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...

Meeting Like Minds

Last month I found an internet community over at MyBlogLog. Then I typed in "Deer Hunting" in the search box. WooHoo! Hit the jackpot! Certainly many types of blogs on the same topic, different styles of writing. All had the general consensus from women and men that hunting is one avenue to get back to nature - a clan activity. Hunters go off to bring home the prey and have a story to relate of their experiences. Love it! ; ) We all like to have success stories of hitting the target whether it be big game or the little varmints that can make life a system of potholes. Be it by handgun,shotgun, rifle, bow, or trap in the case of our trapping cohorts. I will continue to be mult-faceted at "Timber Life", but this is a favorite topic of conversation. Wrapping things up for this post I would like to mention some of the new contacts I have made...If I don't get them all please keep checking back to the links list - you will see them posted there. Please take time to go over and check out these websites. I have found some instruction on hunting as well as some giggles. Thanks for stopping by! New Links http://www.bodocktimes.blogspot.com/ http://www.huntinglife.com/ http://www.huntingjunky.com/ http://www.hunting-secrets.com/ http://www.mariandeer.blogspot.com/

When will it cool off?

Oh the summer heat! When will it end? Sounds like relief will be on the way in a few days. Had to drop by to let you know about the activity happening around here. I have had to laugh several times about the antics of our 4 legged friends that roam the timber . Lets see...the deer fawns, does (as in deer moms ; ) ), and raccoons. Our twins here have showed their playful side as they grow up. One can be grazing while the other acts as though they are possessed. Jumping,jostling and kicking up their heels to instigate the"Tag You're It" reflex. Funny creatures they are...They exhibit behavior much like our human children when they interact with one another. Sunday morning as I sat looking out into the back yard I observed a doe feeding in a spot where we often see them visiting as of late. From another direction came a mother raccoon and trailing up behind her were four clones all in a line. The deer looked up to see what was coming her way....the mother raccoon looked up to see what was standing in front of them. It ended up the raccoon didn't want to get any closer to the deer so she did a u-turn into the timber and all of them waddled off to find more suitable hunting conditions. Sure, it would have been more fun for you to see yourself but this is the best I can do for you at the moment. Are you beginning to see any changes that might indicate fall is fast approaching? I have started to see the Cottonwood and Burning Bush leaves changing color... The oaks and hickories are beginning to shed some of this year's nut crop,the walnut trees seem to be filled with huge amounts of squirrel food as well. Some of you might already be aware but the acorn is used by more than squirrels as a source of food. The deer and turkey find them a tastey treat too. Boy ! It looks like this edition of Timber Life has gotten a bit longer than usual. Been away awhile and I'm in the sharing mood ; ) Time to send you off to find your own "neck of the woods"...

Time to Consider

As the summer months swiftly pass -- my mind wanders again to past hunting experiences. What can I draw from them to make each new season produce evident success? I don't know about you but I find myself reading and looking for other people's point of view; what may or may not have worked for them. Some names /websites come to mind when looking for information and supplies. The wish list as it were... P.K. Jacobson for deer hunting at http://www.hunting-secrets.com/. He published an interview DVD with Cabela's in April of this year. Helping to expose all the items needed to make our outdoor life a little more enjoyable; available both in their retail establishment and online. Another deer hunting research source can be found here -- "Discover the breakthrough hunting system guaranteed to increase your trophy buck harvests regardless of your level of hunting knowledge!" http://momdoter.deersecret.hop.clickbank.net/ Click Here! Then there are the the guys over at http://www.huntingnet.com/ that bring together some personal, first hand experiences. Some good reading and links to help locate everything you would want to camp and hunt. Even have an Iowa connection there from what I understand. ; ) Are you looking for a buck that everybody would envy? Maybe you should check out the "Deerseeker", written by Cory German. To find out more about how this young man can help you reach your goal check it out... http://momdoter.deerseeker.hop.clickbank.net/Click Here! Turning the focus back to my personal desire to become a better hunter- continues to lead me to examine the possibility of adding a hunting companion. Not the two legged kind in this instance... I have been looking into the English Springer Spaniel and Weimaraner breeds for having more success with my desire to bring home the Pheasant. Really have found some great information on websites of breeder/trainers here in Iowa. Just one site that I will share with you at the moment is http://www.crosswindkennels.com/. A local source of Labrador puppies and trained bird dogs in central Iowa. Take a look... Being in the field with a dog would be a whole new aspect for me. How about you? Tell me what you think. The positive and negatives of how it has affected your outcomes.

Bambi and a Half

A month ago I reported seeing a new fawn not many days old at first sighting.

July 4th , I was able to catch two little deer sauntering around with their mom in and around the front yard.

They had been enjoying a nibble at the honeysuckle shrub when I first decided to try to get their picture. Wouldn't you know it...I didn't move fast enough and my camera didn't want to take pictures when it was finally in position. You got it ! The first attempt at photographer was not a success. Patience my dear woman, P-A-T-I-E-N-C-E ....

