Practically a herd

 Of deer!    A doe and two fawns who have not lost their spots yet.  The doe is turning darker brown.

Not the greatest photo but you can see the doe and the two spotted fawns just behind her.  They were having an acorn snack. 

Minnesota weather: High 54F or 13C Low was 38F or 4C  It rained on Thursday night. 

Supper last night was smoked pork chops, fried potatoes and green beans.  Far Guy said the potatoes were the best thing ever...must have been the bacon grease I fried them in.  A few nights ago we had chicken enchilada hotdish and then one night sandwiches with ham, roast beef, turkey and cheese.  I am getting stronger I can cook an entire meal but then have to rest part way into the clean up.  Some people leave their dishes for the next day...we like to clean the kitchen and all the dishes after a meal. 

Our days are quiet, doing what we can do and having rests/naps when we feel like it. 

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oh Deer

 The deer have no fear and are coming through the yard daily. 

Can you see the white tail?   It is just above the angels head. 

Our days are quiet.  I do my PT and then tackle a few projects that vary from day to day.  Nothing too exciting.   Far Guy has been trying to woodcarve in the afternoon before his nap.  He still struggles with the side effects of the cancer medications.  His weight is holding for the moment.  

Last night for supper we had some potatoes, leftover pork roast and raspberries.  I had a salad...Far Guy did not as any kind of lettuce tears up his stomach. 

Minnesota weather: High 79F or 27C Low 56F or 14C eh! 

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White Tails

 We have deer running through our yard all different times of the day.  There is no dog to make them afraid.  They drink the water out of the bird bath and eat what ever bird seed they can shake out of the bird feeders. 

One night I saw seven.  That is a bunch...and they multiply. 

Not a great photo but you can see the white tail.  The grass is turning greener in parts of the yard.  Hopefully it will rain soon and things will really green up. 

Last night I mowed the wildflower garden just east of the house in anticipation of a rain.  Hope it isn't snow. With a predicted Monday morning low of 26 F ...it could very well be snow...and all my snow shovels have been moved to the garage!

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Cards and Deer

 It is about time, not sure if it was the snow, the below zero temperatures or turning the calendar to December...but I finally figured out this years Christmas card.  Usually by this time of year I have mailed them out.   I missed going to Craft Retreat this Fall as that is usually a project I work on while I am there. 

Anyways...I made the final decisions on what I am doing.  I want it to look like an old Christmas Postcard.   I have that vintage paper that I ripped to size last September and it has been sitting on my desk...waiting. 

So...I completed 10 cards yesterday...at this rate I will be done by mid December.  

The cards are stamped and signed on one side and watercolored on the vintage paper on the other side.  The stamped side is all done...120 of them. 

in this photo is the old Volcan sad iron on top of a small plastic box that is holding down the ten completed cards to keep them flat, my glue bottle upside down to make it easier for me to grab and my stack of card backs.  

Progress is slow...I have lots of watercoloring to do! 

While I was working at my desk...what did I spy? 

Do you see her? 

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Night Visitors

 We had our second snow on late Sunday night/early Monday morning.   We now have about two inches of the white stuff.

See all those tracks in the snow?  Something was having a party around the bird feeder. 

This is a photo of the security camera.  They sure had fun and emptied out one side of the feeder.  I suspect the five squirrels that showed up enjoyed a bit of that spilled seed too. 

We made a list for errands in town and as we left the yard the smaller deer was watching us from the edge of the woods...I suppose he/she wanted a morning snack. 

Town was fine the Turkey is thawing in the fridge and the rest of the groceries were purchased for a simple meal on Thanksgiving Day.  Turkey, mashed potatoes, GF gravy, GF Green Beans with sour cream and onion potato chips on top instead of the onion rings with gluten, corn, olives, pickles and Snickers salad.  Guests are bringing GF stuffing and GF cake.  There will be more than enough food!

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Oh deer

 The twin fawns were at the bird bath taking turns getting a drink.  They are losing their spots.  I went to get my camera and they left...but

their Mama came in for a drink too.

My what big ears you have.

She sauntered over and began nibbling on the chokecherry bushes.  She is a very dark color now. 

