urban wildlife | Nana's Whimsies

What Does the Fox Say?
The first three weeks or so after we got back to Denver, we saw regular appearances of our backyard friend Mr. Fox. I make it sound as if every year it’s the same fox, and that isn’t so. In fact, the fox we saw in May and early June had a lot of black fur on its red back, something the others didn’t. Suddenly, however, the fox has been nowhere to be seen. Generally that means something bigger is probably making nighttime visits – like Wile E. Coyote. Last weekend we had friends over for dinner. Seven-year-old Anthony asked Bill if he thought he would get a chance to see the fox that visits our back yard. Bill admitted that he probably wouldn’t since the fox hasn’t been around. Around 8:30 that evening, they were getting ready to leave. Suddenly Anthony shouts, “Is that a fox?” We look out, and sure enough, Mr. Fox made a special visit so that Anthony could say hello. Since then, nary a glimpse of him again.

A Man for All Seasons
I have mentioned that we are in the process of remodeling our kitchen. Nothing substantial (besides a new dishwasher). Mostly paint and other cosmetic upgrades. But the paint job hasn’t been particularly easy. Prior to the remodel, my kitchen was all yellow. Now there is some gray, some blueish green, and some white. Quite a bit of detail work. It has kept Bill incredibly busy. Since we began, he has installed a new dishwasher, put up bead board, replaced grate covers, and painted, painted, painted. But that isn’t all. The other day I brought home material to make window treatments that I saw on Pinterest – no-sew faux Roman shades. Emphasis on the no-sew, because I can’t sew a single stitch. I had no sooner walked in the door, however, when Bill stopped what he was doing to sew my no-sew faux Roman shades. “It will just look nicer if it’s neatly hemmed rather than glued,” he said. And of course, he was right. The man does it all.

Watermelon
There are a few fruits that aren’t good until they’re good. Tomatoes are one example. Until fresh tomatoes become available mid- to late-summer, they’re mostly mealy and flavorless. Another example is watermelon. I bought a watermelon a few weeks ago, and it had no taste. But the past couple of days I have been eating wonderfully sweet watermelon. I eat it the same way my mom did, lots of salt. It makes for a wonderful solution to a sweet tooth after dinner.

Speaking of Sweet Tooth
When last I visited my doctor for my annual physical, the results of my blood test came back indicating my blood sugar was a bit high. Nothing I’m particularly worried about at this point, my doctor told me. Still, she said it would behoove me to lose a few pounds and cut back on carbs. Whaaaaaaaaaat? Cut back on what? Because, you see, I’m addicted to carbs. Though I’m not proud of that fact, I’m afraid it’s true. Not all carbs. Bread? I could take it or leave it. Potatoes? I’ll nibble on French fries but they don’t necessarily call to me. But pasta? Oh yeah Baby. And my glass of wine at night? I drink it for the health benefits, donchaknow. So a couple of weeks ago, I went a week of eating carb-free. I lived off of meat and a salad until I thought I would kill myself. By Thursday I was so tired and crabby that I just wanted to go to bed and Bill wanted me to so that I would quit nagging him. But I was successful, and I lost a couple of pounds. I have started adding some carbs back into my diet, but thus far I’m trying to limit them to so-called good carbs. Mostly fruit and some bread. I have had one or two glasses of wine but no dessert. Well, except for the piece of homemade cheesecake I had the night we entertained. Does that count?

And I Thought Sour Cream and Onion was Crazy
I was at the grocery store yesterday and as I rushed towards the check-outs (I was in a hurry as usual), I went past a display of potato chips. I did a double take, and turned around to look again. Yep. Sloppy Joe flavored potato chips. Seriously? Along with Sloppy Joe, there was also Sweet Corn Potato Chips and Baby Back Rib Potato Chips. You could actually have an entire barbecued dinner with only potato chips. I’ll take plain Lays, thank you very much.

Corny Cole
Finally, Cole Jonathon was over for dinner the other night and enjoyed an ear of sweet corn (real sweet corn, not potato chips). And when I say enjoyed, I mean ENJOYED.

Ciao.

Bill and I simply can’t talk ourselves into going to the gym on these beautiful March mornings. Though I feel guilty (for some reason, it seems like more genuine exercise if I’m walking on a treadmill than if I’m walking along the side of a lake), we are enjoying the clear and cool mornings as we walk around the lake in a park near our house.

By noon it’s already inching dangerously close to 90 degrees.

Yesterday morning we were out and about just after 7:30, and it was a nice time to enjoy our urban countryside.

I know those two terms seem contradictory. Still, that’s exactly what it is. A bit of country in the middle of the city.

When my cousin visited last weekend, her husband commented that we probably didn’t have a lot of birds in this area. Au contraire mon frere. Though it was exactly what I thought before we bought our house in the desert, I was surprised to learn that there are all sorts of birds in the area, including cardinals. And not just the football team.

Arizona Cardinals football player

The other Arizona Cardinal.

I have mentioned before that our backyard hosts a variety of birds including mockingbirds, quail, and mourning doves. In fact, as I watched the quail yesterday morning before we left for our walk, I told Bill that I think quails are a sign that God has a sense of humor. They are the funniest of birds.

But back to our walk. Red Mountain Park is quite large with several covered eating areas and a couple of playgrounds. The sidewalk winds all of the way around a beautiful lake that looks as if it could be out in the country. There are ducks and geese aplenty. One lap around the park is just under a mile, so a couple of laps gives you a pretty good walk.

This park, as I have observed is true in most parks in the area that have a lake, are open for fishing. And in the morning, especially as early as we walked, there were plenty of men and boys fishing. Most are sitting in lawn chairs paying little attention to their lines. Yesterday we saw a couple of men fly fishing, which I had not seen before.

Again, in the way that I have, I begin to invent stories. I think these are men from Minnesota or Wisconsin or Iowa who are retired and loving their new lives of leisure. They probably spend a few hours a couple of times a week fishing, not really interested in whether or not they catch anything. Probably throw them back if they do. What they used to do only on weekends in the summer they can do any day of the week!

Yesterday, in addition to many birds, we also saw a little bevy of bunnies. Perhaps they were divying up duties for the upcoming Easter holiday. They didn’t appear to be even remotely concerned about the nearness of humans. I guess they just figured if we try to harm them, they just won’t leave us any Easter candy!

As we near Easter and thus the end of Lent, I am going to offer one more Lenten recipe that we enjoyed. It just didn’t seem like much of a sacrifice…..

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