Now, They've Done It!

  Well, I normally claim that animals are far smarter than humans.  Critters have a natural survival instinct that does not leave them time to meddle in other's affairs.  They do their thing and let others do theirs.  That is the way things should be but humans always have to be nosy....and bossy....and greedy.  Critters have got it down pat...at least, some do.

  Along about mid-morning, I thought it wise to bring Son a cooling drink as he had been working on the pier again.  It is hot work and I can no longer help him.  He was appreciative and as I was waiting to fetch his glass back up the hillside, I noticed something amiss.  Thousands of hickory nuts were strewn across the lower section of the yard.  Odd! Hickory nuts should not be falling for a few months yet and we had no storms to knock them from the trees.  This was a mystery that required investigating.  I assured Son that I would not venture too far and set off on my mystery-solving party.

  As near as I can tell, the nuts were knocked down by hungry critters whether raccoons or squirrels (or both)!  It appeared that some of the nuts had the green outer shell gnawed a bit before being discarded. Obviously, the green nuts were not as tasty as the critters had thought but they were determined to find a "good" one so they kept trying and discarding.  Now, they have done it!  With the nuts knocked to the ground, they will not be fully matured.  The meat inside will wither and dry.  The critters' winter supply is going to be short.   In fact, even the nuts on the ground will be gone by then.  Tomorrow, I shall gather them and store these fine things for winter.  They will not be used as food but as fuel for the old cast iron stove.  Once hot, the hickory nuts last a long time and put out good heat.  Sorry, critters...your loss is my gain!

Don't Be Foolhardy!

  Here it is the first day of April and we are cold.  Well, cold for the Deep South and, believe me, everyone is complaining...as if that will do any good whatsoever.  While I admit it is a bit chilly, it feels good!  There are no gnats when the temperature is cool!  I will wear a long sleeve shirt if it means I will not be eaten alive by those little buggers!  Still, that cool weather should be a deterrent to more than just the gnats but, obviously, it is not.  

  Early this afternoon, the outdoors called and I heeded that call.  The old dog, Mr. PJ, has been feeling poorly, so he opted to stay on his bed instead of gallivanting about the hillside.  It is just as well.  It never occurred to me that snakes would be out with the wind chill being nippy.  Just to the side of the pier, marsh mats are laid flat after a bit of unusually high tide.  It seems that the mats are a haven for a good many critters and that includes snakes.  As I was photographing some shells, a musky odor caught me off guard.  Uh, oh.  I knew that smell.  This was no April Fool's joke!  Somewhere nearby there had to be a snake.  So...I eased back to a sitting position from my knees and waited and looked.  

  Slightly to my left, a cottonmouth moccasin was soaking up a bit of sunshine.  The snake obviously had been far under the marsh mats because it was still "wearing" a thin layer of mud but, even with that disguise, I knew exactly who was nearby.  The snake and I sat about eight feet apart for the better part of a half hour before it decided to take refuge back under the marsh mat.  

  The action of the moccasin proved that snakes are "not out to get you" like so many folks believe.  Instead, my calm behavior was met with its calm behavior.  Neither of us threatened the other so the meeting was non-eventful other than me getting some photographs.  It pays to keep calm and do some levelheaded thinking instead of being rash and doing something foolhardy.