In an ideal world, I would have residences in both hemispheres which would allow me to enjoy permanent Winter framed with brief periods of Fall and Spring.
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But then there would be all that travelling and a house sitting empty for 6 months, or occupied by someone else, which is often a bad idea.
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If we were better organised, my brother and I could simply trade places twice a year, since he prefers warm weather.
But there are too many other factors that would come into play.
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My brother in fact has three residences.
Upon retiring, he took up cruising so that he was in almost perpetual motion.
With children and grandchildren in both hemispheres and a love of travel, this was a great life style and one he worked hard for.
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Then covid left Peter stranded, I can’t remember where, but at that time of year it was likely South Africa.
And everything began to unravel.
Now in his 80th year, his problems seem insurmountable and he has had to make very painful decisions concerning his partner who is afflicted with dementia.
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Many would complain.
My sister-in-law died suddenly aged 52 and losing a second partner in such a cruel way is most unfair.
Yet my brother never says so.
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Peter simply says it’s the life he made for himself and gets on with it, but he is very nice and an awfully decent human being who deserves better.
Lately I seem to find myself saying this about a lot of people.
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Why is it that bad things don’t happen to people who are stinkers?
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In any case, I count myself very lucky to have my humble little house in a place where I can live happily minding my own business without having to think of pleasing anyone else.
And while I am truly not a Summer person, there are plenty of things at this time of year that I enjoy.
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A couple of days ago, Grant called me to the window to witness a squirrel helping itself from the groundhog’s pile of carrots.
Other animals had obviously been eating our offerings, but we imagined it must be the rabbits.
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No doubt the bunnies have their share, but we had never seen a squirrel eat carrot before.
This one chose a large lump and rushed off to sit beneath a pine tree.
“Dis mine! You no take!”
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So that’ll be another sack full then!
It’s been a week since we’ve seen any sign of Scooter and we’ve noticed aggressive behaviour among other groundhogs which is what has concerned us for our disabled friend.
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But then we don’t spend all day at the window watching for her, so we hold out hope.
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Meanwhile, we were thrilled to see this little bird return.
Not one, but two of them.
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Previously, we had only ever seen a single lonely towhee here.
In Washington State many of these lovely birds came to my feeders.
Their plumage is stunning.
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It’s lovely to see any bird, but especially those that are rare visitors.
Such as the white-crowned sparrow.
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Perhaps I should take up sitting by a window all day.
Who knows what I might see.
On one occasion several years ago I saw the unlikely encounter of a young bobcat and a groundhog.
They had a face-off and it was the bobcat that slunk off.
It lasted a matter of seconds during which I could so easily have been otherwise occupied.
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Wildlife photographers must require inexhaustible patience!
“Master Sparrow say you take picture, you give me nuts, missus.”
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In the course of a day, there are many encounters.
Spiders appear to favour living in the cat’s litter boxes.
Every time we rescue one another turns up, so now I let them stay.
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Yesterday as I washed dishes I stopped to watch the tiniest of spiders spiralling in front of me.
It was so small as to be almost invisible as it moved up and down on it’s filament the height of the window.
“How do you do that?”
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Spiders give me the creeps.
The phobia isn’t as bad now, but the other day I came upon one that was stout of body, with short legs and it moved around at speed, like some sort of miniature tank. Eek!
Not wanting it to get stepped on I moved it, but had to persuade myself.
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What, about a creature so small, could possibly make it so scary? And what exactly am I afraid will happen if one touches me?
Someone I knew vaguely once nearly died from a spider bite and of course some are poisonous, but that is not what worries me as it’s unlikely I’ll come across one of those.
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Just looking t this picture makes me anxious and those probably aren’t even real spiders.
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But give it a face and suddenly it’s cute.
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Going to the rescue of a chipmunk one day, I got a finger bitten, yet I have no fear of these small creatures.
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“Bit you ‘cos your cat roughed me up!”
“Wos very frighted!”
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Usually they zoom off at light speed, but that one must have been distracted.
Fortunately the only blood drawn was mine.
While there’s a break in the rain I’ll zoom out to replenish carrot supplies and hope I don’t blow away in a gale.
Thank you, Carolyn, for the update on happenings in your world! I love all the carrot eaters and the beautiful birds that your feeders attract.
Joanna
Is that your house with the snow shovel outside?
My humble abode. Too soon to retire the shovel!
I would never call a spider’s face cute! All those bulgy eyes, and fangs too! I think the main reason we don’t like them or fear them is the way they move. Depending on the spider, it’s either a stealthy crawl, or a lightning-fast scuttle across a wall or floor. My wife hates them so much that any spider that gets inside our house has sadly signed its own death warrant. (Plus I got bitten by a Wolf Spider while walking Ollie, which confirmed all her arachnid prejudices.)
Best wishes, Pete.
Scream! If a wolf spider came within my view I would suddenly remember how to run.
Yes, there are many unforeseen events in life, and life is not always easy. However, hope never dies, and I’m hoping that Scooter will return home and nothing bad will happen to her.
You have so many animals and birds around your home. They’re adorable, except the spiders 🙂
Take care of yourself Carolyn!
I love your birds, groundhogs and squirrels … but certainly not spiders! I think the chipmunk’s little face is far cuter than that of a spider.