Giving Back.

Sometimes I get in a mood and feel a bit down and out. It happens as a Caregiver and it happens around Holidays.
Social Media is not helpul as everyone is posting these great photos of big family get togethers and cheery this ... and cheery that.

Not everything is cheery for some folks during the holidays.

However. Sometimes things happen to pull you out of the dumps.

I pulled the trail cams cards out of the spots where I have them and got this funny video of a nice trophy buck laying down while does trot on by him. This was taken on the second day of hunting season when two neighbors got really nice deer.

 Both neighbors are hunters for the meat and not just trophy hunters. 

I shared this with my young friend Olive on the ridge after she sent a photo of her husband with his beautiful buck.

Yes, I'd photographed the buck her hubby got earlier this year in my meadow. I recognized him. She was worried that I'd be upset and I told her that I'd gotten 'my shot' of him earlier in the year with a long lens, so I was happy for them to have meat for their freezer and a trophy for her husband.

Then I got a text asking if I'd like to visit for a cup of coffee. My answer was Yes, yes, yes, yes... 

I got to spend an hour with her and her little guy Orson, who is just turning 7 months old. Now THAT is a sure fire way to cheer anyone up. Spend time with a crawling happy baby whose face lights up with infectious smiles and whose eyes are so bright and cheerful.

I found out that she had wanted to go out and join the gun hunt, but her husband was busy with coaching the wrestling team in town again this year. I asked if I could watch her kids for her while she went out to hunt.

I saw her look a bit confused at first and then HER face lit up like...well, like a Christmas tree. 

"You'd do that?"

Of course I would! I love kids, I don't even mind crying babies or even fussy babies. Sometimes a person just needs to change the scenery or look forward to an event to change how they feel.

Friday afternoon during hubby's nap time, I'll got watch a 4 year old and a baby while mom gets to go out in the woods and get some much needed ME time on a deer stand. 

It is a win win situation for me. I get some different scenery, she gets a break, and I get to play. Hubby said he was pleased that I'd get to go play with someone my own age.

Hah. Olive has been there for me in so many ways through the past couple of years and rarely can I find a way to help her out. She is a strong minded woman and mom who never wants to impose and is seems always willing to give.

Sometimes Giving Back is just the best medicine.

Busy busy!

Between the humidity and the two days of rain, I've gotten a lot done around the inside of the house. I'd picked up 2 dozen ears of corn from a farm stand and have it all frozen and put away now.

I did laundry except for the stuff I want to hang out to dry. That will have to wait for the rain to stop. Being forced to stay inside made me clean the house and scrub the floor. Yuck. It needed it.

In between rains, I grabbed the SD card from the Trail Cam and see that this guy has been using the forest trail.

I did see him the other morning when I was checking the meadow pasture. I can't help but be in awe of our wild creatures.

I finally had some time to look at the photos I took last Friday when I hiked part of the West Ridge Trail. 

Much of the first mile of the trail is in fields. But this time I decided to really try to be interested or more aware of 'what' was in the fields around me. Normally, I consider this trail ... at least this first mile quite boring.

Charlie didn't care, nothing is boring to him. He uses his sense of smell to keep up with things that are occurring in the present and the past. Imagine being able to have his sense of smell. 

I was excited to find this grass on both sides of the trail in great abundance.

I haven't ID'd it yet, but the first thing that came to my mind was Bluestem grass.

Another delight along the trail was blackcaps. The ripe ones were so danged sweet! I had to stop often to grab some to eat.

There were a few spots where this butterfly weed grew wild.

Such a brilliant orange.

Then we went into the woods and headed down the trail for a ways.

The undergrowth was SO thick it was hard to see into the woods for any distance until we got into an area with a heavy canopy of maples.

I found Downy Rattlesnake Plantain! And...I found it flowering! Wow...wow! Wow!

It is considered an Orchid. Did you know that? I did not!

Below is a photo of one of the new plants. They are so beautiful!

When I walked the trail, I finally got to an area where I knew I should find fungi. I found them too. 

The last ones are Golden Oyster Mushrooms and I've seen them now in this same area in June and August. They thrive all summer long when they have moisture.

This was also the trail that the fellow at the bicycle shop recommended for a bicycle ride experience. I may try it. But in order to make a loop to get back to my vehicle, it will take some road riding or 9 miles of hills, roots, and rocks to get back.

I'm going to first check out another nice bike trail that was made out of an abandoned t train right away that isn't too far away. 

The Pine River Recreational Trail in Richland County. Apparently there are a multitude of trails even closer to home in my own home town. Looks like it is time for me to put on my exploring cap once more!

Trail Camera Fun

It is so boring staying stuck inside for the deer gun season. Hubby doesn't like me going out in the woods at all for anything. However, I decided to take a short walk yesterday and refresh the camera SD cards in the woods.

