First there was the snake

[Kat]

On Easter Sunday a big black snake visited my lawn chair between my sittings there. I mean, I was out there, came inside, and went back out not a 1/2 hour later and there he was! He silently slithered away and I pretended I did not see him. How embarrassing for him to be caught out like that!

Then there was the family of Sand Hill Cranes in my front yard- whose goose-like squawks Harry heard over the phone all the way in South Carolina! I still see that family of cranes every now and then like a herd of ostrich! They are huge! But not heavy-weight sized.

Then there was the horse and rider. He appears on Sundays down the street and around the corner. The guy wears a cowboy hat and waves gently and smiles as I go by. This is in the next neighborhood over from mine. How many times do you get to see a horse and cowboy riding in your suburb?

Then I saw the 50 year old turtle the size of a toilet seat in the road- and stopped and moved him to the grassy ditch on the opposite side of the road. Just helped him along his way. I think I told about that here. Maybe 17 pounds- not as heavy as I'd thought. Still, I tried not to examine him too closely- actually creepy-looking-he seems like a strange dinosaur, a throw-back. This was on the road entering my neighborhood.

Then there was the mouse. He appeared in the middle of the Interstate as I was driving 60 mph. There he was in the roadway and he stopped just as I went over him. My wheels missed him. I can honestly say I did not hit him. But was left wondering why I had not thought he was a rat? I mean, I could see him so clearly tho I was going at speed. Close Encounter!

Then there was the Bee. The biggest, maddest bumble-bee I have ever seen! They are tearing down part of my Publix shopping plaza and must have dislodged a hive? He flew in my driver's side window, hit my dash- I braked, squeaked and hit "Park" and jumped out batting at my clothes and hair. He had just breezed past my head. There I was, dancing in the parking lot. I'm just glad it didn't happened at 60 mph on the Interstate!

Then there was the blue jay. As I was driving down a local road he landed in the middle of the street right in front of me! I braked, wondering if this was a case of suicide! He had just enough time to re-think his choice of landing spot and elevated safely. Jeesh!

Then there was the close-up encounter with *my Tiger* at The Animal Kingdom, who posed for my camera my birthday weekend.

Then, the other evening I stepped out my front door to collect my mail from my porch mailbox and almost grabbed a Big Fat Sucker Frog sitting sentinel on my mailbox! That incited a Huge "EEEEK!" and I ran inside seeking shelter! YUCK!

So- that is my list of wildlife close-encounters since Easter! How many can say they've interacted in quite so many ways with the animal/insect kingdom in the middle of suburbia? Always exciting here!

[Tina-Kate]

Like living smack dab in Wild Kingdom.

Eeesh.

& I think I have it bad surrounded by bats all the time.

[Angel]

Well, I found a murdered present from one of my cats on the living room floor this morning: a slug the size of California. And something (big) was messing around with my trash can last night around 2:30 am. But that's to be expected where I live.

[kssunflower]

Then there was the Bee. The biggest, maddest bumble-bee I have ever seen! They are tearing down part of my Publix shopping plaza and must have dislodged a hive? He flew in my driver's side window, hit my dash- I braked, squeaked and hit "Park" and jumped out batting at my clothes and hair. He had just breezed past my head. There I was, dancing in the parking lot. I'm just glad it didn't happened at 60 mph on the Interstate!

This reminded me while living in Georgia, I had several large bumble-bees that would occasionally terrorize me when sitting on our back deck. They would dive right at me when I walked out the back door and then make many flybys while on the deck. I always took a fly swatter with me.

Amazing that you were able to avoid hitting those critters on the highway at high speeds! I once hit a possum and felt bad for weeks.

[Smudgeman]

Then there were the giant Pythons that are apparently multiplying in the Florida Everglades!

[Barbara]

Yesterday morning I was surrounded by 17 baby turkeys in my yard. They were there with 2 Mothers looking for a handout, mainly sunflower seeds. Of course, I dutifully obliged and threw them seeds. I wonder if they spit out the shells? My 2 lazy very unferal, feral cats watched from their perch on my picnic table. They were too full from their gourmet breakfast to care about raw turkey served with feathers. The ground hog moved out when the garden hose kept finding it's way into his home. I haven't seen any snakes lately, but I wish some would visit. As a child I would collect them, along with my sibs, and Mom would display them in glass milk bottles on the table( instead of flowers). Mom was one-of-a-kind.