It wan't very long of a wait for them to begin grazing on the grass in the front yard after making a full circle through the pasture, into the timber, and then to the front yard.

Certainly, they have found their way around. Loving the corn that is now tasseling and silking out. My the damage they can do. Lots of nitrogen though. Just what they are looking for in these summer months to feed babies , as well as bulk up for the fall and winter seasons.

No new squirrel babies to report yet.

Raccoon babies were seen one twilight trailing behind their mother. What a crew. No wonder ground dwelling birds sometimes have a hard time getting established since the eggs become food if not well hidden.

Goodness how this year is passing so quickly. Won't be to long until we start looking for the hunting licenses to try our hand once more at putting food into the freezer.

Until next month enjoy this weather. Get out the fishing pole, go on a picnic, sit in the shade, or on the front porch and watch the sunset. ; ) Take some time to watch nature going on around you. Have Fun !

Bambi Alert ...

The wonder of motherhood has hit the timber. It has been a time filled with expectation. There was a pregnant doe staying close to my yard; feeding and bedding down. Continuing to watch for signs of life on the outside my observation was met with a confirmation last week when I was mowing an extended section of my front yard. The doe had been sticking close - watching where I went. I became suspicious so I "watched where I went". The little darling came bounding out of the tall grass when it felt panicked. Distress was seen on its expression. I couldn't hear it because of the noise of the brush mower but could read its reactions. Watching the doe at the same time it was clear she was calling to her baby as well. A short time passed before the baby decided to go in the direction of safety. ; ) Since then I have seen them traipsing through the growing corn more than once. Mother by herself and occasionally baby in tow - trying to nurse on the run. Other births of note - the ground hog has produced two new babies again this year. The bunny families have young almost a month old with more on the way...Mother squirrels with large paunches will be in labor soon, they haven't made nests yet. They still have hair on their tails. Heard some turkeys last night . Have been wondering how many new babies have hatched this year. A neighbor had a nest by his pond but the mother didn't return when the farmer came to cultivate the field a month or so ago - lost 13 eggs in that clutch. The coyotes have been actively calling to the kids to round them up in the evenings. What a clamourous event! Have you seen "New Life"? What an awesome time of year! So, is the perpetuation of the generations that continue to populate the Timber I call home...

Lovin' IT !

How do you do?!? Sure enjoying this weather we have been getting lately, at least I have. The wind is shaking things up today and sounds like maybe tomorrow as well. Let me list all the nature that has made it's appearance in the last 4 weeks. Migratory birds - Turkey Vultures, Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds, Orioles,Wood Ducks , Killdeer, Mourning Dove, Red-Headed Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Eastern Kingbird, Eastern Bluebird, Wood Thrush and more. The timber has come to life again the trees are filling out with the leaf covering of the season. Last Wednesday,May 9th, I saw my first Monarch Butterfly of the year. All these things confirm Spring has sprung here. Some other events we have had are the awakening of the mosquito population, spiders, rabbits are busy chewing off my tender plants that haven't found a place in the ground yet. The plants were placed inside my fenced garden; still not a deterrent to those lithe little creatures. My 1996, Belarus model 572 tractor has been keeping busy moving some logs, dirt and rocks. So much more to do but with the price of diesel currently it might be awhile before anything else will be attempted. The DR Brushmower that has been apart of our family since the latter 1990's, almost ten years if memory serves me correctly, has been getting a workout after it's refreshing oil change. The pasture calls...actually mowing off the rosebrush before the summer baling season about the middle of June is what needs to be accomplished. Then down at my husband's grass airplane runway so we can keep it under control... Clouds are coming in from the developing severe thunderstorms due later tonight. The cold front is going to bring us some cooler temperatures for a few days; more conducive to being outside for longer intervals. Going to stop here. Wishin' you some good weather fishing , picnicing and enjoying life.

Can I say "Is it Spring yet?"

Are you still recovering from the latest round of winter\spring weather? Monday evening, April 9th, I had a group of the local deer population visit my backyard while some of the local neighbor ladies were here for a visit. They marveled at how close they, the deer, had come to the house. Things I take for granted. All the deer, young and old, need a good dose of the fresh spring green grasses that will boost their nitrogen. The winter has put a strain on food sources; weight loss is evident. Wednesday, April 11th, Iowa was among several states getting another covering of snow. Maybe not the higher amounts seen in Minnesota eastward; still enough to cover the ground with several inches in the central section to 5" and above up at our northern border. Before going to bed Wednesday night, we checked out the shadows lurking outside our sliding glass doors, several deer were scratching away the snow in my flowerbed. The daffodils are missing top foliage which had been damaged by lower than normal temperatures. Glad somebody was able to enjoy them -- one way or another ; ) Thursday, April 12th, snapped a picture of our melting snow with animal tracks before they disappeared with rising temperatures. The sun came out from behind the clouds... The sun promises to warm up this little section of Iowa today. I know it will work on doing the same for you. Later!