Shotgun the Cat

Shotgun, the cat, had her litter of kittens in the hen house. Her name was Shotgun because if she saw a rat or mouse, it was dead! So, while Shotgun was out on Rat Patrol at the farm, she had a “baby sitter” for her kittens. Little Red Hen would sit over them, tucking them under her wings to warm them and clucked if they weren’t exactly where Little Red wanted them to be. It was so funny to see the hen try to get the kittens to eat chicken food, but Red gently pecked the kittens on the head until they got the message, EAT! Luckily, Little Red allowed them to drink from the milk dish and made sure they got their fill. At night, all would sleep together in the hen house, including Shotgun. Even when the kittens grew up, Little Red flew the coup and stayed in the yard to protect her family, and keep them in line, while Shotgun was busy hunting.

Who's Reading My Mind?

I’ve read, and others have told me, how cats can “read” minds. Well, it must be true. My friend Sheila is terrified of cats. So what did my cats do? They all had to come and walk past her – even Buster Smith, who never, EVER comes near a stranger, had to join in the fun of terrorizing Sheila. She quickly got into her truck and rolled the window down so we could visit. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a movement and turned just in time to stop Tag-A-Long from sailing through the open window from high atop a pile of tires.

Someone who loved cats came and wanted to pet one. They all beat it – as if the guy had doggie breath or something. Most of them hid in the barn, while some peeked out from different hiding places. Buster Smith went up on a high beam.

Shot Gun the cat knows Fred doesn’t like snakes. She’s always bringing him a gift of a snake held firmly by the back of the head, it’s body coiled around hers. I’m sure she does it just so Fred will jump up, drop what he’s holding and tip the chair over.

Spiders – they’re another critter that knows what you’re doing. Ever see one just poking along? Soon as you decide to flatten it, it picks up speed and goes like Car #3 used to!

Star-Nosed Mole

"Oh, look! A little mouse from space!” the kids squealed. And indeed, looking like a visitor from space, was a star-nosed mole. They are grayish in color, about 7 ˝ inches long, including its hairy tail.

Around its nose are twenty-two pinkish, fleshy projections. The nostrils show up as two black dots in the middle of these “feeders.” That’s what these projections do – they help the mole find food.

This little guy can really swim and dive. It is as easy for him to swim as it is to get around on land. In the water he uses his front feet as paddles and his tail helps steer him. Sometimes his winding tunnel ends at the water’s edge. He eats worms, water-type insects, snails and tiny fish. Since it stores any extra food as fat in its tail, a fat tail means he’s been eating well.

Spring Brings Animal Babies

Spring is coming and with it – babies. In February and March the skunks will be out looking for mates. In eight weeks 4 to 8 blind babies will be born. When about three weeks old, they open their eyes. They are weaned at about 8 weeks of age. Once they can get around well, they join the mother in hunting for food.

Around April little ‘coons put in an appearance. These creatures are born all furry but don’t open their eyes for three weeks. By the time they are 8 weeks old they go out, learning to find their own food. The mother usually keeps the little ones with her during the first winter of their lives.

Sometimes between March and early May the baby porcupine is born. Only one is born at a time and it is one big baby – about a pound. It has fur, open eyes and quills. The quills harden after the baby dries off. By the time it is two weeks old, this baby is eating plants. The mother keeps it with her for six weeks.

The opossum has a gestation period of 12 to 13 days. These little bumble-bee size critters finish developing in the mother’s pouch. As soon as the teeth start coming in they start eating a very varied diet. They have 50 teeth – more than any other North American land animal.

As the ponds warm up the female frogs and toads will be laying eggs that will hatch into tadpoles. The frog eggs are in clumps of jelly-like tadpoles. The frog eggs are in clumps of jelly-like material whereas toad eggs are in long strands. Both float in the water. The males ride on the backs of the females and fertilize the eggs as they are laid.

In March and April the woodchucks mate. A month later, 2 to 5 baby “chucks” are born. They are born blind and naked. By the time they are a month old their fur has grown and they open their eyes. At this time they start taking care of themselves. Before summer is half over they have left the den where they were born and are busy digging their own burrows.

Leave all the babies you see alone unless you are absolutely sure that the parent is dead and that the little one does need help. A lot of these animals can definitely fend for themselves. They have sharp teeth and nails that could have you wondering whether to get rabies shots or not.

Deer Antics

On November 18th I stopped work to watch the deer in the field by our house. Two little button bucks were knocking their heads together. The bigger one gave the smaller one quite a crack, causing it to back up and shake its head several times before resuming the butting and pushing. This wrestling went on for a good half hour. In the meantime, a big doe was grazing when suddenly the small buck rushed over and began to nurse. Seeing that lunch was being served, a fawn ran toward the free meal. At this, mama gave them both a sharp kick. They ran off a bit, then turned to look back at the doe as if to say, “Boy, Ma’s in a bad mood today!”

