A few side notes - Mom is doing really well!!! I cook dinner for the two of them 5 nights a week. Mom is not back in the kitchen and it is hard to find food you can microwave that is good for Dad's diet. Next - looks like I'm going to regionals again this year for the bus Road-e-o. Nothing to Yahoo about - took fourth in the local competition.
So we did have something happen this week that has gotten me to think. I know I don't do that often and well, it kinda hurt but I used my brain anyway.
I grew up in the city. Oak Park, Illinois. A suburb of Chicago, the windy city, home to the Cubs, Bears and Oprah. A place I remember that had museums, dirty beaches, a fountain, trains and lots of people. We walked to school - no school buses. We walked home for lunch and walked back - come rain, snow or sun shine. I don't ever remember my folk driving me to school. But I digress. We had a dog. Daisy was her name. We had a couple of birds for awhile. And a gold fish or two. I remember one of them committed suicide. Jumped right out of the bowl. Found it lying on the floor all dry and well, we never got anymore fish.
We had squirrels that lived in the neighborhood. Our crazy dog Daisy would 'tree' them. That is chase them up the tree and then go around and around the tree for hours - looking up into the tree trying to find out where that squirrel went. The squirrel was long gone - having jumped onto the garage roof and then the neighbors tree and off to safety. But Daisy would stay by that tree till we made her come in the house. That was our exposure to wild life in the city - squirrels.
In the early years of my first marriage - I moved to northern Idaho, Priest River, and lived on 5 acres out in the middle of nowhere. I mean NO WHERE!! I have no idea what I was thinking! I was a city girl and here I was living with no electricity, water or plumbing. Two babies, in diapers and more wild life then I really wanted. I remember coming on a skunk - luckily the skunk backed off as I back offed and we both ran for the hills before it sprayed. I saw deer, elk, lots and lots of cows in our yard. We didn't have a fence and it is open range up in Priest River. We had a cat - I think we named boots - or mittens - because of it's white feet. I hate cats but when you have mice, you have a cat. My then husband saw a bear on our property and we shortly moved closer to town. Our next property was only 3 acres. There I saw, cows, chipmunks,(even in my house), a porcupine, an owl and deer. We had another cat for the mice again. We also had ground squirrels. They ate my garden from the roots up. Learned quickly that they were not so cute.
It was some time in these years that I turned into a country girl. I say it happened when I took care of a goat for a week. I had to milk this goat - along with feeding and cleaning up after it. I have proof.
There I am - milking away. I guess it is required to wear a kerchief in your hair when doing farm work. I remember not doing a very good job - took me forever but I didn't dry her up and that is all the owner cared about. In case you are wondering - after you milk the animal - you pour the milk through cheese cloth, 5 layers thick, to catch all the hair and gunk, then into the fridge to drink. I never drank it!!I also learned at this time that I really wasn't a country girl. Could be that I had five children to take care of and I really didn't want or have time to take care of any animals too. I moved to Post Falls, Idaho. A smaller city, but a city. We tried to have a dog for about a year. Wasn't the most friendly animal. Hated men.
Moved to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho- a bigger city but still not too big. I have been living in this place now for 15 years. As the kids grew we tried out a few pets - birds, fish, a rat and a rabbit. Can't say I really cared for any of them. In our neighborhood we have enjoyed quail, birds of all kinds, (my favorite are the humming birds), squirrels and even a few deer. I have always been amazed whenever I walk across the street and meet up with a couple of deer. My Mother gets very mad them - they eat her roses. They seem to get more and more brave as the years go by. I think if I had a big garden I would hate them more but they have left my raspberries alone - so far. So for now they can stay.
But this week - we have a new arrival on our block. Now you have to realize that I live a mile from the nearest mountain. Between me and that mountain is a highway. A very busy highway. Any forest creature must cross that highway along with other very busy roads to get to my block.
One very ugly moose. He or she - I think she - arrived on Sunday, while I was at church. She hung around for a couple of days and left for a day and then came back tonight. For those of you who know - that is Dad's house in the background.
This picture is taken with me standing in Dad's back yard. I was very careful not to startle her and the fence was between me and her.
I tried to get rid of the creepy eye but it didn't work. But this is the view I had tonight while I made dinner. Looked out Mom's kitchen window and watch this moose eat on the evergreen. Mom and Dad like looking at this moose but Dad hates the presents she leaves. We have called animal control but they won't do anything as long as the moose is just walking around.
So for now - I thought I lived in THE CITY - but now I'm not sure.
3 comments:
i like to think that we have a little of both in us. i have camped, backpacked, used to walk down the street to go climb some trees. but i also spent two years in one of the biggest cities in the world.
So maybe we are lucky enough to be comfortable enough in both worlds :)
You must not "live in the city" if animal control will not come and remove a moose from your property. Just sayin.'
Moose are so scarey!!!! THat is crazy that is was in the neighborhood. I better think twice before I send my kids out in your backyard!
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