something so big be so quiet?I'm shivering!

Here's a funny story...when we lived in Ohio we saw a lot of buzzards on the road we lived on. My husband told my daughter it was the state bird.(It's really a cardinal.) So in school the fifth grade teacher asked obvious questions about the state and she was so proud to raise her hand and say the state bird was the turkey buzzard...the entire class busted out laughing and didn't let her forget it for the next five years.

: By: Cherie S. Cook; On: 08/11/2009 09:05:02

Wildlife in my space is mostly mysterious as they travel and visit by night. The hundred gallon water trough is filled morning and evening and flushed until cool and clear, but those mystery visitors occasionally drink all but an inch or two during the darkness. Then the horses give me dirty looks when I venture out to do the morning chores. Innocent ~ I proclaim but those big brown eyes fill me with guilt and I swear to them I did fill it to the brim. Yeah, sure says the look. I point out the hoof prints ~ to no avail. The wildlife pulls another fast one and I hang my head in shame. Oh, the pain of Farm Girling. CC

: By: Becky; On: 08/11/2009 09:11:47

Wow, I can't imagine looking out my door and seeing a live bear in my yard.

You take beautiful pictures.

There have been a few sightings of black bears in recent years here in Missouri but I have never seen one. The wildest thing I have ever seen were a couple of coyotes in the cow pasture.

Becky

: By: Pat; On: 08/11/2009 09:30:32

Hi Rebekah!
The stuffed toy is adorable! I bought one similar to that for my grandson for Valentine's Day.
That was a large assortment of wild things roaming around in your backyard! More than I have ever seen except at a zoo! The bear, snake and spider are scary because they can be dangerous, but everyhting else would be fun to see.

I live in NYC, born and raised in the borough of Brooklyn, so the only "wild" things I usually see are birds, squirrels, an occasional--gasp--rat, and that's about it! I still consider myself a "farm girl," however, as my maternal grandmother had a farm in Pennsylvania, and when I was a child my happiest moments were spent visiting her in the summer. I'm sure my love for vegetable gardening and cooking come from her/

I don't understand why some bloggers feel it is "tacky" to put a link to our blogs if we have one? Isn't blogging all about sharing a little of ourselves with others and finding other bloggers with interests like our own, or perhaps reading a blog from a person in a place very unlike where we live so that we can learn about them and their lifestyle? I'm a retired grandmother and blogging has opened a door to the whole world to me. I love to blog about my city and places I've learned about as I tour around through it, now that I have the time. I'm learning about it, and sharing that on my blog.

Good luck with the move!

Regards, Pat

: By: madgardener; On: 08/11/2009 09:31:35

I LOVED THAT BOOK, I READ IT TO MY CHILDREN ALL THE TIME. I HAD NOT THOUGHT ABOUT IT FOR AGES.. THANK YOU, THAT MADE ME SMILE... WE ALL NEED SOME WILD IN LIFE ! RIGHT?

: By: Gary; On: 08/11/2009 10:26:59

Awesome photos Rebekah...!
Thank You so very much for taking the time to post them.
I rescue all manner of Critters, and stop to move unfortunate ones from the road in respect for their untimely end, but spiders... I'm with Ya' there... if I see one, then I am the last thing it will ever see.
Midnight, my Cat, is my most memorable encounter, as he was wild and slowly became friends with me over the course of many walks. Sometimes the most unlikely Critters (Animal or Human) become bound to us by that timeless mortar of a good Life: Love.
GodSpeed to Y'all in your move...!
Gary
in Tampa

: By: Patti Smith; On: 08/11/2009 10:33:52

Enjoyed reading about your "wild things" and looking at your wonderful pictures. By the way, the bug you cannot identify is a Locust. You will find their thin golden shells stuck to trees, fence posts, etc., when they shed them and spread their wings to become what you have captured with your camera.

: By: Wende; On: 08/11/2009 10:45:47

What a menagerie and how wonderful it is that you shared your pics with all of us who envy your "wild life".
Thank you so much for the advenure today. You made deep cleaning a whole lot better.
Look forward to next Tuesday.
Enjoy the move...and remember...it is not about the move it is all about the journey.
Wende Wagner
Sister #660

: By: Debby Carrico; On: 08/11/2009 12:13:42

The wild bug is one of those hard shell cicadas, which we used to tie strings around and 'fly' like kites and then set them free (when we were kids, that is-PETA would probably be horrified). We lvoed the sounds they made in the summer. Debby/Cincinnati, OHIO

: By: Brenda; On: 08/11/2009 13:34:50

We have some Wild Things also. We have a wild little Scottie that is 9 months old and loves to let us know when the wild things are around. It's a good thing because I think we would miss a lot of them. Earlier in the spring she was pitching a fit and hubby, who has a home office, got up to check it out and saw a mother skunk with 3 or 4 babies trailing behind her. He quick grabbed the camera because he knows how I hate to miss these things while I am at work. But skunks travel pretty fast also and he just got a picture from a distance. Another morning I was having my coffee b-4 work and again Ladybug the Scottie was announcing a siting of a group of deer passing through our front lawn past the pond. Ran to get the camera again but they also left at a fast pace. So the stories go. What we did not notice before our dog we do notice now but she scares them away quickly. Not time for the camera. As always love your blog. Mine is brtowsleyblogs.blogspot.com, I think I have left it b-4 fut there it is anyway. Come visit and even follow would be great!

: By: JoEllen; On: 08/11/2009 14:29:12

Wow, what a neat place you currently live in! I'm sure the next home will be just as exciting with all the things that will bring joy into your life. To see those kinds of critters, I go to Idaho to visit my daughter -- around here in the city of Portland, the most I see are squirrels, birds and my beloved cats. They can act wild too if petted wrong! I do love nature in any form though! Anxious to read your next adventure!

