Tuesdays With Tag - The Hills Are Alive...

My Goodness, Claudette. What Funny Footprints You've Got

 

 Hi, Everybody!

No, that's not me. You know it's that stoopid cat, Claudette. This cat's been gettin' on my nerves. She harrasses me whenever I'm mindin' my Ps and Qs and tryin' to go back into the house after takin' care of my personal outside business (if you know what I mean). I swear, she trots from the barn to the porch as soon as she sees me, just so she can take a swipe at me as I come up the stairs. One of these days...to the moon, Alice!

Anyway, there's a reason her mug is front and center this week. Mom and I were gone for most of the mornin' yesterday. We went shoppin' and ran a few errands (No, she didn't bake bread like she said she was gonna). Dad stayed home with the inside girls. 

When it was time to feed the Barn Girls, Mom was lookin' down to make sure she didn't slip on some of the ice on our driveway, when she saw those footprints in the snow. What the...?!!!

The Look Like Pterodactyls!

 

Well, they sure as heck aren't Claudette or Crystals, and they weren't any of the canine variety either. Mom went and got Dad, wonderin' if he'd been playin' tricks on her. (We expect him to make crop circles any summer now, just to mess with Mom.) He said he'd been in the house all day, except to air out the girls, and he hadn't seen anythin' in the yard.

Almost As Big As Mom's Size 9s

Mom's feet aren't tiny by any means, so you can see how humungous those prints are. Pterodactyls? Velociraptors? Penguins?

Nope. We looked it up. These are turkey tracks. Thing is, Mom saw five or six of them in the north field on Sunday. They were huge! They were headin' for the habitat, so apparently, now they're makin' the rounds to all Mom's bird feeders. Dad is surprised the Girls didn't alert him that they were outside the house. Heck, they bark if they hear a mouse outside, and these are certainly bigger than that!

We'll have to watch now to see if they show up again. It could get interestin' if I'm home! That's not the only surprise, though...

A Lone Coyote In Search Of Love And Food

 

This picture was taken by Miss Shelly. Andy called us on Saturday and asked Mom if we were home. (Yup) He told Mom she'd better look out the back window of the house because there was somethin' big in our back yard. He wasn't kiddin'.

Halfway between our barn and Andy's woodlot behind our house was this guy. He was actually bouncin' on the snow like a fox after mice. Mom and Dad watched him for a while, and then Mom went outside and screamed like a banshee to scare him off. He ran like the wind, and who could blame him? She even freaked me out a little.

Mom and Dad saw him again on Sunday, so Dad went out with the dog whistle and sent him packin' again. It's that time of year, you know. Love is in the air for these guys, and they're out lookin' for the mother of their next litter. Love 'em and leave 'em.

Mom worried that he might have harmed one of the cats, as she'd seen Crystal in the same area of the yard earlier. She headed to the barn and saw Crystal, but no Claudette. She went outside and called for the terrorist, who always comes runnin' when Mom chirps for her. Nothin'.

Finally, Mom saw her peekin' out from behind the woodshed, first lookin' at Mom, and then watchin' the north field where the coyote had run. She'd apparently seen him when he was in our yard, and she wasn't takin' any chances.

Mom walked up to the woodshed, picked Claudette up and carried her back to the Compass Barn. Claudette kept an eye on the north field the whole time. Mom spoke softly to her and said she was glad her little black and white cat was bein' extra cautious, and that Claudette should tell her daughter to be careful, too. We can only scare him off when we see him, and who knows if he'd come back at night. The cats may be jerks to me, but I sure don't want anythin' to happen to them, either. I'll be watchin' from now on to keep all my girls safe.

Speakin' of which...

Happy Seventh Birthday, Bella

 

I owe Boo an apology. Her Birthday was last Wednesday, and I forgot to wish her a Happy Barkday in my last post. She turned seven. She's been a good buddy, and I've grown accustomed to her face. I'm sorry I missed tellin' her on her special day. 

Happy "Extended" Birthday, Bella.

I'll see you again in seven. 'til then... 

"Been There, Chewed That!"