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Category Archives: rodents
Isn’t This a Long One?
January last seems impossibly distant. Memories from back then are round-edged and worn, like relics of a lost civilization. The pandemic was dawning, of course, although few of us in this country had a clue what was to come. Lockdowns, … Continue reading
Late Season
Years ago, reflecting on our move from the outskirts of Boulder, Colorado to the more rural center of the state, I wrote about planning the space that would be our garden in the mountains: Despite the high elevation, short growing … Continue reading
Posted in color, fall, gardening, humans and wildlife, rodents, weather
Tagged gardening with wildlife, high altitude gardening, mule deer, walled gardens
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Winterspring
From a distance, not much has changed. Almost-mid-May from the house looks pretty much like just-past-mid-March. The difference, as it so often is, is in the details. The expanses of grass, passive and still eight weeks ago, are now host … Continue reading
Posted in birds, change of seasons, color, gardening, precipitation, rodents, snow, weather
Tagged April weather, Rocky Mountain springtime
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Blank Slate
On a snowy day, the metaphorical alignment of undisturbed snow with the blank page is all but irresistible: that expanse of unmarred whiteness, awaiting signs of meaningful passage. I don’t necessarily mean to compare writers to rodents, but it has … Continue reading
Posted in rodents, snow, writing
Tagged animal tracks, first drafts, rodent burrows, the writing life
2 Comments
The Conundrum of Cute
The cottontail rabbit I mentioned a month ago is still around. When I didn’t see it for a few days and the entrance to the burrow near the front walk stayed covered with snow, I assumed it had met with … Continue reading
Posted in gardening, humans and wildlife, predators, rodents
Tagged cottontail rabbits, tolerance
2 Comments
On Being Watched
For the most part, the wildlife around our place regards me with either fear or wariness. Birds flutter, squirrels scurry, deer bound. The latter, admittedly, only retreat to their calculated safe distance before turning to assess my intentions, but all … Continue reading
Posted in animal communication, humans and wildlife, observation, ravens, rodents
Tagged Bernd Heinrich
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Late Harvest
The garden is under snow—and after several crispy dry winters during our sustained drought, I’m not sorry about this fact. The snow isn’t deep, but there’s enough of it to cover the planting beds and protect them from the winter … Continue reading
Posted in gardening, rodents, trees and plants, weather
Tagged Colorado growing seasons, gardening with wildlife, wildfire
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