One live wire decided to play leap frog over another doe. She looked up in surprise as a little one leaped clear over her back. Soon all the young ones tired of goofing off and started grazing on the thick green grass. Game time was over and they went about filling their tummies while I went to finish chores.

Watching the deer reminded me of the day I saw them play tag. A deer would run up and hit the next one on the fanny with its front foot. The tapped deer would then give chase until it tapped the first deer, then run away. This game went on for quite some time.

Winter Walk

Your friends want to go for a winter walk but you say, “No way, too cold, nothing to see.” Well, bundle up and go – the winter world is full of life.

Everyone knows the birds at their feeders. If you’re lucky you will find witch hazel on your walk. These little flowers remind me of yellowish spiders. On very cold days the petals curl inward and then spread open when the air warms up.

Animal tracks tell stories. A rabbit seems to hop along and suddenly its tracks stop and take off in another direction. Sometimes a pile of bloody fur or feathers show another critter had lunch. Tracks you most likely will see are fox, skunk, deer, dogs, coons and opossums. A fox usually travels in a fairly straight line, but a small dog will zig-zag around trying to discover everything in its joy of being alive.

You can find different fungi like artist’s fungus or horse hoof shaped fungi. A green fern growing now is most likely the Christmas fern. Check the buds on trees. Break off a few twigs and let them develop leaves by putting them in water in your house. Seed pods of winter weeds are interesting and make pretty arrangements in a vase.

Once you start looking for winter life, you’ll be hooked on winter walking. Are you lucky enough to have a small creek on your property? When it freezes over, chop a hole in the ice. If the weather is to stay cold, the water will flow under the ice. If water comes up out of the hole and runs down the creek, expect a warming spell.

At night in fall or winter the owls seem more active. You all know the quivering cry of the screech owl. How about the horned owl and the barred owl? The horned owl hoots three times, pauses, then gives four hoots. The barred owl is an eight-hooter. Some think he says, “Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you-all?” The final “all” goes downward and is slurred a little.

After your walk, put your finding and thoughts in a notebook. Try to enjoy winter – it is full of surprises. Most of all, have fun!

Ravens

Have you, too, been hearing that bird that sounds like a crow with a sore, raspy throat? You’ve heard the raven. The raven is much larger than the crow. It has scraggly long neck feathers, larger beak and a wedge shaped tail.

There will usually be several miles between nesting pairs. The nest is big and bulky. Made of twigs, vines, etc., it is hollowed out quite deeply and thickly lined with soft material. The nest is often built on top of the previous year’s nest. Eggs vary in number from four to seven. They’re greenish with olive and brown spots, and take about three weeks to hatch. The incubating is done mostly by the female. The male might sit for a short time.

Ravens have flying skills that no crow can match. They can soar and glide – eagle like – for hours. They may go to a height of 500 feet or so, then dive bomb to earth. They may even do fancy somersaults on the way down. During mating season, they’ve even been seen flying upside down, especially when there’s a very strong wind. They will pester hawks on the wing and easily out fly them.

Besides the rasping croak, the raven hisps, buzzes and makes gulping noises. In late summer, a small flock will gather in a hidden area in the woods. They will face each other and then take turns softly warbling at each other in low tones.

Ravens will eat about anything. Meat is their favorite food. They will “gang up on” *this is called “mobbing”) and kill baby seals and other small animals. They kill by pounding their victim with their large bills. They also eat eggs from shore birds. Ravens store food away. It’s been noted that the best fed ones don’t store away as much as ones that have had “slim pickings.” They’ve been seen stealing dog food. One will keep grabbing the dog’s tail while the rest grab the food.

When they get stressed out, they’ll pull up grass and throw it over their backs. They are rather playful critters, even though so many superstitions place them as tellers of disasters, posed to signal evil. If its shadows fall on a bride’s path, she’ll soon face disaster. Ravens are kept in the Tower of London. Legend has it that Charles II said that if the ravens ever left, then England would fall to its enemies.

Old Remedies for Invalids

In a very old Pillsbury Cook Book, I found several recipes that were special for invalids to help them get better and regain their strength. Here is a list of some of the concoctions that were thought to be of help: almond soup, beef juice, chicken broth, barley water, oatmeal gruel, chicken custard, flaxseed lemonade, rice water, wine whey, sherry and egg, and syllabub. Most of these are not so strange, but – raw beef sandwich?

Wine whey was made by bringing one pint of milk to a boil. Add some sherry. Bring it to the boiling point again. (I note that enough of them, and probably you’d be too happy to care if you were sick!)

Eggnog, broiled squab, broiled spring chicken, junket and hot orange or pineapple juice were also on the list of food for invalids.

