Skunky Neighbors

These photos are from last summer.  Skunks have been faithful visitors here since I bought this house in the 1970's.

They're very sweet and docile creatures.  I've never been sprayed, no matter how close they get to me.

I've even been fortunate enough to be able to pet them a couple of times. (Sorry about the blurry photo).  The first time, waaaay back when I first bought this house, I had stepped out on my porch to put out some cat food and saw what I thought was a black and white stray cat.  (I didn't have my glasses on).  I bent down to pet it and, just as I got my hand on it's back, I realized it was a skunk!  I stepped away slowly, thinking for sure I would get sprayed, but it didn't even seem like it was afraid of me at all. 

I've found that if you move slowly and speak softly, the skunks won't fear you.  It's also key to pay attention to the signals they give you; if they're looking right at you and stamping their front feet, it's best to back away slowly and say nothing. 

I love them, and am always happy to see them.

To see more wonderful creatures click here. 

Saturday's Critters

This is a Scrub Jay.  Usually they're not found above the 2,000 ft. elevation.  I guess this poor guy must have been really lost, since he was up here above 5,000 ft. 

At least he found some food...I hope he found his way back to his home. 


To see other wonderful creatures, click here: Saturday's Critters

Winter Sunset

I was over by Lake Arrowhead yesterday evening; the sky looked remarkably similar to this one, which I took in February of 2017.  It started out clear and sunny this morning, but now my little cottage is socked in with fog.  The weather people say we might get 4 inches of snow tonight...I hope they're right! 


To see more beautiful skies, click here.

My World on Tuesday

A tiny painting I did for the front of a card.  I stamped it first, then used watercolors and pencil to paint it.  I think next time I'll just draw it myself as stamps always seem to make the shaded areas way too dark.

The sky was really pretty this morning with wispy clouds and an almost Delft blue sky. 


I'm linking with Ruby Tuesday
and                     Our World Tuesday

Memories of Winter

These snowy photos are from January 2005. 

The first one and this one were taken from North Road looking over Lake Gregory. 

This one was taken from my front porch; you can see a bit of my beloved 1978 K-5 Blazer.  I recently sold her, and it just about broke my heart.  I bought her new in 1978; we had many wonderful adventures together.  I couldn't drive her in recent years due to back problems, and I could tell she was tired of sitting around.  She wanted to be back out on the roads (and off the roads) having adventures!  She has a really good home now with J. Dawe; he loves her just as much as I do. 

This is leading back to my studio.  The Crestline area received a little over four feet of snow from this storm.  I think the days of storms like that are over forever for these mountains.  Warming temperatures, decreasing rainfall, both unwanted gifts of Climate Change, are making it seem so.  I hope I'm wrong.

Mr. White Rabbit is hoping that we never see snow like that again.  He says he doesn't like being buried under the snow, thank you very much! 


Linking with Through My Lens

Food for Thought

 "Courage is doing what your afraid to do.  There is no courage unless your scared."  Eddie Rickenbacker ShadowShotSunday2

Praise for Cats

"I can say with sincerity that I like cats; I can give very good reasons why those who despise them are wrong.  A cat is an animal who has more human feelings than almost any other being."  Emily Bronte 


The photos are of Chester, Lucy and Merlin snoozing after a big turkey dinner on Christmas day...just as my husband used to do, ha ha! 


To see other beautiful animals and birds click here.

Rain

This is Huston Creek in happier times.  It's been dry for a couple of years.  We received nearly 5" of rain from this past storm, but even that amount wasn't enough to revive the creeks up here because, after nearly 10 months with no measureable rainfall, the earth quickly soaked it all up.  The hoped for snowfall of 2 feet in Big Bear didn't materialize either.  They got quite a bit of rain and between 3 and 6 inches of snow.  I'm crossing my fingers and praying that we get more rain...

Saturday's Critters

A female Mallard duck, one Redhead male duck and lots of Coots, which aren't ducks but are actually close relatives of the Sandhill Crane.  We only see the Redhead ducks on our mountain lakes in these mountains in the winter. 

Two Buffleheads stand out in this photo.  They're also a winter visitor to the lakes up here, migrating to Canada and Alaska in the summer to breed. 


Our winter visitors are about the only sign that winter has actually come to these mountains.  No snow, no rain (10 months now without rain) and temperatures that are way too warm for January.  It's 58 degrees right now.  We're supposed to get up to an inch and a half of rain this Tuesday and Wednesday, with snow above the 6,500 foot level, but I'll believe that when I see it.  Meanwhile, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the weather forecasters are right this time! 


To see more beautiful birds, click here

Tara the Hero Cat

The kitties and I watched the Rose Parade today, as we always do. 

We were all thrilled to see Tara the Hero Cat on the LucyPet float, along with some hero dogs. 

All three have saved the life of a human.  Tara saved her four year old boy, Jeremy, from an attack by a Labrador-Chow mix, a dog obviously much bigger than Tara.  We think Tara is the epitome of loving devotion.

 I tried to find an image of the float, but I could only find this drawing.  It was a beautiful float.


2017 was such a horrible year for me...I'm glad to see it go.  I'm hoping 2018 will be much better, not just for myself, but also for our country and the world.