(1) The little guy pictured above was somewhere in the house when our cat Ginny caught him. This was unusual in that, when we’ve had mice a few times over the years, it has always been Charlie who tracked them down. But this time, Ginny was the one credited with the capture. Terry noticed the little fuzz ball hanging out of Ginny’s mouth and called me into the room. Ginny, acting on instinct, was very possessive of her catch and ran away when I tried to take the mouse from her. We eventually got her to drop it and I scooped him up and took him outside, where I presume he is now living more in fear of hawks and owls than house cats.
(2) I see a lot of deer on my early-morning walks, but recently I’ve had multiple encounters with a big old skunk. He hangs out in a wide patch of grass that I pass twice on my usual route. The way he moves suggests he is older, though that probably only means he is 3 or 4, given skunk life spans in the wild. Half the time he doesn’t even notice me, but when he does, he instantly becomes alert and raises his tail. I give him a very, very wide berth, and after a few tense seconds we both go on our way. I like to think we have a wary mutual respect, but I’m sure he knows he’s the one in control of the situation.
(3) Speaking of deer, we get them in our yard all the time, to the point that I usually don’t pay them much mind. But we had a huge buck walk across our property recently and I couldn’t help but marvel at the sheer size of him. I don’t recall any of our local deer population ever getting that big. In my mind, the other deer call him “Moose,” though I suppose “Buck” is just as likely.