Charlie and I both needed some outdoor air and some woods time. He needed more practice with his blaze orange vest. He did fine unless he was jumping logs and rocks. Sigh. So, on good trails, it is fine.

Still the colors keep him very visible. We were both in High Vis vests.

Anyway we found some amusing photos when we got back home.

Apparently some deer like 'Selfies'? 
Deer are supposed to be spooked by cameras. I have two in the woods and they stay in the same spot all of the time year 'round.

These two knuckle heads moved the camera on the tree. I have blurred shots of their noses I think, the camera moves and we see this:

The buck in this next picture actually has some nice antlers, when he walked away, we had a blurred view of some high and wide horns.

Then this guy came through....Wow!

I put one camera at a place I figured was a deer crossing from the neighbor's meadow into our summer pasture. There is a lot of traffic by deer back and forth through this spot.

And...something surprising!

Bobcat visit in the middle of the day!

And a 10 minutes later? Do we have a second bobcat or did the original one circle around?

My neighbor commented that these bobcats were pretty big and I guess they do look large, and certainly much larger than Charlie.

However they have been around since 2017 and haven't bothered any large livestock in the area. Their main meals are squirrels, rabbits, chickens, and small mammals. Apparently they will eat woodchucks and that is fine by me!

It is unusual to catch one on camera during the daytime though.

I've seen Bobcat tracks a lot last winter in this very same spot so I am guessing that they are just using the 'game' trail.

This trail is well used by deer, squirrels, raccoon, 'possum, and once in a while by turkeys so it makes sense to see the Bobcat hunting!

It is rather fun to see what goes on in our forest.

We aren't doing anything special for Thanksgiving. Hubby asked for BLT's as a special supper. Wow, that is great! Easy and delicious! I saved a pumpkin pie from the Mennonite bakery so I have to thaw that and we can have that as desert.

Meanwhile in the Forest

My Moultrie camera has been on this tree and the one behind it for over two years now. I found the Highway and rest area for all types of creatures.

I get a ton of activity in 3 short months. Most of it isn't fascinating, but some of it is hilarious and some of it is curious.

This doe likes her photo taken or is infatuated with the click of the camera. Often she or someone just like her will walk up to the camera and stare at it.

I read a lot of articles in hunting magazines regarding how to place a camera. I had terrible luck in following their directions. However after a few years of experimenting it seems I found some great spots. And obviously the animals aren't bothered at all by the cameras.

This fawn had a great playtime with this camera I had low on a stump.

The racoon love to chew on the camera and try to move it around. Most are slightly curious it seems. I leave the cameras in one location all of the time and rarely move them.

The deer share the same trails as the racoon, the skunk, the 'possum, coyote, and bobcat. I should have saved a fun and curious shot where two fawns were following a lumbering racoon. Tsk, I didn't!

This seems to be a great spot for napping also. As well as family get togethers.

Predators also use these trails often.

Here there is a Bobcat and a coyote coming through a couple of hours apart.

Out of curiosity, I set up a camera that shows the driveway. It does a nice job of catching me going to get the mail. And at night I was surprised to see deer in the yard . 

Another time, there was a coyote that trotted towards the mule's fence and turned and ran. I assume because the mules came up and gave it the evil eye.

It will be interesting as winter moves in with snow and other weather what we will see.

I moved this camera back one more tree to catch more of the criss cross of trails and the log that so many deer like to nap near.

Wild Wild World

Heh. Not the internet either. Outside is the wild world.

First two photos that I actually did take a week ago while I was out looking for cool lichen or moss and checking for the first sign of a wildflower.

Next are some shots from my very old trail cam. It still works but only shoots in black and white. The night shots are not super clear. Oh and the AM and PM were switched. I had forgotten to set it properly after replacing the dead batteries.

Our resident Bobcat. I've seen this or one like it on and off for more than a year and only glimpse crappy shots of it moving through camera range. When I posted a photo of it on FB I was sent messages of alarm from well meaning friends. 

Despite their reputation, they rarely will eat pets. The trail cam shows many rabbits, raccoon, squirrels, and birds that are in this area. I mean this spot in my woods is the virtual highway of wildlife.

The deer love to take naps here as well as play.

And then there were these guys/gals walking on through.
[Funny shots I did not include are the shot of a doe doing her peeing in front of the camera. Then later on? A coyote smelling it and marking the same spot! Pee Mail anyone?]

This last wild beast is Charlie.
No wonder his nose is working overtime when we walk through the woods!

On the other side of the Buckthorn Forest I set up a newer camera thinking I'd see the deer as they came in from the large meadow. I was surprised!

Here are the Tom Turkeys that I photographed last week fighting and probably the same ones that we saw in the back woods while I was riding Sunshine.

Now...If I can move my camera to a likely spot where the resident bear may wander through if he/she is still around.

Bobcat last June