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Post by Penn Guinn on Jul 5, 2022 21:34:11 GMT
I feel bad that my dogs pestered that possum; they have always been around since I put out food for strays. I think they are kinda cute, but I only talk nice to them, I would never try to pet one! Speaking of feeding strays ... There was a PBS show about skunks .... a beach town was becoming over-run with them. The solution ? Everyone stopped putting out food for the many stray cats at night ... apparently feeding kitty in the daytime and putting it away at night worked ! The skunks moved back out to the sand dunes where they had lived before all the people moved into the neighborhood.
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Post by rachelcarson1953 on Jul 5, 2022 21:37:12 GMT
I feel bad that my dogs pestered that possum; they have always been around since I put out food for strays. I think they are kinda cute, but I only talk nice to them, I would never try to pet one! Speakng of feeding strays ... There was a PBS show about skunks .... a beach town was becoming over-run with them. The solution ? Everyone stopped putting out food for the many stray cats at night ... apparently feeding kitty in the daytime and putting it away at night worked ! The skunks moved back out to the sand dunes where they had lived before all the people moved into the neighborhood. Good for them! My strays pig out at breakfast and supper time, there is nothing left by nightfall, lol!
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Post by mystery on Jul 5, 2022 22:10:53 GMT
I'm not sure why possums have a bad reputation. They're pretty harmless. My parents had a dog that took out after a possum, and the little critter just passed out cold. That's where the phrase "playing possum" came from. I had a very large possum in my garage years ago, and I kept trying to push him out with a broom, but he just say there, mouth open, making soft hissing noises, but showed no aggression whatsoever. I finally gave up and just put the pet food in the house. I do keep my distance from badgers, because they certainly can be aggressive, but I've never heard of a possum attacking anyone. It doesn't seem to be very common. Oh, I have a long history with possums! When I was a kid, my Dad held one up by the tail to demonstrate that they have prehensile tails! Dad put him down pretty quick! And out where I live, they were always welcome until I got dogs. They cornered one and were pestering it, so I brought the dogs in until he safely ambled away. The cats never bothered the possums. Now, my mother's experience was a bit more negative. She was about 95 at the time, still in her own home with part time care, but her vision was bad. She fed the stray black cat that hung around, but one day she tried to pet the 'cat', not realizing it was a possum. She got bit, twice. Her neighbor called Animal Control, they called me, and when I got there the officer said that they had not actually seen the possum, so my mother had to do a full set of rabies shots. And the officer gave me 'the look', which, having dealt with animal control officers frequently through sheltering and rescue, I took to mean, "Your mother needs full-time care in a facility". Soon after her rabies shots, she fell and broke her wrist, making "falling rehab" impossible, so she went to a full-care facility. She was there for over three years, and passed from end stage congestive heart failure, with hospice overseeing those last few months. I had to sell her house and land to pay the nursing home; private pay. Medicare only covered 20 days, I think. I chipped in so I wouldn't have to liquidate her 80 acres of unspoiled forested land with a spring-fed creek. My Dad never wanted it to be sold. It is mine, now, and I will leave it to a land trust that will never sell it. She mistook a possum for a black cat? That's really bad eyesight! How did they figure out that it was a possum? Teeth marks? And I'm totally jealous of your spring-fed creek. That sounds so amazing. It must be so relaxing just to sit there and listen to the water burble, and watch the wildlife come up to drink. Lucky you!
