Where the Wild Things Are

I love living in this part of the country. The opportunities for encountering wildlife lurk around every curve of that two-lane country road. And sometimes you don't even have to leave home to meet up with some interesting characters.

For example, there was the opossum that came up on the back porch in search of cat food. It fell off the porch and into a trash can. I don't know how long it was in the trash can, but by the time we found it, we feared it was dead.....until it blinked. Bruce and I removed the trash can and its contents to the back yard where we laid the can on its side so the opossum could get out. It didn't move. For several minutes, nothing. Then Bruce tilted the can so the opossum slid out. It landed awkwardly and then sat there, hissing at us. Finally, it got up and waddled, very slowly and stiffly, to the edge of the woods and disappeared into the undergrowth. Personally, I think it could have used an adjustment. But Bruce doesn't do hissing animals.

Then there was the week that I saw a mountain lion running across the road in front of me...not once but TWICE. Mind you, the experts will swear pumas no longer inhibit North Carolina. But there was no mistaking the feline stride and the long tail. It was about the height of a German shepherd but longer and the tail was at least as long as the body. Both times it flashed from one side of the road to the other about 100 feet in front of me. I saw it/them at different places, but along the course of the same creek. It was cool! and completely unexpected. Luckily there weren't any cars following me either time, because I slammed on my brakes and turned around in my seat to watch it run away.

Other road sign sightings have included wild turkeys, quail and just recently a weasel. You can also plan on seeing deer, opossums and raccoons on a regular basis.

But the most exciting animal I ever saw, walked as calmly as you please right down the sidewalk in the middle of the afternoon. I wouldn't have given it another thought, dismissed it as one of the mulitude of feral cats that inhabit my town, except for the way the mockingbird was reacting. The squawking and swooping were so obvious and unusual that I took a look out my front door to see what was happening. My first thought? That's quite a big cat.

Another look and I realized that "cat" had pointed ears with tufts, whiskers that gave him a squarish face, and almost no tail. It was no cat, it was a bobcat, walking down the sidewalk and then down the alley across my street, accompanied the entire way by a chorus of squawking, flapping, very upset birds.

So, like I said, you gotta love this part of the country....you never know what you're gonna see. And that doesn't even count the marine animals--the dolphins, shark, terrapin, turtles, flying fish, nudibranch, anenomes, Portegeuse Man O'War, sea stars, hermit and surf crabs.

It's true....we really do live where the wild things are.

Where Do They Put It?

For the last week and a half, my nephew has been staying with us. It's the first time we've spent much time together, so there was some awkwardness at the beginning. We had to kinda feel out what the relationship would be.

He's a great young man...but like many 19-year-olds there's a couple of things that the mother of four girls is having to deal with for the first time. Things like left up toilet seats, the sheer volume of food consumed, the time spent talking to, texting to, get ready to see and hanging out with girls, the way the hard-working, focused, considerate young man vanishes in two seconds flat if there's a chance do something with a girl.....

It's actually been quite eye-opening, and I now have a much greater appreciation for the mothers of boys. You may not have to deal with whining....but how you even keep food in the house is amazing to me....three peanut butter and jam sandwiches at a sitting!! Yikes!

So, I guess it's a good thing I'm getting this exposure, because at some point my girls are going to start bringing these guys over and this way I won't have a total shock.

Again, my hat is tipped off too all you parents of boys! You go, girl!!!.....right back to the grocery store, because you are sure to be out of something necessary--like milk, bread, peanut butter or jam (all of which have run short in my house during the last few days.).