It’s that time of the year when the pecan trees in our back yard begin to earn their keep by producing, well, pecans. We certainly look forward to a great harvest of that nutty goodness, with visions of pies and ice cream toppings and pecan-crusted tilapia dancing in our heads…which is where those visions will… Continue reading The squirrels are driving us nuts.
Four-footed Follies
Update (8/14/19): I guess I should complain about the weather more often. Shortly after posting this, we had a brief rain shower…almost two tenths of an inch. That won’t break the drought, but it certainly was enjoyable. We’ve gone more than a month without measurable rainfall and the creek will likely cease flowing within the… Continue reading Four-footed Follies
Patriotic Weirdos on Parade
Alert Gazette readers will remember how I teased them with this preview of potential Independence Day bicycle decorations in preparation for our participation in the local (Horseshoe Bay) parade. The final modest result pictured below belies the hour or so of toil in the sauna-like confines of a garage in the middle of a Texas… Continue reading Patriotic Weirdos on Parade
More Turtle Eggs…And An Unfortunate Twist
A couple of weeks ago I spotted something in the adjacent vacant lot that looked out of place. It was a turtle — a Texas river cooter (Pseudemys texana) to be precise — in the process of creating a “nest” in which to deposit eggs. Being the insensitive-and-nosy jerk I am, I immediately set up a… Continue reading More Turtle Eggs…And An Unfortunate Twist
Escalating the Critter Arms Race
Actual game camera footage from our front yard The weather isn’t the only thing heating up around Casa de Fire Ant. As I’ve previously documented — feel free to scroll through past entries; I’m too lazy to find the links — our newly sodded front lawn has been an irresistible siren call to armadillos and… Continue reading Escalating the Critter Arms Race
Raptor in Flight
Alert Gazette readers will recall that we have a[t least one] (possibly murderous) red-shouldered hawk living abiding in the trees adjacent to our house. He or she (or they) frequently fly around the vicinity and since we’re not small mammals, it’s a treat to see them and to listen to their plaintive cries. I’m hardly… Continue reading Raptor in Flight
The Mystery of the Murdered Fawn
It’s been an interesting week or so here at Casa de Fire Ant, thanks to the endless parade of wildlife traipsing past our abode, occasionally stopping to destroy our lawn on their way to whatever other endeavors attract them. Last week, we went out of town for a couple of days but I left my… Continue reading The Mystery of the Murdered Fawn
News You Can Use To Snooze
[This headline is the result of coercion.]
Random reporting on random events. Surely you’re not surprised.
Channeling the Wily Armadillo
Note: The following contains critical armadillo trapping advice. Ignore it at your own peril. You’ve been warned. There’s also a walking stick gif. Alert Gazette readers will recall the account of my armadillo trapping woes, wherein the creatures were zooming in and out of the malfunctioning trap as if it were a port-a-potty next to… Continue reading Channeling the Wily Armadillo
Random Thursday: The Tuesday Edition
It’s been awhile since we’ve published a Random Thursday article [Ed–After reviewing this, it’s obvious that it hasn’t been long enough.] Trapping Fails Following a very quiet winter and early spring in which I actually contemplated the notion that I had trapped out the nuisance wildlife population in our immediate neighborhood. Lately, however, our game… Continue reading Random Thursday: The Tuesday Edition