"Brothers of the Rack"

The rush of having sited some good looking White-tail bucks in the yard brings on the desire to once again try my hand at getting to the outback come December 1st-5th (first) or December 8th-16th (second) shotgun seasons here in Iowa. Bow seasons are from Ocotber 1st-November 30th and then again December 17th,2007 - January 10th,2008 Yes, there are some antlerless hunts later but you have to get in early since the license availabilty is determined by county --whatever the IDNR decides is a target number. First special anterless season falls from November 23rd - 25th and the second comes after the new year January 11th - 27th,2008, both being Iowa residents only. As you can see the season change is starting to become evident in the color change of the deer hair. Here at this link you will find some great information about the specifics that come as apart of getting to know them better. The why it is the way it is - http://www.enature.com/fieldguides/detail.asp?recnum=MA0046 Hope to see you around later. Have a great day!

GroundHog Hilton

Are you feeling those summertime varmint blues? Boy, sometimes you wish you could just push the wildlife back into the timber... for a little while.;) We have had increased groundhog activity for the last three or four years in and around the yard; there are at least 6-7 dens that I personally know exist. Acorns have drawn the attention of one (?) marmota monax to the driveway.The oak tree providing the delicious snack has a hallow about three feet off the ground that has become an "INN" of note. When a leisurely feast is interrupted by the resident Homo Sapiens it is a quick trip to the spa. Sharing an episode that happened here in July will show the comic side of the groundhogs character...I had nursed some plants dug up from my daughter's yard for a month in black poly-pots. The decision was made to get these plants into the ground to get established before cold fall and frigid winter temperatures arrive. Putting bone meal in the bottom of the hole may have been a factor - can't prove it, but the holes were hollowed out of the soil in which the amendment had been incorporated. It all started one forenoon . I had to leave to make a trip to town, a 20 minute excursion. Upon my return there was no doubt some digging animal was either trying to take advantage of the soft, disturbed soil ,or wanted to have a tender root salad; tucked the plant back in a couple more times in the next few days. Then all the plants - one by the front door deck, one in the backyard flower garden and 2 plants down the drive a half mile succumbed to the marauding varmint. In my disappointment I discovered the animal had a penchant to redistribute our grand children's bubble pipes and water-guns. It kept moving things every time it dropped in for a visit. Maybe it is my imagination, but I think those little animals are pretty intelligent. Have I spent too much time by myself ?

Did you see IT?

Hmmm,see what??? The Lunar Eclipse of course.... It was an awesome event. Started watching around 3:51 A.M. and finished viewing at 5:37 A.M. from my location in central Iowa. Kept running between the computer and the sliding glass doors facing the southern sky. Woke my husband up to see what things looked like at 4:47; just a little before it was totally to the full coverage point. He tottered back to bed, but I am up for the day having had my first cup of coffee already...Another cup isn't far off. So, how many early risers were able to catch the eclipse this morning???? Have a great Day!

Scratch,Scratch,Scratch....

Now is that an itch, or is that somebody at my back door ? As I sat here at the computer pre-dawn. The rain had encouraged one of the four little raccoons to "Seek Shelter in a Sturdy Building." Namely my house. Turning on the light , making noise, and opening the door only scattered away the 3 not on the steps. The one that was perched on the steps persisted with his/her scratching. De ja vue - brought back memories of almost a year ago when a pair of raccoon children had the same thought. ------------------------------ To Be Continued ------------------------------ Here it is another day - way before sunrise ,4:00 A.M. to be exact...I hear some activity on the steps to the sliding glass door. Curiosity has me searching for the source of the "scratch,scratch,scratch" which seems overly loud to be coming from the outside. Turning on the kitchen light . I see a pointy nosed, black masked, four legged critter looking back. It was working furiously at the screen, which can no longer be considered a barrier to keep out the insects; it wasn't detered until I began shining a small flashlight beam into its eyes. Drove the first culprit away for a few minutes. Wasn't to long until more grating sounds could be heard. Yes, now the WHOLE crew, count them! 1-2-3-4 are trying to find a way in out of the wet... No success - time to be off to the next project ; ) Sure glad they lost interest .... But as Arnold Schwarzenegger would say "I'll Be BACK"...can be heard as they scurry off to get into mischeif somewhere else...