: By: Carol in NC; On: 08/11/2009 17:18:57

wow. I thought you lived in a sub-division type of conservancy? We had a bear once in our backyard after the bird feeders and not long after that my crazy husband thought he saw one in the front driveway. It was in the middle of the pitch black night and he 'watched' it pace back and forth for at least an hour before he realized it was our Newfoundland dog that had gotten out. Thankfully I didn't get up when he tried to get me out of bed to go see it!

You may not recognize what a cicada looks like but you've no doubt heard them. Especially last summer's infamous brood. It was deafening! This summer seems back to normal.
Have a good move!

: By: jamie; On: 08/12/2009 06:09:10

I love all your Wild Things! Well, except for maybe the snake. I live in the city currently but we do have a lot of deer walk right through our neighborhood on a regular basis and lots of geese. Looking at all the pictures on your blog makes me excited for the hopefully not-too-far-off future when we will again have a more rural homestead.

okay, I'll take your advice and mention my blog at www.JustAnAllAmericanGirl.blogspot.com. I would love to have visitors.

: By: Theresa in KY; On: 08/12/2009 20:06:48

Love your stories Rebekah. We moved to the country a little over a year ago and LOVE all the wild things I get to see. (We moved from Las Vegas to Kentucky, long story, but we LOVE IT!) We just got back from vacation to WY and went to Yellowstone (beautiful) and saw a Bison and a Bear, the highlight of the trip.
Anyway we have a "Deer Family" that lives in the woods behind our property between our great "Dear Nieghbors" and the Lake. The "Deer Family" have two babies and they come at dusk every day. I put feed out for them (and some goodies from the garden) so they always come back which I Love! Seen some Canadian Geese migrating last year and landed in the field out front. We have skunks, ground hogs, lots of differant birds, hawks, a crane or heron not sure what it is can't get that close, even turkey vultures, racoons, squirrels, seen a few black widows and lots of other bugs since I have a 8 yr old. Lots and lots of frogs and toads which we catch almost every night and then turn loose, lizards, snacks and just last week found some snake eggs that got abandoned so we put in a jar and waiting for them to hatch and then will turn loose. Everytime it rains we find turtles, one has taken residence in our garden and my son won't let me move him so he stays. I always knew I was a country girl even tho I always lived in the city and will never go back. Keep up the wonderful stories I always look forward to them but when you talked about wild things I had to comment it never gets old seeing them it always excites me. Lots of luck in your new HOME.

: By: Hanni; On: 08/13/2009 03:18:47

The goose is a toulouse, we have an excellent guard version at our farm. By the way, I just finished reading a book that I thought you might really enjoy (with all your free time :)). City Farm by Novella Carpenter, she is a city girl living in Oakland, Ca who farms bees, chickens, ducks, turkeys, even pigs in her duplex backyard and an abandoned lot. It's a quick but great read. She also has a blog about her adventures, check it out!

: By: Mary Ann Witcher; On: 08/13/2009 07:29:41

The goose is a toulouse, I have three and they are wonderful protectors of the barn yard. I wish you well in your move. I am the MJF Chapter Leader of the Georgia Farmgirls in GA. Our chapter is rapidly growing and we would like to invite you to check us out on Facebook. Not to mention that we would LOVE for you to attend one of our meetings. Please keep in touch and we love your City Farmgirl Blog.

: By: Ivey; On: 08/14/2009 14:45:52

Great photos! Be careful about the bears, we've read a lot of scary stories lately.

: By: Betty J.; On: 08/16/2009 13:57:37

I don't know that I could abide by all the wildlife you have in your neighborhood. They are terrible on your garden, unless it is fenced. A bear, oh my goodness, not good. Keep your garbage can put away. A friend of mine can't plant a garden because of the deer and wild turkeys. I thank God for my development and the 6-foot fences. Those would not stop a deer though I am afraid. I'm glad you like them though. My ex used to clean fish and he would eat those eggs that were taken out. Fish fresh caught are so delish.

Keep blogging. I love reading your adventures.

: By: ~ ~Ahrisha~ ~; On: 08/18/2009 13:06:12

A BEAR, She yelled! I am so outa there. The rest of the critters are really cute.
The bug is what we call a locust here in PA. Every 15 years they dig themselves out of the ground and fly around singing loudly. Other years they are much fewer in numbers. I remember one year, must have been the 15th. I was driving my convertable through a wooded area and they were singing and flying around and I kind of got bombarded by flying bugs as I was driving. Yuck!
Lovely to see your critters~ ~Ahrisha~ ~
http://joyouslylivinglife.blogspot.com

: By: Cyndi; On: 08/18/2009 18:18:36

I adore your photos and "Wild Thing" is the cutest of all plush animals. I bet he roars!

I did find way too much for this city girl yesterday. I was looking for my house kitty and found a S-N-A-k-E in my backyard, now only 6 inches or so Not nearly like your photo, YIKES!, I would be in the house with the doors locked with that one!
Anyway, I saw it and thought is was a sun-dried lizard till I saw the tongue move and it SCARED me so BAD. No one around, so I had to handle it, I grabbed two steel pipes in my potted plant (luckly close) and bashed it with all my might! Now, I am deathly afraid of snakes and mice, Did I say my other kitty had a dead floor sutrprise this AM for me to step on and wake up fast. Lights were not on and NEVER again will that happen, my barefeet too.
I am still recovering!

Smiles, Cyndi
http://ByLightOfMoon.blogspot.com/
come visit anytime

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