Month: March 2021

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It’s been raining most of the day, and now it’s pouring. We had a lot of thunder earlier, but I think it’s passed for now. When I opened the door to take this photo, the only sound was from the spring peepers. They’re mostly in the little creek, but a couple live in a deep puddle where one of the culverts empties. I became aware of them over a week ago when I hear one jump from the bank into the water and have been trying unsuccessfully to get a photo ever since. To paraphrase the pangram, “The quick brown frog jumps into the muddy puddle.”

It’s been a while since we’ve had a day-long rain, and I don’t really mind (although it will be a slippery and muddy trip down to feed later). At least it’s not snowing, as Facebook reminded me has happened several times before on March 25 since I’ve been here. You can see the changes in the weather and some high water from lots of rain upstream last week.

Spring is definitely on the way. Last week I noticed tiny American Field Pansies (Viola bicolor) on the side of the road (where they had survived last year’s scraping and widening of the road), and yesterday I saw Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) and Cut-leaved Toothwort (Cardamine concatenata) blossoms. The forsythia is blooming by the mailbox, and the woods seem full of Northern Spicebush (Lindera benzoin). The Slippery Elm (Ulmus rubra) is budding out, and the Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis) began showing color this week. It seems that Ragwort is everywhere, although I’m not sure if it’s Roundleaf Ragwort (Packera obovata) or Golden Ragwort (Packera aurea). And I love the Common Blue Violets (Viola sororia) all over my yard!

It’s late in the afternoon; I keep checking to see if the deer have arrived and am relieved that they haven’t. We’re still in the midst of a thunderstorm, and it looks as though it may continue for a while. The deer would rather avoid leaving their cover in this weather, too, I think; once in a while they don’t show up in heavy storms. Here are some photos taken in nicer weather. You can see that they are looking skinny and shaggy.

Even Tom hasn’t shown up today! I hear him gobbling most mornings and either he or Tommy and Thomas usually show up at some time during the day. (The trio of winter seems to have broken up.)

Four deer were waiting the last time I looked. Well, they were actually heading back into the woods but returned when I called them. It was a group of four young ones (last year’s fawns) from the group that comes from across the road that I used to call the interlopers. Most of them won’t let me get very close. (Many of them are in the photos above.) Of course, I took them corn and apples and took a few photos. While I was in the meadow, I saw that a small tree had fallen in the road but wasn’t blocking it. You can also see how the ditches are running full. (We’ve gotten about .75″ so far today.)

I recently realized that I was not writing as much as I used to (and some of you have noticed, too!). Maybe this will hold you until I have more time, but now Cisco’s telling me that it’s time to feed the cats.

The weather has been unseasonably warm and (mostly) sunny for almost a week now, and we’re all trying to keep from being seduced into thinking that spring has arrived. It hasn’t.

My Facebook memories today showed snow on March 12, 2017 (before I started this blog), and when I looked back at my March blog posts from the years since then, I saw photos of redbuds, forsythia, violets, etc. This year—besides the weeds—only the daffodils and hyacinths are blooming around my house, and the trees are still bare, except for a big Red Maple (Acer rubrum) and a single Box Elder (Acer negundo) of the many, many in the Hollow. On my ramble today, I did see bees buzzing at a Winter (Bush) Honeysuckle (Lonicera fragrantissima). I may have overlooked the witch hazel, but I know the forsythia has yet to bud out.

After I started writing, I realized that I hadn’t taken many deer photos lately. They are almost always waiting in the meadow (looking up at the house) when I get up in the morning. They keep me busy when I take the food down, and I haven’t thought to take photos, especially on those mornings when it’s in the 20s and my coffee is waiting in the house. I wait until I see them before I take food down in the afternoons, when they more often come in small family groups. The missing ones usually come when I call.

They are skinny this time of year, and their coats are rough-looking. Friendly still eats from my hand and lets me rub her. The other one above (“Muley”) is from the herd that lives on the other side of the road; she wants to get close but hasn’t yet worked up the courage. (I think she’ll come around.)

And what about the cats, you ask? Yesterday was the first anniversary of adopting the muchachos. Here they are a few days later:

And here they are a few weeks ago:

They have been a wonderful diversion over the past year.

Noel, the little black stray, was removed from the Asheville Humane Society adoption floor after his respiratory problems returned and has been living—and reportedly thriving—while being fostered. I’m told he’s expected to be back on the adoption floor soon.

So that’s what’s going on around here. Maybe I’ll have more spring photos next time (or maybe more snow photos!)