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A Wildlife

Yes we live a wildlife. 

Picking tomatoes every day and sharing them with others. 

  Painting the Christmas ornaments, Far Guys says there are 109 ornaments.  

We got our Covid Boosters Friday afternoon  So far so good...but as I write this it has just been five hours. So who knows. 

We went for a Ranger Blue ride the other night.  My hip is not as sore as it was so we got to have a longer ride.   I still have some pain, but I am doing the exercises and the whirlpool and heated rice bags.   I hope PT can fit me in their schedule next week...I am on the call list. 

More Doctor appointments have been scheduled...seems like it never ends. 

Far Guy got a call from his Doctors office warning him of an increase in covid hospital admissions, the covid wards in Fargo, ND are open again.  They told him to isolate and stay out of crowds.  We are practically hermits already. 

A fawn with fading spots.  The fawns are slowly turning a darker color.  Their Mama is really dark.

A Grouse on the back road...she is living right behind our house...safe except for the Fox that is a frequent visitor.  Sure hope there is more than one Grouse...we have not seen one in this area for a long time. 

Such is our wildlife:)

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Running

 One night we were out just before dark, three deer were eating beans in the field.   A doe and two fawns. 

They all crossed safely in front of us. 

They like beans...just ask my sister in law she who sees robins first.  She has a raised garden just outside of her door and they have eaten all her beans. 

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Fawns in the field

There is a bean field across the road from us.  News Flash: Deer like beans and green leaves.

 

It is a bit smoky here from the wildfires up in our neighbors to the North.

They cut some grass around the edge of the irrigated field...this doe and fawn were not yet in the bean field.  The twin fawns in the bean field look a bit older than this little one. 

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Deer Hunt

 Deer hunting season opened here in Minnesota on Saturday.   Far Guy and I used to hunt years ago...actually we liked being in the woods...now we live in the woods and can go outside when ever we want!

I come from a hunting family ...all my siblings hunt.

Now a days I hunt with my camera. 

Two fawns and a doe last week in our yard...there was a third fawn but he/she is not in this photo.  They come into the yard every day to eat acorns.

We have one Grandchild that likes to hunt.   She used to spend hunting days with my Dad ( her Great Grandfather).  They both enjoyed hunting together. 

Dad used to call her his good luck hunting charm. 

Maddie got her deer on Saturday.  She said "We saw a couple of bucks, but this one walked right up to the stand and gave me the perfect shot. I am pretty sure Great Grandpa sent her to me, he became my good luck charm."

Photo of Maddie and her deer.

Her Great Grandpa would have been thrilled for her! 

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******

The ornament winners are

Barbara   "Scavenger hunts for clues"

Miss Merry  "Dollhouse"

Ed " Fresh cut Cedar tree"

Please email me  captainconnie2001atyahoodotcom with your mailing address.  Congratulations!

Oh deer, deer, deer, deer

 A doe and three fawns visited our yard aka snack bar yesterday. 

I noticed movement out the living room window. 

The doe was turning a real dark color.

The fawns were in three different stages...some spots, fading spots and almost no spots.   I wonder if the doe had triplets?  One fawn seemed larger than the others...perhaps it was an adoption.  They love the acorns.

Checking out the bird bath.  

They wandered in the yard about twenty minutes and then disappeared off into the woods. 

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King of the hill

 The twins were playing on the dirt pile. 

I am not sure what they were doing up there. 

Do deer play King of the hill?   Maybe...perhaps the weeds growing on to of the dirt pile were tasty or maybe they liked the view from up there. 

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Area Happenings

 We went for a Ranger Blue ride last evening. 

Clouds and sun were interesting.

A old stand of pines was logged off. I wonder if the neighborhood bear used to live there.

Titus wanted us to stop and visit...so we did.  He loves Far Guy.  Titus is part Border Collie and part Great Pyrenees...he is a tall boy.

Sunset over the trees and the bean field.

Deer in the bean field, the bean field to the South of us was being harvested...note the dust going West and away from us.  

It was a nice evening out and about.

