A Little WildLife

Sorry about not posting for several days. My spouse left last week for his week of deer hunting, and left me a little reminder of him...a stomach bug he had before he left. So, instead of the usual frenzy of sewing, I have not gotten much accomplished while he has been gone. Yesterday I abandoned all other on-going projects, and started making a fun turkey wall-hanging which I hope to finish later today and will post.

I did go for a walk this morning. We had a heavy rain during the night, but today is much warmer and the sun is shining. Beautiful! Here is the first house they have built in the new neighborhood that used to be a field/pasture at the end of my street. It looks great beneath those ancient oak trees.

And here is the neighbor's duck pond all shiny in the morning sun.

The ducks were all still in their funny little duck chalet after last night's rain. But isn't this a nice November scene? Maybe not pretty enough for a calendar, but nice.

Speaking of calendars, my husband buys a North Carolina WildLife Calendar every year as Christmas gifts for many of our friends and relatives, especially those who come to the mountains. Not only is there nice calendar art, but it lists the moon cycles, the hunting and fishing seasons, and other helpful wildlife information like this tidbit, which is featured on Thanksgiving Day.

We have had quite a spell of winter temperatures and some early snow, so I laughed when I looked at that note this morning before setting out for my walk. 'Twould be a foolish snake that had not yet gone below ground for the season.

So, what did I see on my walk this morning? You guessed it. I did not take a photo because it was dead, but a young and foolish garter snake had ventured out to the road, perhaps looking for dry ground, and got himself run over.

Anyway, speaking of the North Carolina Wildlife Calendar, I have always admired the quality of the art, but had been getting a little tired of always seeing a hunter in the field with his shotgun raised to his shoulder, pointed at the (name a game bird), or a big rainbow trout with a hook in his mouth. This year's calendar has some gorgeous scenes, some of which are featured on this web page.

But the nicest surprise is that they have a kid's art calendar this year, featuring work from school art classes.

I love children's art, but the quality of the work here is amazing. You can see all the winning pictures here. I really recommend this calendar as a gift. I like it better than the "adult" version. It is only $6.00. Kind of large, but would make a great gift for an art-or-nature-loving child (of any age!).

Kerchuan Soong, Charlotte Eighth grade, Age 15, Charlotte Preparatory School