It’s invigorating to see all this renewal. In spite of everything we’ve done and are doing to our poor planet, the cycle of life continues -- or at least it tries. It reminds us what we have to lose if we keep poisoning our atmosphere and our oceans.
As for our yard: I’ve been trying to repair the damage done out front over the winter, when the tree in the front yard fell, and in back, where the grubs feasted late last summer. The seeds have finally started to take hold and peek up from under the straw I put down. I’d hope so by this point; they sure got enough rain.
Along with the flora, we have fauna.
We’ve noticed since moving here that there are quite a few animals sharing our property with us. There’s a big family of squirrels that sprints through the canopy along the side and back perimeter of the yard. They did OK this winter – one we spied taking a rest on one of our daughter’s toys was big enough to feed a family of four. When it rained hard here a few weeks ago, their warren must have flooded out, because Michelle saw them carrying their babies in their mouths to safety.
Also on the scene: chipmunks. They’re cute, too, but they’ve dug up part of the front yard. I’m willing to let it go, especially when they let us take pictures like this.
And then there’s Flick.
Michelle noticed Flick and his girlfriend last year and looked them up. Turns out they’re Yellow-Shafted Northern Flickers, a breed (apart) of woodpecker.
Northern Flickers are common throughout North America. They build nests in trees up to 90 feet in the air. They find ants delicious. Here’s more:
But Flick isn’t the sharpest tool in the shed.
Michelle heard a jackhammer noise the other day and had no idea where it was coming from. Were they working on the next road over? Was it the home addition going up down the street? She followed the noise to the back yard .. where she found Flick, attempting to drill through the lid of our gas grill. You can see it here … the quality isn’t the greatest, but wait for the payoff at the end, where you’ll hear his call and see (and hear) his attempt to drill through steel.
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When it rained and we put a cover over the grill, he tried the same thing on our roof.