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Same old stuff

 It was warm yesterday and I mowed our lawn out front...only the weeds were growing, the grass is going dormant again.   I attacked some miserable ant hills and took care of some weeds amongst the rocks.  When I came in my entire head of hair was sopping wet...so I had to wash it before I had a nap.

Far Guy worked on his car and did some woodcarving.  It was a warm and humid day but we had  no wildfire smoke.

Showing off her white tail.

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Beans

 The beans must be really good...this doe stayed right there in the field and watched us as we drove by. 

She was loving those beans. 

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Critters

 We got this photo in a message...

"Miss this?  Come get her."

We do miss her.  She wouldn't like it here, we would have to keep her on leash! 

Just a few minutes after Far Guy filled the bird feeders the local wildlife showed up to feast.  Far Guy says there were four deer all together.   My baby brother and his bride said they watched seven deer run down the center of the lake on the ice.

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Oh Deer

 Elvis was barking in the back yard, sometimes he does that if the neighbors black lab Nova is outside.  Then I saw three deer run through the area between the fences...Sadie must have heard them or translated the barking. She joined Elvis in the back yard to give them the what for.

I was not fast enough to get a photo of the three deer that stood in the neighbors yard that is not fenced.  They seemed unaffected by the dogs barking. 

We have been checking out some short You Tube clips...Sadie gets excited about deer and chickens ( she did eat a chicken once at the farm Sarah and Chris own)...ducks and birds do not entertain her and she is not real excited about squirrels. 

 I got a photo of Sadie standing watch! 

Jen is still under the weather.  She is on a liquid diet.  So far no one else in the household is ill. 

Knock on wood. 

I am certain the groundhog will be scared back in his hole by his shadow and we will have more than six weeks of Winter. 

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Bass Lake

 We took the trails over to Bass Lake one evening.

We saw a partridge getting gravel from the road ( no photo), a turtle looking to lay some eggs in the road and a few deer when we got closer to home. 

Can you find the turtle?  She was about a half a mile from a lake. 

I believe we saw six deer that evening.

Yesterday Far Guy wood carved and I sprayed Poison Ivy and Thistle.  Freezer food was supper...Far Guy had Seafood Gumbo with Wild Rice and I had Chili.  Nice to have individual servings frozen to warm up when we have a night off of cooking!  The Butcher Shop in town has really good pork chops we had those one night with sweet potatoes and green beans.  I seem to have lost my cooking mojo....I hope Far Guy doesn't lose his:)

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What's new?

 We had a busy day; Andy, Jen, Noah and Sadie came to visit.  They helped move a few things from my parents home to their apartment...Mom has about one more load and the house will be cleared out.   Many hands make short work of a project. 

Sadie ran around in our yard curious about all the smells new to her.   She didn't like the bear doorstop in the bathroom...she came over to Noah and barked...a very scary bear...Chance didn't like it either but he got used to it. 

Far Guy and I had a nap got up and cooked some bacon and eggs for supper and then went for a Ranger Blue trail ride. 

I can report that the skeeters are out...horrid little buggers. 

The Large Flowered Bellwort is in bloom, it is a native to Minnesota plant.

The Ferns have begun to unfurl.

We saw a pair of Swans on Elbow Lake and several pair of Swans on Guyles Lake.  Saw a Porkypine sauntering across the road.   And a few deer...

This deer was trimming brush.

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In the yard/woods

 June is still present in our yard.

She has melted a bit but has more to go.  Even the continual rain over the weekend didn't take care of her. 

My other baby brother and she who sees robins first and I watched a doe laying down in the woods.  She gave birth but it was too early for the fawn to be born alive...most Does give birth in our area about June 1st give or take a few days either way. 

The Doe was way in the woods and we did not leave the road. I used the zoom lens on my camera to take a photo.  Later on my other baby brother checked the area and yes the fawn was stillborn and way too little to survive...weighing about a pound or two.  So sad.   You never know what causes premature labor...could have been some nutritional need that had not been met...it was a long winter for deer too and as of yet there is no green grass to eat.   This is not the first stillborn fawn that has been on our property...a year ago there was a fawn that did not survive near one of our walking trails. 

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