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Post by rachelcarson1953 on Jul 5, 2022 23:01:13 GMT
Oh, I have a long history with possums! When I was a kid, my Dad held one up by the tail to demonstrate that they have prehensile tails! Dad put him down pretty quick! And out where I live, they were always welcome until I got dogs. They cornered one and were pestering it, so I brought the dogs in until he safely ambled away. The cats never bothered the possums. Now, my mother's experience was a bit more negative. She was about 95 at the time, still in her own home with part time care, but her vision was bad. She fed the stray black cat that hung around, but one day she tried to pet the 'cat', not realizing it was a possum. She got bit, twice. Her neighbor called Animal Control, they called me, and when I got there the officer said that they had not actually seen the possum, so my mother had to do a full set of rabies shots. And the officer gave me 'the look', which, having dealt with animal control officers frequently through sheltering and rescue, I took to mean, "Your mother needs full-time care in a facility". Soon after her rabies shots, she fell and broke her wrist, making "falling rehab" impossible, so she went to a full-care facility. She was there for over three years, and passed from end stage congestive heart failure, with hospice overseeing those last few months. I had to sell her house and land to pay the nursing home; private pay. Medicare only covered 20 days, I think. I chipped in so I wouldn't have to liquidate her 80 acres of unspoiled forested land with a spring-fed creek. My Dad never wanted it to be sold. It is mine, now, and I will leave it to a land trust that will never sell it. She mistook a possum for a black cat? That's really bad eyesight! How did they figure out that it was a possum? Teeth marks? And I'm totally jealous of your spring-fed creek. That sounds so amazing. It must be so relaxing just to sit there and listen to the water burble, and watch the wildlife come up to drink. Lucky you! Yeah, it was teeth marks, but it still could have been a raccoon which is more likely to carry rabies, so they were covering all the bases. Yes, that forest is magic! My Dad bought it when I was a teen, and I'm now a senior, so I have spent many happy hours walking that 80 acres, as did my Dad. I've taken tons of photos of flora and fauna, and it is such a peaceful place. It deserves to remain pristine. My Dad bought it from an old man with an old dog, and the old man had stacked up rocks as a fence, with his old dog keeping him company. I wear boots, though, because there are a few snakes from time to time. But the sound of my walking stick tapping the ground generally keeps them at bay.
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Post by Penn Guinn on Jul 11, 2022 21:16:52 GMT
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Post by rachelcarson1953 on Jul 11, 2022 22:57:56 GMT
The perfect snap, taken at just the right fraction of a second! I bet that photographer was proud! Lovely photo!
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Post by mystery on Jul 13, 2022 3:08:17 GMT
Are there any foragers here? I tried making Dock Bread the other day, made with the dark brown seeds of curly dock plants, roasted and then ground into a flour. I had family over and I expected them to turn their noses up and refuse to try it, because it was made from lowly nuissance weeds. Instead, they inhaled it. I was honestly shocked. I only got one slice. The kids were slathering it with nutella, and laughing that the bread and the nutella were the same color. It's very dark bread. It was interesting, though. Wild foods are fun.
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Post by rachelcarson1953 on Jul 17, 2022 16:28:49 GMT
Are there any foragers here? I tried making Dock Bread the other day, made with the dark brown seeds of curly dock plants, roasted and then ground into a flour. I had family over and I expected them to turn their noses up and refuse to try it, because it was made from lowly nuissance weeds. Instead, they inhaled it. I was honestly shocked. I only got one slice. The kids were slathering it with nutella, and laughing that the bread and the nutella were the same color. It's very dark bread. It was interesting, though. Wild foods are fun. I catch a lot of flak from a friend that makes fun of my vegetarian diet. She would give me more trouble if she knew I was eating Lamb's Quarters, a type of weed found our area a lot. Most farmers spray it to kill it, but I looked it up on a website about eating wild plants, and it has as much nutrition in it as spinach. My friend calls them 'horse weeds', and fusses that I don't pull them all up out of my flower garden. I pull them and replant the roots elsewhere, so she doesn't see them, and then use the leaves as I would spinach. With olive oil and a bit of garlic, sauteed, very tasty, and can be used in soup easily. And it's FREE!