If you wondered what syllabub is, the recipe is as follows: 4 egg yolks, 1 tbsp. flour, 1 tsp. flavoring extract, 1 pint milk, ľ c. sugar, and 1 pint whipped cream. Mix half the sugar with flour. Bring the milk to a boil and add the flour and sugar to it. Cook in a double boiler for 10 minutes. Then beat the egg yolks, adding the rest of the sugar to them. Add this to the milk mixture and cook for 5 minutes stirring constantly. Remove from heat, add flavoring and let it get cold. Fill dishes half full and top them off with whipped cream.

Mistletoe

The mistletoe is a parasitic plant that infects various trees. It is in flower from September to October. The dwarf mistletoe of the northern states is found only in evergreens, mainly spruce. This plant can be found south to New Jersey and Pennsylvania, and west to Michigan. The stems are yellowish green, and the leaves, brown scales.

The other mistletoe has green leaves and white berries. The sticky substance in those berries is poisonous to humans. The cedar wax wings and blue birds love the berries and spread the plants through their droppings. The genus name for mistletoe is phoradendron from the Greek words for thief (phor) and tree (dendron), because the mistletoe steals some of its needs from a tree.

The mistletoe and the oak tree it grew on were very sacred to the Druids who performed all of their religious ceremonies in oak groves. In all of their rites, an oak leaf was used. So, the Christmas on the way, hang up your mistletoe so all the “phors” can steal a kiss. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all.

Holly

There are over 300 species of holly – small bunches to huge trees. Over 1,500 years ago, the druids placed holly in their dwellings. The spirits of the woodlands would know they were welcome to spend the winter in those homes with holly in them.

English and American hollies are used for wreaths. American holly leaves are duller than the English holly. Male and female flowers are on separate plants. So, to get the pretty red berries, one needs to plant one of each. Birds love the holly berries. Cedar waxwings can soon clean a bush.

Daddy-Long-Legs

Daddy-long-legs are not spiders, but everyone thinks of them that way. They are in the Order Opiniones. The Granddaddy-Long-Legs is one of the most poisonous insects in the US. Fortunately its mouth is too small to bite a human. They eat tiny insects and decaying organic matter. Their eggs are laid in the soil and hatch in warm weather. They grow slowly; it takes about a year to mature. There is one generation a year.

Dozens of daddy-long-legs meet and stand close to each other with legs interlocked at night. It’s thought that they stay warm this way. The first ones to see daddy-long-legs do this saw them in the fall, thus the nickname, “Harvestmen.” The legs snap off easily and they can’t grow new ones.

When we were kids we’d ask the daddy-long-legs “Where are the cows?” Since they would wave their legs constantly, and spin in all directions, it was funny to see them try to “find the cows”! The more we asked and coaxed these insects, the faster they’d go, and the more agitated they’d get. We would tell our “city cousins” that when the daddy-long-legs were moving fast, the cows were hurrying towards us and very near, but if the insect was still, the cows were far away.

Best Surprise Gift of All

Years ago when I was a young girl, I remember that my grandmother had a stroke that left her confined to a wheelchair. Not being able to walk, she did all of her chores (cooking, sweeping, and such) wheeling around in her chair. Her children helped her, but she was a determined lady. So determined, in fact, that she made up her mind she was going to walk again, no matter what! When the rest of the family went outdoors to do the farm work, she secretly practiced getting up from her chair, taking one step at a time until she was finally able to walk.

It was near Christmas when my grandmother called all the family, relatives from near and far, to come to her house to see the surprise she had for them. We couldn’t imagine what it could be. She raised canaries, but we knew that the last batch of eggs hatched, so it wasn’t that. Did she make us a special Christmas present?

With everyone gathered in the sitting room, Grandma called out from the next room, “I’ll be right there in a minute!” She pulled back the curtain between the two rooms and proudly walked towards us. That was the best surprise we could ever have!

Misunderstood Dandelions

One of life’s mysteries is how a child can love the fuzzy dandelions so much and then grow up to squander half the summer trying to destroy it. Gardener’s curse it, suburbanites dig it out or spray it with all sorts of toxic chemicals and substances. Let’s face it, dandelions are here to stay!

Poets have a different perspective on this misunderstood weed. They call them “golden kisses all over the cheeks of the meadow.” Amateur winemakers contend that wine from the blossoms is as easy to make as home brew and a lot more palatable. Fanny Farmer even devoted as much space to dandelion greens as she did to spinach in her famed “Boston Cook Book.”

Dandelions have been touted for their medicinal qualities. Native Americans cured warts by rubbing them with the cut end of the stem three times a day. In Great Britain, villagers say that drinking the liquid of cooked dandelion roots will purify your blood. The same liquid is said to relieve rheumatic pains and quiet a jumpy liver.

Any farmer can tell you that when dandelion blossoms are slow to open in the morning, we’re due for rain. Folklore aside, the plant is undeniably nutritious, rich in Vitamins A and C, and iron.

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