TubaOrNotTuba

About 12 hours have passed. There has been no other details provided. I’m going to assume that our first conclusions were correct. Sometime last evening in the dark of night we heard two gunshots. I am not an expert but I’m going to guess that this was a shotgun. And the conclusion that comes to mind is that a neighbor was upset about nighttime visitors. Specifically skunks or coyotes. We did smell an order that is far from perfume. Again jumping to conclusions without any other evidence. In the decade that we have been here we have not heard much gunfire. There is some local hunting but I hope that takes place in the morning or evening not in the middle of the night. I think there are rules about that sort of thing like being able to see your target. Anyhow we will listen. The local telegraph will let us know if anything really out of the ordinary took place. And if it continues we will escalate. I am sure that the local police are interested by night time gunfire. Even if it is only to chase varmints. I have probably watched too much television. I believe that there is crime all around me. Mainly against biting insects. Can you shoot a tick? Asking for a friend. And if anything else of interest happens you, dear reader, we’ll learn the details at the same time that we do. Not my fault that people failed to let me know of their intentions to repel invaders. Again, back to my first conclusion. This probably involved a skunk who got too close to a chicken coop. Protect those eggs everyone.

What was that? A funk sound. Nothing important. Another bird hitting the window because it had not evolved to the point where recognized that something was in its way. We used to have the same effect with larger insects until we subscribe to a service that comes and puts a chemical barrier in the way. Gets rid of most of the flying and crawling beasties. Other than the June bug which is a kind of beetle that seemed to get here earlier each year. They also run into things. In a decade we have had only one worrisome incident with insects. That would be the wasps that decided to nest inside the BBQ. One season. They have not returned since allow I maintain that watchful eye. A lot of life out there. It goes with living away from pollution in the city. Instead I have trees and grass and a steady blowing breeze. What I always wanted. I have never lived far away from nature. Even during my decades in the city there were lots of trees. I tried to imagine occasionally what it must be like to live in the real city were all those features have been wiped out. For now I agree to pay for someone to come and put out a minimum of protection against the worst of it. And then I sit back and let the seasons pass me by. Did you know? The winters are getting easier. And the summers are getting warmer. You can talk about global warming but I only see the temperate side. A good choice in terms of geography. And as I look out my window I realize that I have won the lottery. Things could be so much worse. If you will, this is a reward for showing up to work on time year after year. I wish as well for my children. And friends.

Last afternoon we had a visitor in the front yard. Hours before sunset. One of those masked seeds bandits that shows up here looking for a free supper. Usually they arrive long after dark and the only way we know there on the property is when we hear the bird feeders being attacked. Yes given the chance it will destroy or carry a bird feeder home with him. We have had to go looking for covers later. Why this stands out is that we have been here for almost exactly 10 years. You can go back and check the date that we arrived in the evening with the sound of coyotes in the background. Just to note that there were coyotes the night before last. We live in the country far from the noise of traffic. Animals including birds are one of the values we traded in when we decided to move out here we have an abundance. Turns out that our decision to not cut down the trees between the house and the highway was a great one. I will not be out there with an axe anytime soon. But back to our raccoon. The feeders were rescued and brought back inside for the rest of the night and peace returned. It is not that they are terribly noisy but they can be destructive and they’re canley able to figure out things like how a bird feeder is attached to the pole. Something about those paws. In fact of all the animals that drop in for a visit they are the only criminals. The mask is not a joke. And yes we have photos although I am not going to post them here. I keep waiting for the day when all can be revealed. Just take it from me that living in the country comes with different issues then being on a small property in the centre of a city. Fewer neighbors of the two legged variety and a lot more Taylor unable to converse.