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Post by mystery on Jul 17, 2022 18:02:40 GMT
Are there any foragers here? I tried making Dock Bread the other day, made with the dark brown seeds of curly dock plants, roasted and then ground into a flour. I had family over and I expected them to turn their noses up and refuse to try it, because it was made from lowly nuissance weeds. Instead, they inhaled it. I was honestly shocked. I only got one slice. The kids were slathering it with nutella, and laughing that the bread and the nutella were the same color. It's very dark bread. It was interesting, though. Wild foods are fun. I catch a lot of flak from a friend that makes fun of my vegetarian diet. She would give me more trouble if she knew I was eating Lamb's Quarters, a type of weed found our area a lot. Most farmers spray it to kill it, but I looked it up on a website about eating wild plants, and it has as much nutrition in it as spinach. My friend calls them 'horse weeds', and fusses that I don't pull them all up out of my flower garden. I pull them and replant the roots elsewhere, so she doesn't see them, and then use the leaves as I would spinach. With olive oil and a bit of garlic, sauteed, very tasty, and can be used in soup easily. And it's FREE! I love lambsquarters! And they're extremely prolific plants. If you disturb the soil around here, chances are lambsquarters will pop up. I usually sautee them or even just make them into a salad. I think they're the best wild greens for cooking. I've tried other things, like dock, dandelions and nettles, and lambsquarters have the best taste and texture. I enjoy trying weird foods. I used to seek out unusual foods overseas, but I can do it in my own backyard, too!
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Post by divtal on Jul 17, 2022 18:40:27 GMT
I posted earlier on this thread that large bodies of water are so appealing to me ... and, that I only live about 1/2 hour walk to the Pacific Ocean.
Lately, I have taken Amtrak's "Coast Starlight," from the Bay Area to Portland, and back. It had been years since I've done that. Now, I'm reminded that I have to add long hours in the mountains (in this case, The Cascades), to nature's wonders to be appreciated and rejuvenated.
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Post by rachelcarson1953 on Jul 17, 2022 21:11:26 GMT
I catch a lot of flak from a friend that makes fun of my vegetarian diet. She would give me more trouble if she knew I was eating Lamb's Quarters, a type of weed found our area a lot. Most farmers spray it to kill it, but I looked it up on a website about eating wild plants, and it has as much nutrition in it as spinach. My friend calls them 'horse weeds', and fusses that I don't pull them all up out of my flower garden. I pull them and replant the roots elsewhere, so she doesn't see them, and then use the leaves as I would spinach. With olive oil and a bit of garlic, sauteed, very tasty, and can be used in soup easily. And it's FREE! I love lambsquarters! And they're extremely prolific plants. If you disturb the soil around here, chances are lambsquarters will pop up. I usually sautee them or even just make them into a salad. I think they're the best wild greens for cooking. I've tried other things, like dock, dandelions and nettles, and lambsquarters have the best taste and texture. I enjoy trying weird foods. I used to seek out unusual foods overseas, but I can do it in my own backyard, too! That is too frigging cool, we both eat lambsquarters! Have you ever experimented with acorns? My friend has a prolific tree, and I've thought about trying to make acorn flour...
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Post by rachelcarson1953 on Jul 17, 2022 21:21:20 GMT
I posted earlier on this thread that large bodies of water are so appealing to me ... and, that I only live about 1/2 hour walk to the Pacific Ocean. Lately, I have taken Amtrak's "Coast Starlight," from the Bay Area to Portland, and back. It had been years since I've done that. Now, I'm reminded that I have to add long hours in the mountains (in this case, The Cascades), to nature's wonders to be appreciated and rejuvenated. Oh, the Cascades are amazing! My late husband lived in Seattle for a while and fell in love with the Pacific Northwest. We hiked up Mount Baker and I took tons of photos! And the Olympic Peninsula... gorgeous! If I had enough money, I would live there, on one of the islands.
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Post by mystery on Jul 18, 2022 18:50:15 GMT
I love lambsquarters! And they're extremely prolific plants. If you disturb the soil around here, chances are lambsquarters will pop up. I usually sautee them or even just make them into a salad. I think they're the best wild greens for cooking. I've tried other things, like dock, dandelions and nettles, and lambsquarters have the best taste and texture. I enjoy trying weird foods. I used to seek out unusual foods overseas, but I can do it in my own backyard, too! That is too frigging cool, we both eat lambsquarters! Have you ever experimented with acorns? My friend has a prolific tree, and I've thought about trying to make acorn flour... I haven't tried anything with acorns, because there aren't many oaks around here. I am hoping to try making amaranth flour this year. It's also known as pigweed, and it's been cultivated by humans for thousands of years. It's another major nuisance weed, so if I can turn it into something useful, then I'm always happy about that. It really is amazing how many pesky weeds are edible. I used to weed the black nightshade plants out of my herb garden, and eventually found out they are edible (it's not the same as deadly nightshade), and they actually make a delicious jam that tastes like blueberries. I guess foraging just appeals to the culinary adventurer/ homesteading/ frugal/ Nature nerd in me. Every year, I discover something new.
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Post by divtal on Jul 18, 2022 21:34:52 GMT
"Oh, the Cascades are amazing! My late husband lived in Seattle for a while and fell in love with the Pacific Northwest. We hiked up Mount Baker and I took tons of photos! And the Olympic Peninsula... gorgeous! If I had enough money, I would live there, on one of the islands."
It is, indeed, a stunningly beautiful mountain "chain." I went to college in Oregon, and have visited school friends in the northwest, often. I love Mt. Shasta, here in California. Mt. Hood is lovely. The last time I was in Seattle, Mt. Ranier was "out." Often, it's swathed in mist.
My most memorable experience with the Cascade's was being just south of Seattle, on the day that Mt. St. Helen's erupted, in 1980. We were due north of it, so we weren't endangered. We went to "high ground," to see it. It was amazing to be 70-80 miles from something so dramatic ... and see it loom so large. I'll never forget it!
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Post by rachelcarson1953 on Jul 18, 2022 21:54:44 GMT
"Oh, the Cascades are amazing! My late husband lived in Seattle for a while and fell in love with the Pacific Northwest. We hiked up Mount Baker and I took tons of photos! And the Olympic Peninsula... gorgeous! If I had enough money, I would live there, on one of the islands."It is, indeed, a stunningly beautiful mountain "chain." I went to college in Oregon, and have visited school friends in the northwest, often. I love Mt. Shasta, here in California. Mt. Hood is lovely. The last time I was in Seattle, Mt. Ranier was "out." Often, it's swathed in mist. My most memorable experience with the Cascade's was being just south of Seattle, on the day that Mt. St. Helen's erupted, in 1980. We were due north of it, so we weren't endangered. We went to "high ground," to see it. It was amazing to be 70-80 miles from something so dramatic ... and see it loom so large. I'll never forget it! My late husband and I saw Mt. St. Helen's a few years after the eruption. The extent of the devastation of that physical force was hard to wrap our heads around. Seeing it happen must have been amazing and terrifying at the same time.
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Post by stryker on Jul 22, 2022 12:07:18 GMT
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Post by stryker on Jul 22, 2022 12:10:21 GMT
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Post by stryker on Jul 22, 2022 12:14:55 GMT
The wild horses of the Overberg.
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Post by mystery on Jul 23, 2022 13:22:00 GMT
Yesterday, I was out driving an ATV in the wild areas and I startled a mule deer doe. She panicked and started running away, so I called to her, mimicking a fawn's call. She stopped running and turned around and looked at me, and then started walking toward me. She stopped about 20 feet away and we just watched each other. I love deer. They're so beautiful and gentle and graceful. And fortunately, I'm very good at not hitting them with my car. Lol.
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Post by mystery on Jul 23, 2022 13:24:11 GMT
Cheetahs are beautiful animals. Have you gone on safari in SA? Any stories to tell?
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