Welcome to 2018

I just want to say, to start off with, that I am so glad I am around to learn new things. 

I wondered why I have not seen any raccoons and few possums on my 

game cams the last two weeks... and thought to myself 

that they may hibernate, and I had never noticed it before.  

Well, guess what, I thought to ask Friend Jill, who is a vet 

tech and a naturalist, herself.... and she told me that they 

do go into a sort of hibernation in the extreme cold, 

denning with other raccoons, and maintaining just enough 

body function to keep on living.  Since we are in this bitter cold 

spell along with seemingly the REST of the nation... no wonder. 

I did some reading about it, and it is fascinating.  This alone (along 

with all the other nature-watching I am doing) has made it worth moving

back to Calamity Acres. 

However, there have been some visitations to the deck, and two 

have made me happy. 

Whoops!  That's not a raccoon!

That's Jester yesterday morning, pausing on the deck for a 

second.  

This made me happy.... darn the long extension that 

I cannot get to lay down, it powers the bird water basin on the deck...but 

that shadowy cat behind it is the grey tabby feral that I have not 

seen in months.  My neighbors at the bottom of the pasture feed ferals, 

and also, my neighbors across the road.  I am glad to know he is still alive. 

There is Spooky, he has grown into a beautiful cat... remember, the 

Feral Four were already vetted and neutered when I got them. 

You will have to double-click and enlargen the picture to see this one. 

That's Harlequin, who has been missing from the henhouse for the past week. 

See the white under the neck?  I saw her the night before on the cam, 

very fleetingly. 

At least I know she is alive in this bitter cold.  I have straw 

in all the outbuildings.... hopefully she has bedded down somewhere. 

Ferdinand and his ladies like the heated dog bowl on the deck, too. 

We have all been doing a lot of this. 

Yesterday, I saw this at the foot of the pasture as I was getting ready to 

leave to get some milk. 

Here is a closer-up picture, taken with my long lens.  

I suspect the larger of the two is the female, on the right. 

They look like red-shouldered hawks, from a distance. 

So far, they have left the hens alone. 

The beautiful Wolf Moon... and I need to 

seriously start using my cameras again and LEARNING about them. 

Here is something I never thought I would see again.  Lilly Ann, 

just now laying on the big bed, I did not think she could still get up 

there, so I know she is feeling good today!  She can watch out the windows towards the gate, and see who is going up and down the road.  It made my heart happy for her. 

Stay warm, everyone, we still have a few more days of coping with this 

stuff. 

WINTER IS SO FUN.