[Kat]

You guys are so much fun!!!

[Tina-Kate]

[xyjw]

One breezy summer afternoon I was sitting in my patio garden with my stack of Victorian books and a glass of lemonade when the resident garden snake appeared. He always startled me at first, then I would calm down. I had put a special "entryway" for him/her in the fence between my neighbors and my yards. It was a pretty stack of marble pieces and white stones. This way I could see "the Snake" coming. The snake slithered through the Alice In Wonderland door and paused in the golden summer sun of the garden, it's jeweled body glittering the light. Suddenly the snake flew forward and in an instant had a toad that had been camouflaged in the gravel headfirst in it's jaws. I knew the snake was too busy to bite me, but it scared me and I wanted to run but I was paralyzed with fear. I love wildlife encounters even though they sometimes interrupt perfectly golden afternoons.

[1bigsteve]

Then there were the giant Pythons that are apparently multiplying in the Florida Everglades!

Yes and they are all heading towards Kat's house! You are now entering the Twilight Zone! Do do do do, do do do do....

A couple nights ago I found a large raccoon in my garbage can.

A large bee flew between my face and glasses at about a gazillion miles an hour.

I reached to pick a black berry before realizing at the last slit-second it was a black widow spider.

Years ago I set about removing a pile of junk, like old boards, boxes and such, from my back yard. As I pulled away the plastic tarp I saw a startled mama opposum look up at me as if to say, "Um, I paid the rent." She was surrounded by babies getting their lunch. She had such a sad, helpless, pittiful look on her face. I smiled at her and said, "It's OK mama." I put the tarp back over and let her stay until her babies were grown. Then I removed the junk. I built some tiny condo units and placed them in a corner of my yard for opposums and their babies.

-1bigsteve (o:

[Kat]

Who would throw away a perfectly good raccoon?

You remind me that this past winter I saw a whole family cross the road in front of me about 9:30 at night- on that same road where the kudzu is and where I moved the turtle. I had never seen a raccoon in my neighborhood in all this time, but there were 5 of them, ma,pa, and 3 youngsters!

[Angel]

Who would throw away a perfectly good raccoon?

[1bigsteve]

Well, if that raccoon keeps getting into my garbage can he may end up as a permanent guest.

-1bigsteve

[Nadzieja]

This morning as I had coffee I looked out the window & to my total shock there was a deer standing across the street on my neighbors lawn. It was so beautiful I froze & didn't move until it moved across the street.
I know that this is nothing for alot of you but I live in on a residential street with lots of traffic. I never saw one this close to the house during the day.
One time leaving around 1am for the airport we pulled out of our driveway & started going up the street and 5 of them just ran in front of our car. I took it as a god omen and it was a successful trip.

[Harry]

And Kat thought they had big bugs in Florida.

DON'T look if you if you find bugs disgusting.

Heeere's Heathcliffe.......

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,25 ... 21,00.html

Imagine having one as a pet. Noooo..don't think so.

[kssunflower]

Apparently it didn't impress the guy who lives in the southeast apartment. Think I'd move if I were him.

[stargazer]

Giant hairy scorpion, small scorpions, cone nose bugs, grasshoppers, (in the house,) a black and orange gila monster, 6 free range cows in my yard, a 7 inch centipede, a black and white king snake, a mohave rattler named Randolph Scott, hawks, hummingbirds, roadrunners, ravens, a bobcat, coyotes, chipmunks, and a chuckwalla lizard, plus anything I may have left out. Okay the jackrabbits, and "bunny bun buns."

[Harry]

Does the coyote chase the roadrunner? Beep, beep.

[stargazer]

Does the coyote chase the roadrunner? Beep, beep.

Actually, the coyotes go after small dogs, and cats. I had a roadrunner on my porch. He was afraid of me. I went back inside. They will eat anything. Baby birds, lizards, not sure about mice. They make an odd clicking ? sound.

[Kat]

I just logged on to tell my recent story, and on the old laptop homepage the first headline in the sideline area was "Frog or Toad Found in Pepsi Can."

Well, I was coming here to write of my brush with a small frog in my living room! It was sitting right in front of the TV watching Top Chef!

I dropped my Rebello on him! He's still under there. ( Thank goodness for a nice big tome! )

[Tina-Kate]

Yes, Rebello would do the trick! I've tried squashing things with Brown & it doesn't do squat!

***Please clean your Rebello really, really well!***

[Kat]