Rewards of rural living:

[rswyan]

Yesterday the wife and I were out clearing and cleaning the edge of the side yard by the new driveway down to the polebarn. I had taken a load of stumps and brush back to the brush pile at the rear of the property and she went inside the house. I was almost back to the area we were working on when I noticed the fawn under the apple tree about 75' away.

I eased up on the HST pedal and reached and dropped my boxblade and turned the engine off ...... and just sat there for 10 minutes watching the fawn browse on fallen apples. It kept looking around, and at me, but I just sat there still and quiet. Eventually it decided it was time to move on and came down the yard towards me ..... probably got to within 25' or 30' before it kicked up it's heels and sprinted across the yard to the back and the woods.

It was pretty fat and looked very, very healthy.

 

[PBinWA]

PBinWA, how about I come down around Oct. and collect the other buck I lost. The wife won't eat anything I shoot in the yard (to redneck she thinks) and it appears the Tripod fire has shut down my regular area for mule deer.

Eddie, I've lived in Dallas, Port Hueneme (Los Angeles), Tokyo, Cairo, and Moscow. I woldn't trade my little piece of heaven here on Whidbey for a luxury home in any of those places. It's more work but very rewarding.

Sounds good to me! I can go up to your place and clean out your backyard for you! ; )

 

[jinman]

Lately, we've been seeing a flock of turkeys that started at 9 and then increased in size up to 17 or 18 birds (mostly hens). We've also seen two does with fawns coming to our feeder almost nightly. I put some watermelon rinds out by the deer feeder a few nights ago and there was a raccoon eating watermelon at the same time the deer were eating corn.

Last night my step-son and his fiance were over for dinner (celebrating their engagement). After dinner the turkeys showed up. My step-son walked out with his camera and got very close to them. They didn't spook and run away, but just casually walked off toward our pond. Later, when we went to feed catfish, we saw them getting a drink. When we got back to the house, we looked out and the does and fawns were at the feeder. My step-son's fiance said we lived in the middle of a wildlife preserve.

This morning, we awoke to find that we had left the garage door open all night. The raccoon had come in and helped himself to corn and sunflower seeds. I guess that's coon - 1, Jim - 0.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

We have been doing a lot of clearing, primarily for fire safety around the house but also along the road to replace a very old barb wire fence. I know for a fact that the fence is more than 75 years old so not much was left. Any way we have cleared back more than 100' from the house leaving only the large hardwoods.

I was sitting in my recliner reading a science ficton novel a few minutes ago and had to get up for a trip to the necessary and saw a fawn through the patio door. The doe was out of sight but wasn't far. This fawn was about 20" at the withers and very pretty.

Wouldn't you know, the batteries were down in the camera so I could only watch as it walked back to its mother. We have also seen a doe with twin fawns around the place in the last few weeks

Vernon

Sometimes it's the peace and tranquility of nature that makes you appreciate living in the country. Other times, it's the raw power of nature.

2 summers back, when I was just getting home from work one afternoon, I turned towards our bird feeders in the front yard. There was a lone dove sitting on top of the feeder. Movement caught my eye that made me turn towards the feeder. It was a BIG redtailed hawk. It hit that dove at full speed. There was an explosion of feathers. The hawk never so much as slowed down. It was almost as startling as watching lightening strike.

 

[dmccarty]

On the drive home this summer there is a spot where the road crosses a power line. I have seen on three occasions two turkeys. The last two times they had little turkeys. The first time I saw the whole group they where crossing the road. I stopped and let them cross. There was one young'n that was lagging behind and having to jump in the air to see the rest of the group. He would jump and then run. Jump up for a look and then run.

I saw them last week and it looked like they where down to 3-4 little ones and the adults.

This weekend it was really nice. Highs in the low/mid 80s. The wife and kids had left for the day to visit family. It was VERY quiet around the house. In the evening I was making some salsa from our garden, drinking an adult beverage or two with the windows open. It was soo quiet. Really nice. I cooked dinner and ate. About 8:00 I went outside and sat on the porch with another beer. Just me and the dog.

When we first got out I heard a deer run off to our north. The dog just looked at the sound. We sat there listening to the cars drive on the road to the south. Watched the bats feeding. Listened to the frogs and bugs. Watched the lightning bugs flicker around and saw the start pop out at the sky turned black. At one point I had to get rid of some beer so I got up and walked to the yard. The dog needed to go and as soon as she moved the deer who had moved to feed on the septic field snorted and they where off to the races. I sat back down and watched my dog flop down on the porch huffying and puffying with joy from chasing off the deer. We just sat there listening and watching each other until we heard the wifey's car hit the gravel from the paved road, stop to close the gate, and then we saw the car lights driving up the driveway. And thus ended our quiet evening in the country.

Later,
Dan

 

[Highbeam]

We just sat there listening and watching each other until we heard the wifey's car hit the gravel from the paved road, stop to close the gate, and then we saw the car lights driving up the driveway. And thus ended our quiet evening in the country.

That was a great post Dan, really paints a picture. I can even hear the car tires slow down and then that crunch of gravel.

I haven't built our home yet on my rural property but make day trips and after packing up to head home I tend to sit on the tailgate for awhile watching the bats eat, or listening to the silence.

 

[EddieWalker]

or listening to the silence.

The silence is something I've really come to appreciate. It took years to happen, but after living in the city and under the flightpath of the planes for Oakland Airport, I sort of tuned it all out. But now, my ears are open and they hear the silence. It's really amazing!!!!!

Eddie

 

[dmccarty]

When we built the house we put on two porches, one front and the other in the back. The front porch is L shaped so eventually we will have a bunch of chairs and a table. We want to put rocking chairs at the long side of the porch. The porch still has some stuff/junk we need to get rid of or store but at this point its mainly kids toys and bikes. What was real special about this Saturday was that this was the first chance I was able to sit out there and listen to the silence. Usually the kids are running around screaming, playing, and/or getting into trouble.

The only other time I have sat out there was with the kids watching a thunderstorm to our east moving north to south one night. The kids learned how to count to 5 to see how far away the storm was and if it was a coming or going.

The road to the south leads to a church that we share a corner with. I could not tell if people where going to church or heading to/fro town to eat out on a Saturday. But even that noise was somehow pleasent.

Thankfully its going to start getting cooler and I'll be able to spend more time on the porch. We don't have the rocking chairs only those foldable chairs but it will do.

In the years before the house was built I too would sit after a days work listening. Wishing the house would hurry up an get built...

I still pinch myself waiting to wake up and find the dream over.


Later,
Dan

 

[waynokakid]

I moved to my Uncle's farm 7 years ago this month. Must like it here, longest I have been in one place since I moved out of my boyhood home. I have had the pleasure of watching a doe and her two fawns the past 3 mornings on my daily walk. They are sure pretty to watch, but can make a mess of one's gardening plans. That is until my dog showed up here about 2 years ago. Haven't had any problems with them in my garden since.

 

[scesnick]

While we were building our log home on my family farm we lived in an apartment with very liud and partying neighbors. They would keep us up till all hours of the night. Since we got our home bult we sleep with the windows open every night in the summer and all we hear are the crickets and owls. I LOVE IT !!
A few saturdays ago at 6 am sharp there was a flock of turkeys in our front yard making one heck of a racket. I was not happy about not being able to sleep in. Then my wife said, " well, we could always move back into the apartment" That made me thankful that we no llionger have any human neighbors.
Now the bears, ah, well, that is a whole other story !!!