Category: Challenges

Posted in Challenges

#SoCS – Dec 10/16

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

img_0319

When I saw Linda’s prompt this week, all I could think about were the East Tennessee fires of a couple of weeks ago and the little baby bears who were left homeless in the wake of the terrible, wind-driven fire in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. [Image here]. So many baby bears were left motherless and homeless, their mothers either perishing in the fire or fleeing from the fire with no chance of reuniting with their babies. A rescue center was opened and each baby bear is going to be saved and raised.

The prompt brought that terrible night back to me. I live north of the fire area but Gatlinburg and the Park is a vacation spot for all of us who live where I do. Many of my friends were married there. We all have a soft spot for that area in Tennessee. It was so close to being destroyed. Many people died – there is not a final death count yet. The last I heard was 40. Thousands of homes and business structures were burned. Tens of thousands of acres of one of the most beautiful National Parks in America were burned. Then, there is the wildlife like the bears. The deer. The small animals. The loss simply cannot be calculated.

The worst part. It was arson. The suspects are, the last I heard, two teenagers. I can’t think about that or I want to start screaming. I also can’t look again at that picture of the baby bear or I will cry – again. Please give what you can to wherever your heart leads. The people who lost their families and homes. The families of thousands of domestic dogs and cats, killed in the fire because their owners had to run fast to get away and couldn’t take them. The bear rescue. The Facebook page for Clarence the Pig, a domestic pet, who dug himself deep in the mud as the fire swept over him and survived. He is in the University of Tennessee Veterinary Hospital with burns and his vet bills will be in the thousands of dollars. In fact, call that hospital if you are an animal lover and see what you can do. Give to the businesses that depend on tourism and tourism will be severely diminished for a long time to come. Give to the National Park Service. Just give.

There isn’t much more I can talk about in this Stream of Consciousness post. Thank you for reading and doing what you can do. #amwriting #amblogging #writing #Gatlinburg #SoCSDec10/16

*This post in response to SoCS Dec 10/16 Challenge.

Thanks, Linda!

 

It’s Not This Time of Year Without… making sure that the wildlife, particularly the birds and deer, that inhabit my property have enough food and shelter. My property has been designated as a National Wildlife Federation habitat. That just means that I have the resources on my land to sustain the needs of the wildlife. Water, food, shelter, and so forth. Since I live in the woods, it’s not hard to provide those resources although I do supplement the natural resources to make sure that there is enough for the wildlife that have been pushed into my land by land development all around us.

Since it is still autumn, the squirrels and chipmunks are busily gathering up the nuts that have fallen. The birds still have a few berries to eat. The deer eat both. But just the resources on my land is surely not enough for the plethora of wildlife that frequent my property — from deer, birds, and the small rodents to raccoons and the more exotic foxes and beavers.

Since I do live in a hardwood forest, I have many species of birds visiting my property, particularly woodpeckers. They require a special kind of food to get them through the winter.

The woodpeckers prefer suet that I hang in suet feeders from the trees. When the big pileated woodpecker is around (see picture at the top of the post), the suet vanishes rapidly because it is almost as big as a chicken. When all the species of the woodpeckers are feeding, I buy a lot of suet. They will also eat seeds and nuts from specialized types of hanging feeders. Not only do I have to have food out for the birds but water as well and I have to make sure it is not frozen in winter.

I have dozens of other species of birds. The ones that are here all the time are cardinals, finches of all types, nuthatches (who eat what the woodpeckers eat), thrushes, flickers, sapsuckers, mourning doves, wrens, juncos, and many others. This list is certainly not exhaustive. Many other birds pass through when they migrate. These birds love black-oil sunflower seed and safflower. The finches like thistle and the big blue jays love peanuts. Be careful if you buy mixed bird seed. It is usually full of filler.

I also provide shelter for the birds in the form of bird houses and plat

As for the deer, I provide them with salt and mineral blocks scattered around the property. I also make major purchases of field corn for them and there are often twelve deer at a time standing around the feeding troughs, does and bucks alike. I give them apples as we have them. Sometimes, I think the deer are going to walk right into the house if I’m late in feeding them. Hunting season thins the herd a bit but I have a very high deer population where I live. Raccoons share the corn with the deer.

For me, it surely isn’t this time of year without making sure these animals are well-fed, watered, and sheltered. We have taken their habitat and the least we can do is try to give a bit of it back to them. #amwriting #amblogging #writing #wildlife

img_0348

 

It’s Not This Time of Year Without….

Posted in Challenges

One-Liner Wednesday

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

img_0341

When you get to be of a certain age, you find yourself wanting to reach out to people who have been important to you in your life, only to find out some are so very worth it, but some are so very not worth it at all. #1linerWeds #InspirationalQuote

Sponsored by Linda Hill

Thanks, Linda!