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<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When people talk about a quiet, peaceful neighborhood, they usually mean low traffic, polite neighbors and the gentle hum of suburban life. I have one of those, but with a twist. Living on the edge of a wetlands reserve sounds peaceful and idyllic and it is, in that \u201cNational Geographic meets suburban living\u201d kind of way. My street is blissfully quiet, mostly because there\u2019s little automobile traffic due to it being the \u201cedge of civilization\u201d.<\/p>\n
On the other hand, my backyard is like Grand Central Station for wildlife. I’m not complaining, though. It\u2019s like having my own personal nature documentary playing out in my yard. My street\u2019s unofficial Neighborhood Watch includes a hawk, a fox and at least one raccoon with questionable morals.<\/p>\n
Like everyone, I have squirrels in the backyard. You know, those little furry daredevils who think the bird feeder is an obstacle course built just for them. I\u2019m positive they\u2019ve unionized. I\u2019m convinced they hold strategy meetings to plan new ways to bypass the squirrel-proof bird feeder. (Spoiler: \u201csquirrel-proof\u201d is just marketing code for \u201csquirrels will take this as a personal challenge\u201d.)<\/p>\n
The supporting cast out here gets a bit more dramatic. Some mornings I glance out the window to see a hawk perching on my fence post, scanning the neighborhood for scurrying snacks. A bald eagle flies overhead once in a while too, just to remind everyone who\u2019s the top dog \u2014 well, top bird \u2014 around here. It\u2019s beautiful, impressive and a stark reminder that the food chain is very much an active outdoor dining experience.<\/p>\n
The four-legged crowd is a whole other story. Rabbits hop through like they\u2019re late for a tea party. They\u2019re basically our furry lawnmowers. The raccoons are the night shift, conducting their secret business under the cover of darkness. They come in wearing their little bandit masks, rummaging through my trash like they\u2019re looking for clues. The fox is smooth, charming and clearly up to something. We\u2019re still trying to figure out the plan. The skunks? They make their grand entrance with zero warning and leave behind a fragrant reminder that the world belongs to them. And the coyotes? They like to hold their howling jam sessions at 2 AM, because apparently that\u2019s when their muse strikes.<\/p>\n
Canada Geese show up in rowdy mobs, treating my lawn like it\u2019s the dance floor at a wedding reception. They honk, they waddle, they leave \u201cparty favors\u201d everywhere. Once in a while a deer wanders through, looking politely confused, as if to say, \u201cExcuse me, is this the salad bar?\u201d before giving me that \u201coh, sorry, wrong yard\u201d look and trotting away. I\u2019m pretty sure I\u2019m being judged on my lawn care skills. Once a family of field mice tried to move in, until other animals decided the lease terms weren\u2019t in the mice\u2019s favor. The ensuing turf war was more of a rapid, one-sided evacuation and I haven’t seen a mouse since.<\/p>\n
Down in the wetlands pond, there are fish and turtles, living their best aquatic lives. Thankfully, the water stays low enough that they don\u2019t visit me personally. I like them from a distance, the way some people like their in-laws.<\/p>\n
Living here is a little wild, literally, but I wouldn\u2019t trade it for anything. My back yard neighbors may not always be human, but they\u2019re far more entertaining. Out here, the HOA meetings involve actual squawking, chittering and howling and the fines come in the form of Canada Goose droppings on my driveway. If nothing else, I\u2019ve learned that life is more fun when you share your backyard with a bald eagle, a fox and about 42 squirrels. I\u2019m grateful for the quiet and I\u2019ve accepted that my backyard is a never-ending nature documentary.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
When people talk about a quiet, peaceful neighborhood, they usually mean low traffic, polite neighbors and the gentle hum of suburban life. I have one of those, but with a twist. Living on the edge of a wetlands reserve sounds … Continue reading