For most of my childhood, I grew up in a suburban home. About nine years ago, we moved our family to what some consider to be a more rural environment. When we moved here, I felt we would not be so displaced from the urban environment since there was a Panera Bread, Barnes & Noble and Costco.
Little did I know, my children would be going to school with a mixture of kids. They go to school with families who still run dairy farms and the children work after school starting at a very young age. The school has an equestrian team and many children have farm homes. However, there are also kids who come from very wealthy families living in countryside estates.
However, what opened my eyes to how rural of an area we live in is the number of animals we have encountered in our own backyard. We live in a rolling subdivision on just under two acres, in a beautiful neighborhood. Not at all what I would consider farmland.
The most shocking, and eye opening experience was within the first year of living here. First thing in the morning, I would let our dog Carson outside, and he would return to the door wall at the walk out basement when he was ready to come back. One morning, he greeted me at the door with something in his mouth. Having no idea what it was, I tried to get him to drop it on the cement. He wouldn't drop whatever it was. Finally, my husband brought some treats out, and Carson, dropped the item on the cement. The object made a splatting sound on the concrete, and I can only imagine the expression on my face when I realized what Carson had been holding in his mouth.
A raccoon head stared back up at me from the ground.
This was only the beginning. Many years ago, there was the chipmunk in the garage that Linus, our indoor cat, chased around as a toy. This summer, the chipmunk population has increased since Carson is no longer here to chase them away. Just a few weeks ago, I was standing in the garage and one came running in. He didn't see me and it was so funny, when I said hello aloud. I swear, I scared him half to death.
There was the baby bunny found in the yard with injuries that was taken to a local nature center, and he later died. The nature center also helped us out when we found three baby mice in a bucket with their dead mother by their side. They were named the "three blind mice" and promptly taken to the nature center with a cash donation to nurse them back to health.
Once I walked in the garage and a snake slithered past me. The first summer in the house I remember looking out the office window, swearing the giant box turtle walking across the lawn looked like a prehistoric dinosaur. He stayed in a box with us for a few days.
And of course there are the critters who made it to the attic. Once I kept hearing noises in the ceiling and thought there must be mice in the attic. No, those lovely field mice never made it into the attic. Turns out it was a bat. Sadly, he ended up getting caught in a mouse trap, and didn't die right away. I will never forget the awful hissing sound he made as he was dying. Another time, we heard something bigger in the attic, and set a live trap. Turns out it was a baby squirrel who we relocated to a park 25 miles away.
We have our share of deer in the forest, and many fawns. The kids love to throw apples from the deck into the forest, knowing the deer will come and eat them. It is so beautiful to see them looking up at the house.
Toads, frogs and salamanders are always around in the warmer months. Occasionally, they will make it into the house with my youngest son, Benjamin. Many of tree frogs have jumped at me, and have been chased around the house. When Benjamin was younger, he collected as many toads as he could find and built them houses in the garage. He called the game "Extreme Home Make-Over - Toad Edition." I swear, those toads had the nicest houses in all of toad world.
Of course, the house has been invaded by bees twice and the Bee Lady had to come out and remove the nests. This summer the chimney swifts invaded the fireplace and sadly some of the babies didn't live. Another call to the nature center.
The dead possum in the garden box was kind of creepy. I could never plant vegetables in that area of the garden again. And don't get me started about voles - I had no idea what they were until we moved here.
Yes, I realized I live in a rural area, when the raccoon head splat on the sidewalk, and I now know to call the nature center for critter questions. However, I still believe I have the best of both worlds, urban and rural.
Little did I know, my children would be going to school with a mixture of kids. They go to school with families who still run dairy farms and the children work after school starting at a very young age. The school has an equestrian team and many children have farm homes. However, there are also kids who come from very wealthy families living in countryside estates.
However, what opened my eyes to how rural of an area we live in is the number of animals we have encountered in our own backyard. We live in a rolling subdivision on just under two acres, in a beautiful neighborhood. Not at all what I would consider farmland.
The most shocking, and eye opening experience was within the first year of living here. First thing in the morning, I would let our dog Carson outside, and he would return to the door wall at the walk out basement when he was ready to come back. One morning, he greeted me at the door with something in his mouth. Having no idea what it was, I tried to get him to drop it on the cement. He wouldn't drop whatever it was. Finally, my husband brought some treats out, and Carson, dropped the item on the cement. The object made a splatting sound on the concrete, and I can only imagine the expression on my face when I realized what Carson had been holding in his mouth.
A raccoon head stared back up at me from the ground.
This was only the beginning. Many years ago, there was the chipmunk in the garage that Linus, our indoor cat, chased around as a toy. This summer, the chipmunk population has increased since Carson is no longer here to chase them away. Just a few weeks ago, I was standing in the garage and one came running in. He didn't see me and it was so funny, when I said hello aloud. I swear, I scared him half to death.
There was the baby bunny found in the yard with injuries that was taken to a local nature center, and he later died. The nature center also helped us out when we found three baby mice in a bucket with their dead mother by their side. They were named the "three blind mice" and promptly taken to the nature center with a cash donation to nurse them back to health.
Once I walked in the garage and a snake slithered past me. The first summer in the house I remember looking out the office window, swearing the giant box turtle walking across the lawn looked like a prehistoric dinosaur. He stayed in a box with us for a few days.
And of course there are the critters who made it to the attic. Once I kept hearing noises in the ceiling and thought there must be mice in the attic. No, those lovely field mice never made it into the attic. Turns out it was a bat. Sadly, he ended up getting caught in a mouse trap, and didn't die right away. I will never forget the awful hissing sound he made as he was dying. Another time, we heard something bigger in the attic, and set a live trap. Turns out it was a baby squirrel who we relocated to a park 25 miles away.
We have our share of deer in the forest, and many fawns. The kids love to throw apples from the deck into the forest, knowing the deer will come and eat them. It is so beautiful to see them looking up at the house.
Toads, frogs and salamanders are always around in the warmer months. Occasionally, they will make it into the house with my youngest son, Benjamin. Many of tree frogs have jumped at me, and have been chased around the house. When Benjamin was younger, he collected as many toads as he could find and built them houses in the garage. He called the game "Extreme Home Make-Over - Toad Edition." I swear, those toads had the nicest houses in all of toad world.
Of course, the house has been invaded by bees twice and the Bee Lady had to come out and remove the nests. This summer the chimney swifts invaded the fireplace and sadly some of the babies didn't live. Another call to the nature center.
The dead possum in the garden box was kind of creepy. I could never plant vegetables in that area of the garden again. And don't get me started about voles - I had no idea what they were until we moved here.
Yes, I realized I live in a rural area, when the raccoon head splat on the sidewalk, and I now know to call the nature center for critter questions. However, I still believe I have the best of both worlds, urban and rural.
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