This is the view from my house down to the marsh. Those big pine trees are on a hump of land that juts into the water. We call it the South Point. We think it’s a beautiful part of the property. It has a mix of hardwood and pines. […]
Turtle Hill plants and animals
Thanksgiving isn’t following the usual script. Instead of a house filled with friends for my annual Pie Party, it’s just Steve and me. And Scooter. It’s cold and raining outside. It’s going to be one of these days. Po had her Thanksgiving early. Around Halloween the supermarket had a big […]
Script Rewrite
Porcupines are solitary animals and stay that way by defending their territory. If you see two porcupines at the same time and it’s summer, you’re probably seeing a mamma and her porucpette. Or if you see (and hear) porcupines interacting, you’ve likely caught the action during breeding season. Occasionally in […]
Who’s This Porcupine?
This has not been a good morning. At 8 a.m. I had a flat-to-the-rim tire. Steve had to cancel a phone meeting to come and help. He tried to change the tire to the spare, but the flat wouldn’t budge. Perhaps the wheel was damaged? This was in 20° F […]
Staying Mentally in the Plus Column
Today we have the trifecta of things that cause stress: a pandemic, politics and Christmas catalogs in the mailbox. Fortunately, I have something to counterbalance the stressors. A beaver marsh. Today there was ice on the shaded north side. This won’t last long. Temperatures will be rising all week. […]
Stress Relief at Turtle Hill
I woke up early one early morning last week and got to see Po eating acorns under one of the big oak trees in the front field. I watched her through my binoculars. Steve got this photo with his camera. Total adorableness. I follow the Instagram accounts of a […]
A Pumpkin for Po
Scooter asks to go outside to either a) pee and poop or b) sunbathe. Other than that, he’d rather be inside in his bed or on my lap. Let’s just say that he’s not a farm dog. Which is why the other afternoon, when I let him out to […]
Who’s There, Scooter?
Steve and I live on a hill facing a beaver marsh in southern Maine. You expect to see a lot of wildlife, and we have. Eagles, harriers, hares, coyotes, muskrats, beavers, ravens. Dragonflies, hummingbirds, beetles and bees of all sorts, mosquitos. We named our eleven acres Turtle Hill because […]
Blanding’s Turtle Sighting!
When you think about autumn in New England, you think about fall foliage. The maples are the first to turn orange. Two weeks ago this branch was the harbinger of things to come. Now whole trees are in glowing in yellows and reds. Here in Maine pine trees frame […]