Month: February 2018

 

It’s been raining upriver this week, and the river was cranking mid-week. Video of river It’s been warm enough to set some record high temps (79 on Thursday!), but today has been colder and very windy. The power was out about an hour this afternoon after a tree knocked down a line somewhere. (The lines in the Hollow are all buried.)

I heard a large branch blow down as I walked down into the meadow, and when I came back up, I saw Vee eating lichen from the fallen branch. I think she was headed to the meadow when she encountered the lichen-covered branch and had an appetizer. 🙂

I call to the deer (Heeeere, deeeer, heeere deer) as I walk to feed them and have also been known to sing or whistle a modified version of The Holly and the Ivy.* The deer come when they hear me—or perhaps they hear the corn hit the metal pans. 🙂 Sometimes they come at a run, as in this video.

It may be early, but I have been watching for the first spring ephemerals (wildflowers). Thanks to Dr. John Nelson of the University of South Carolina, I finally know that this plant is a putty-root orchid (Aplectrum hyemale), and I will watch for blooms as I ramble in the Hollow.

 

*O the rising of the sun,
And the running of the deer;
The sound of birds singing in the trees
Is sweet music in my ear.

(You may notice that these opening views of the river have changed. I’ll settle on a new view soon, I hope.)

It’s rained off and on since Saturday but not the cold rain from earlier in the week. It was 58(!) when I got up this morning, and the high today was at least 65. I left my raincoat and denim shirt as I passed by the driveway and finished the ramble in a t-shirt. I guess the groundhog stayed out for a while last week, despite seeing her shadow, but I’m sure we’ll see cold again before long.

I’ve noted before that it’s hard for me to stay inside when the weather is nice. A little while ago, I saw some of my favorite deer in the field. Although I fed earlier (16 deer today), I decided to toss more apple pieces. As I walked down, I noticed the deer looking behind me. I looked back and saw the red head of a turkey peeking over the edge. I was able to get this video as he came down the hill and raced past the deer and me. Turkey running

There are eight houses in what I call French Broad Hollow, and it seems that we’ll have nine before too long. Some property that has never been developed has been sold, and the driveway and house site are already marked.

I pass by this area as part of my regular ramble, and I anticipate things to be busier and noisier, at least until the house is built. It will be interesting to watch how things change, and you can expect to follow along with me.

 

Sunny Groundhog Day has been followed by several rainy days. The rain stopped earlier today, and it warmed to the mid-50s. Yesterday a train passed as I was taking the photo, and I waited to capture  “decorated” cars. Sunday there was a fuel spill upriver and news about an oil slick, but it seemed to be gone by the time it got here.

The deer often walk up when they see and hear me. Here’s a video: Deer coming to meet me (Sometimes they show up when I am doing something else.) There are seven to ten that come on a regular basis, including the triplets and their mom and another family group that includes the ones I call “Fuzzy” (video here) and “Vee”.

 

These are White-tailed Deer. You can see their white tails in this video: White tails up! The tails are an alarm sign. And what caused the alarm? I tool this video a few minutes later: Feeding time

The deer and turkey have eaten and gone. Now it’s time to feed the indoor critters.

 

It was a sunny and brisk walk on this Groundhog Day; I guess that means more posts about cold and windy rambles! It was a few degrees below freezing (in the sun!), and I had to pull my hood tight and tuck my chin each time a gust of wind hit me. I didn’t dawdle when taking photos, either!

Wednesday was a day off from walking—it was 20 degrees in the morning, and I didn’t get home from “school” until late afternoon. The deer were waiting for me as I drove up the road.

They often wait for me in the meadow, and sometimes four tom turkeys (or jakes?) are waiting, too. These four come pretty regularly and eat birdseed that falls from the feeders, as well as the corn in the meadow. They are noisy animals!

Yesterday one of the deer waited patiently for me to finish my walk.

Once in a while I’m surprised by what I find in the Hollow, like this old thermos top. I’m often amazed, but not surprised, by the beauty I encounter, like the ice crystals in these puddles.

This little hollow is full of amazing sights, and I’ll be sharing more soon.