May 18 - Last Updated 5/25 - Oh my - Those Flowers and animals in our life!

Go to the Photo Page – Ed Swan has added 11 wild flower photos (5/25/2018)

Go to the Photo Page – Ed Swan has added new photos today (5/22/2018)

Go to the Photo Page – Dave Cesari has added new photos today (5/19/2018)

Then come back and read my story of animals in my life.

What is that animal(s) in your life?

It could be a cracker, a wild partner, a kitty coiled up on your lap, a vulture tearing through the garbage bag, a fish in the pond, a gator scaring you half to death, a mosquito biting you, W O W animals are everywhere.

But where do you like them? I was thinking about it – I like them in my life and I like them where they choose to be – not so much where I put them.

Sure, having an animal to keep and feed is great, but putting food out for them and letting them decide when to eat, when to bring their babies with them, and where to go after they eat is the best. Never quite sure what their timing will be, it is better than watching a TV mystery show – looking for the animal’s arrival and their interaction with each other – or lack thereof.

My neighbors on the Island feed the deer. Some folks are not sure it is a good idea to do that – I love the idea because, that is what I do nearly every hour of the day – look at or look for animals around the neighborhood.

When I had the ranch in Texas, you had to not only watch them, you had to watch out for them. Snakes (Corals, Copper Heads, Water Moccasins, and Rattlers), scorpions, mosquitos, black widow spiders, brown recluse spiders, rabid fox, mad bulls, and protective momma cows and momma emus, or those papa emus that thought you may be a rival. You better watch these animals ‘cause they were watching you – some not in the most friendly way. – But I loved watching them all. Could not wait to tell any listener about my latest encounters with the animals.

Even now, I am out and about a lot. I exercise on my bike for an hour to two every day, ride my golf cart around after dark while taking out the garbage and going for the mail. I eat out on the porch, or by a picture window, three times a day. I am sitting here at my computer looking out over the lake. I was thinking. Every minute that I am doing these things I am looking for animals to watch. Beautiful birds over the lake looking for dinner, even as I type.

All summer I help my friends take care of horses, and after work is all done we sit on their porch and watch the animals gather a their bird/racoon/bear/squirrel feeding station. Four or five months a year I have no TV – but I never go even four days without watching animals. I am always looking for animals – animals that I have seen many times before – I still am looking for them.

When my children were growing up, our house always had cats, dogs, gerbils, hamsters, parakeets, song birds, rabbits, turtles, snakes, and more – our lawn was home to snakes, squirrels, all kinds of birds, and more.

When I was growing up we had cows, ponies, horses, chickens, goats, sheep and of course a barn yard full of birds, mice, rats, weasels, bob cats, deer, mink, fox, bear, etc that came to eat food left by the farm animals – or perhaps to eat a not too cautious farm animal.

Maybe this little recap about animals will trigger a thought in your mind about enjoying the animal around you – they are a gift of nature – and the gift is practically free.

Here are a few photos of my animal friends – most are snapped with my iPhone while out on my bike: