The Lounge

Look at these guys.  Where is the fear factor?  I think most of the critters around here have seen us so much; they’re quite comfortable hanging out in the yard. 

Rabbits on my patio

Here’s another shot of a rabbit that likes to climb rocks.  This is unusual for rabbits, but anything can happen here. 

Enjoying the view

On a sad note, we had a young jackrabbit that hung out in our yard and slept under a tree.  He did this almost every day and would venture across the street to my neighbors too.  Both of us felt so bad when he met his demise last weekend.  We both “knew” him, so it was different than finding a different critter lying in the gutter.

 Our jackrabbit friend gone to the great beyond

Look who happened by

Living in the desert the way we do, one can get up close and personal with the critters around here and see things you may not normally see, especially if you’re an urban dweller.  I don’t think there’s a day that goes by that I haven’t taken at least a dozen pictures, many times its way more than that.

I thought I’d share a couple more desert inhabitants with you. 

 Coming into the yard from the desert

 

This is a jackrabbit.  We had them in the fields in Texas too, but we never saw one this close.  These guys come in the front yard all the time.  They munch on what’s left of my lawn, or find shade under the trees.

 Finding a spot under a tree

Preparing to stay a while

 

This looks like a young one.  They can’t get in the backyard because the whole area is walled and we have “poodle pickets” in the gates.  The smaller rabbits can still squeeze through around the hinges, or come in through the Y-block we have installed.  But that block is a life saver during rainy season.  Any excess water drains down the natural riverbed, we worked into the landscaping, and out into the desert.  Following the natural slope of the land is necessary if you live in the desert where possible flooding could occur.

 Desert toad on my patio

 

This next guy has to stay out of the heat, so these toads are nocturnal.  They can come out after sunset, but it’s usually later at night that I spot one or two on the patio.  They eat bugs and use the water dish as their private pool.  They’ll stay in there an hour at a time soaking up the water.  These frogs will dry up if they’re caught out in the sun.  Desert toads will spend most of their time in underground boroughs, or they’ll find a sanctuary under rocks.

I have neighbors who actually build toad houses for them.  The frogs have been known to move in and stay there for years, if they like it.  I’ve thought of doing this too because these toads are good for the environment, as they keep the bugs at bay.

Desert toad on my patio

You can make a toad house out of rocks, or an old terra cotta pot.  The important thing is to remember to leave the opening in a sheltered area (away from people and weather).  The “house” needs to be big enough for the frog to crawl in and out of comfortably.  It’s good to leave the bottom dirt, so digging a small indentation in the earth is ideal.  If using a terra cotta pot, cut it in half and then sink it into the sandy soil.  If this isn’t possible, bury part of the pot so only half of it is exposed.

If anyone is interested in building a toad house for your garden, click here for more information and instructions.

Okay, after writing this post to schedule, I got inspired and decided to go in search of the broken terra cotta pot we had lying around.  My husband more than likely threw it away because I couldn’t find it.  I keep more than he does, always looking at some discarded item as a possible craft project for later.

I was lucky enough to find a broken water pan so I decided to use that.  The problem I faced was the fact it was too shallow.  The red dirt here is hard to dig out, so I used some broken cement blocks and rocks as risers to lift the water pan up.  I still had to dig down some to make a nice damp spot for the frog to reside.

The next thing to do was deciding where to put the “house.”  Near a source of water is ideal, so my choice was under a honeysuckle vine that grows next to a wall and is about eight feet away from the water dish on my patio.  This spot is shielded by the wall and the vine and doesn’t face north.  In fact, it’s in the shade most of the time and is protected from winter snow and intense summer heat.  Perfect.

 My toad house

 

So I got on my garden gloves, took my knee pad and a small garden shovel and went to work.  It isn’t the coolest day in the world at 97 degrees here, making me thankful when the sun went behind a cloud for a moment or two.

As I worked, I heard the bells of the wind chime above my head bringing thoughts of my sister-in-law who would love to be here with me doing this.  She loved all animals and creatures.

My toad house

I robbed a few rocks from the riverbed in my backyard to put on top of my creation and on the sides so the entrance isn’t too exposed.  Now we’ll see if a frog finds it.  That’s the purpose, right?  I know they come to my patio all the time and go around the side of the house and under the gate to the front yard.  This house is just inside the gate, so they will have to pass it on their night excursions. 

 My toad house

 

Today is August 10 and I’m scheduling this to post on August 19.  I’ll let you know if I have a resident frog by then.  Stay tuned.

For me, it’s off to the shower now that I’m a sweaty pig.

Issues

First, let me apologize for missing Sunday’s post.  With everything going on here, I never got one written up.

 I’ve been helping my friend get her book on Createspace.  It’s been on Smashwords for a while.  The biggest issue here has been putting the book cover into the right format for Createspace, but it’s getting there.
 

Free clipart

Then we had all the writing group issues to smooth out and organize for our first meeting last Saturday.

 One of my sisters called me to tell me mama spent four hours in the emergency room.  She fell in the shower, but luckily didn’t break anything.  So she will heal, its just bruises everywhere, which isn’t good either but better than broken bones.  Everyone went to the hospital to support her except my youngest sister and me because we live out of state.

I had to go over to my neighbors too because starting tomorrow I’ll be taking care of her cat and garden again for the next three weeks or so.  She is off on a camping and hiking trip to the Sierra Nevada’s in CA.

Comet - Sunni's Photo's

Then, Comet, one of my cats has been sick, so today I took her to the vet.  She has terrible allergies this year and has never had them before.  I called his office on Friday.  They told me to get children’s Benadryl for her and give it twice a day over the weekend.  Well you can imagine how this went if you’ve ever tried to give liquid medicine with the syringe to a cat who wants no part of it.  We had Benadryl everywhere except in the cat.  What did go down her throat made her gag and she’d try to throw it up every time.  The only time things went smoothly was the first time because she wasn’t expecting it.  After that, she was ready for us.

 So today, she went to the vet and had an allergy shot.  She wasn’t happy about this either, but there wasn’t much she could do with three of us holding her down.  Once we got her back in the carrier to bring her home, she hardly made two meows.  I guess she was pleased to be going home.  She was raising a fit on the drive over there.  I think she’s better already.  We’re all happy about that.

 

Baby Jackrabbit by my front door

 

I was coming home from the neighbors later this afternoon and there was a baby jackrabbit by the front door.  Sadly, it was dead of natural causes (I guess) because we didn’t see a mark on it.  It’s been coming in the afternoons over the last week to sit in the shade there in a small cubbyhole on each side of our front porch behind a façade.  What a shame.  It was very young and made me sad it won’t grow up to roam in the desert behind the house with the rest of the wildlife back there.

 That’s been my week.  I haven’t written a word on my mystery book and I need to finish it.  I’m working on the last chapter.

Living in the Desert is a Trip



Jackrabbit - Sunni's Photo's

 

You never know what you’ll see in the desert.  Here is a young jackrabbit grazing on the bushes in my front yard.  They’re plentiful in the desert scrub behind my house.

Mockingbird - Wikipedia

 

Today we had three mocking birds playing around the backyard.  They were frolicking and having a good time.  Later in the day, a roadrunner came to drink out of the birdbath.  My husband chased it off before I could get a picture.  Chipmunks were running around at her feet and I think he thought she would decide to hunt.  Did you know the male roadrunner has an orange spot on its cheek where the female doesn’t?

Roadrunner - free clipart

 We have four lizards living on the patio and others scattered about the yard, so between them, the desert toads, and the bats that come out every night, they take care of many of the bugs.

Scorpion - free clipart

 

Last night there was a scorpion in our garage – a big four-inch scorpion.  We haven’t seen one in a long time.  Unfortunately I dint get a picture because it was on the move and we had to get it out of there.  My husband was out there barefoot and saw it right after he started thinking about scorpions and being out there barefoot.  They are cannibals, eating their own species if no other food is available.  The female eats the male after mating.  Did you know that scorpions could work their way into a sealed cardboard box?  Our garage door seals too so we think he flattened himself and got in that way.  And they can live for eighteen months with no food or water!  They are also cannibals eating their own species.  The female eats the male after mating.  It’s no wonder they live in the desert where things are scarce.

 Scorpions aren’t the only things that can flatten themselves.  We’ve seem grown rabbits get through a small space about 2 inches wide in the gate.  I swear they have flexible bones.

 About the only thing we haven’t seen lately are snakes and tarantulas.