Sights from around Crooked Acres.
Under and around our side stoop, we have three containers like this one. Fred set them up over the winter, worrying that Archie would get stuck outside on a cold night. This way, he’d have a warm place to hole up and wait for morning. (See the orange cord? Fred ran electricity to that container, so he could put a heated bed in there.) Inside that container is a cat carrier (with the door removed), surrounded by straw. Archie spent, like, two nights in it, and then started spending his nights inside – which, I am sure, is a shock to all of you.
One day I went out to the garage, and when I came back, I noticed that there was standing water on top of this container. I tipped it up to dump the water off, and thought “Huh. That’s heavier than I expected. Is Archie in there?”
It wasn’t Archie.
It was a raccoon, who was all “Zzzzz…wha?”
That was the last time I saw him in there, probably because I spent 10 minutes trying to get a good picture of him from the other side of the stoop. I’m okay with him finding somewhere else to be – I don’t particularly WANT a raccoon living under the side stoop, thank you very much.
The reason I haven’t been out to the back forty to take pictures in so long is because it has been raining FOREVER, we have standing water everywhere, and it is super unpleasant. In some spots, the weeds are literally up to my chin. We’re finally getting nice weather, and things are slowly drying up. FINALLY.
Bluebird, watching me through the window.
George by the pond. On the up side, at least all the rain is keeping the pond full!
George would like his snack now, if you please.
Gracie can take 45 minutes to eat a Milkbone. George gulps his down in about half a second.
“You has another?”
Carpenter bee. Ugh. These things are everywhere.
The Azalea on the left side is so much bigger and happier than the one on the right. I have no idea why that is. Possibly because the one on the left gets more sun?
Cruella keeps an eye on you. Doesn’t she have a fabulous head of feathers?
The Angry Muppet. I’m surprised she hasn’t gone broody yet this spring.
“HEY! SHUT THE DOOR! I’M LAYING AN EGG. GAWD.”
We’re down to one rooster now, and he’s a big one.
Pretty hen.
LOVE the feathered legs.
Coming over to see if we’ve got a treat for them.
The Rock Star needs her yearly headfeather trim, I think.
The ducks. Remember how hard it was to convince them to go out to the pond? They’re out there all the time, now.
I tossed out some catfish food for the ducks, and the catfish showed up. Imagine that!
Okay, here comes the spider section. Click here to skip it.
Space
Space
Anti-spider space.
Space
Space
More space
Space
Space
For the
spider haters
who hate the spiders
like the haters they are.
Okay, good?
Maybe just a teeny bit more.
Okay.
That should do.
Remember Dolores, our Golden Orb Weaver, who set up her web next to the garage and got all fat and sassy and presented us with an egg sac… and then she did it a second time? This is what it looked like in September.
Not long after she created that second sac, she disappeared. And winter set in and I kept checking her egg sacs.
Then finally, one of them hatched!
Newborn Golden Orb Weaver. Try not to be TOO jealous of my fabulous manicure.
So teeny!
The babies all scattered pretty much immediately. It’s been a couple of months, and the second egg sac hasn’t hatched. I’m starting to think it won’t, but I’m keeping an eye on it.
I really hope one of Dolores’s daughters returns to that spot this fall.
I spotted an adorable little fuzzy spider hanging out on the wall in the hallway a few weeks ago. I took a zillion pictures of him, freaked him out, and then took him outside and set him free.
I mean, look at that face. Don’t you just wanna snuggle?
Okay, time to leave some space for the spider haters.
The haters of spiders.
Who hate spiders.
The big babies.
In our house, the only unwelcome spiders
are those who keep a messy web.
(Well, and Brown Recluses, of course.)
I cannot abide a messy web.
I mean, I don’t mind vacuuming up
discarded fly carcasses or whatever,
so don’t be leaving that stuff in your webs, spiders.
You know?
Okay
I think
that is
enough space
for the haters.
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Louis is all “I am wee, but I am strong, Skelton!” and Rickles (behind Louis) is all “He really is a tough little guy! You shouldn’t mess with him!”
Blue-eyed Louis.
Louis and Shecky, checking out the water bowls.
Little poser Louis.
“Hi, Mama, hi! Whatcha doin’, Mama?” (I’d like to blame the kittens for the food scattered all over that mat, but Lucy is really the food flinger in that room.)
Louis, Belushi and Gilda, crammed under the scratcher.
Rickles always looks so sad and pouty. “I am but a poor wee baby kitten…”
Gilda’s all “You wanna get that paw away from me before I bite it off?”
Shecky’s not sure what to do, now!
Roseanne and Louis are the two smallest, and not coincidentally, the two fiercest.
Wee Louis certainly does love his sunshine.
I can’t help it, I keep taking pictures of him because he’s such a good little poser (Azalea hat notwithstanding).
Louis snoopervises, while Shecky tries the water (verdict: “tasty!”).
“What you want, lady?” Skelton needs a kiss.
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Video! Kittens – Belushi, Gilda, Shecky & Rickles, in this case – are just the sleepiest creatures on earth.
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Oh, that Dennis. He is just the sweetest thing!
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Previously
2014: Thomas Tuesday.
2013: Meet the Dragons.
2012: No entry.
2011: Do you just get lucky with the pictures or do you take thousands daily?
2010: Prince Corbett.
2009: Such a big baby – he was whining at me because I wasn’t petting him enough.
2008: “We iz sleeping pls leave alone thx.”
2007: No entry.
2006: No entry.
2005: No entry.