Henry plays with a new toy, (Photo courtesy L.D. Porter)
Happy days to all my readers and friends. Well, it looks like fall is officially here. That makes you-know-who very happy. OK, before we start, I am sure you’re asking yourself, so let’s get it over with. The answer is 48 days.
I felt bad for my mom. Dad bought her a small pumpkin the other day. She was so happy and placed it out on the porch. Well, the squirrels thought it would make for a nice meal and made short work of it.
Did you know if you know if you rub Vaseline on pumpkins, it can deter squirrels? We didn’t know either. Mom looked up some info on how to keep squirrels away from them. Apparently, you can use vinegar or cayenne pepper too, but pumpkins are natural dewormers for wildlife and we toss them in the woods for them after Halloween. Vaseline seems easier to rub off than vinegar or cayenne pepper.
Speaking of wildlife, we have had a gazillion turkeys in our yard, crows too. Mom likes to feed them, sit on the porch with her coffee in the morning and watch them (after our walk of course.) There have also been a lot of deer, and they have been eating the cracked corn and sunflower seeds. Mom did some Googling again and discovered that both are not very good for them. The corn can disrupt their digestive system and cause gastric upset, diarrhea, and dehydration.
She was sad to learn this, but she also said she knows it isn’t a good idea to feed them at all because they can become unafraid of humans and that is really unsafe for them. Another issue is the traffic on our road is supposed to be slow, but a lot of people drive much too fast, and she is scared they will get hit.
It is sad also because there are young deer that she has seen grow to juveniles. They need to not rely on humans for food. The problem is that they come into the yard anyway. They have eaten our flowers, hosta bushes, and other plants. Mom has been going out to scare them off, but she says they look at her as if to say, “Hey, we come here all the time! We know the owners.”
We could hear coyotes last night. They sounded close. It was kind of scary. I hope the deer and turkeys can hide from them. Mom was thinking how nice it would be if we could build a huge barn for them to come and hide during hunting season and extreme cold. She knows it’s not realistic and they wouldn’t go in it anyway, but it is a nice thought.
Since this is my mom’s favorite time of year we thought we would look up some cool fall things.
From Country Living, here are some of the coziest things about fall: the calming crackle of a warm fire; sampling all of the pies; a weekend escape to a rustic cabin; a football tailgate on a sunny fall Saturday (Mom is not a football fan, just saying); apple cider doughnut everything; slipping into a favorite sweater; bringing all of your wool blankets out of storage; the first knock of trick-or-treaters (here we go … yeeesh I need a nap); apple picking; soups and chili (Mom makes amazing soups and chili); pumpkins on the porch; red barns with stacks of firewood; dogs in bandanas (hey, wait a second!!); county fairs; the crunch of leaves under your feet; sipping hot cider, and so much more!
Mom is super happy this time of year. I hope you are all happy too!
There can still be hot days, so please don’t leave us in cars.
Also, please stay within the speed limits. There are folks out walking, kids and dogs out too. It is really scary when cars go by too fast.
Thanks! Hugs, Henry.
