It's a zoo

For years, we didn't have much wildlife showing up around the house, but it you read yesterday, you know that is changing.  Is this because we fenced the house off from the rest of the pasture??

So we were looking at the deer eating their candy (corn) on the feeder last night waiting for the moon  to come up.  I had gotten bored with that and walked away when G said "oh, no".  It wasn't en exclamatory no - it was like or no you aren't type of  no.  I went back, and there was a huge raccoon sitting on the plate of the feeder stuffing his face.

Now you have to understand at one point in my life I thought raccoons were aoooooo cute.  I would fight anyone who wanted to hurt them.  Not. Anymore!  They are nasty, destructive, and probably rabid little things. I saw them one night feeding on other raccoons that were road kill.  Yuck.

So, G got one of the rifles.  Yes - everyone out here is armed.  Most of us aren't armed with the assault rifles, but guns are plentiful.  I think you know why.  We are out in the wilds.

Anyway - so that took care of Mr Raccoon.  This morning has dawned cloudy.  That means feral hogs were going to be out.  And one was under the feeder.  So out came the rifle again.  One less pig.  My question was "is the gate closed?"  Our fence is specifically built to keep the hogs away from the house even though it is also to keep cattle away from the house IF the drought ever breaks and we get good pasturage again so we can lease out for cattle.

I was going through my pictures and forgot of another visitor we had on, of course, the back deck.  It was a big tarantula.  We never saw one of those up here before even though we are in their territory.  And I am talking about us being around here off and on for over 50 years.

So we are living in the not so peaceable kingdom.  There are a lot of creatures that can seriously hurt us out there.