A really, no really, great jar opener.

[RandomThought]

Random, are you home? I thought you might have hitched back on space junk or called an Uber shuttle.

There is much to do in that high tunnel. Peas don’t plant themselves.

ANN

I've been back and forth a great deal lately, taken in by the Martian goings on for a while, and then back to hauling loads of compost in the ol' truck.

Cathy is out shoveling compost (and doesn't want my help) on this lovely spring-like morning. And I have been considering conducting an intervention in a duck fight that has resulted from the onset of mating season.

The youngin has been applying for summer program scholarships as we face the specter of an empty nest rapidly approaching.

so many challenges...so little energy...

Brian

[Virginia]

Brian love that line - so many challenges....so little energy.

I probably could make it my signature line.

[agate]

Duck fight???

Do they attack one another?

[RandomThought]

Duck fight???

Do they attack one another?

Like two bull moose fighting for dominance but with more quacking and feathers.

[agate]

Just wondering what they have to fight with. Webbed feet aren't claws, and I doubt if their bite would do much damage. So maybe they land on one another bodily and make incredible amounts of noise and create a generally terrifying impression?

I'm always amused by the way cats fight. Even though they can do considerable damage with claws and teeth, they still feel the need to put on this colossal act that is more of a show than anything else: prancing around sidewise and puffing up to twice their size. The whole effect is quite impressive, particularly when accompanied by a very low ominous growl.

[RandomThought]

Just wondering what they have to fight with. Webbed feet aren't claws, and I doubt if their bite would do much damage. So maybe they land on one another bodily and make incredible amounts of noise and create a generally terrifying impression

Oh Agate, Agate, Agate...sweet innocent, naive Agate...

Ducks feet have terrible talons at the ends of their toes and my child bears a foot long forearm scar to attest to the danger...Then there are the vicious beaks, leveraged with the power of their long necks, with which they tear away one another's plumage...Ducks bleed when they are held down and have their feathers ripped out.

They say that nature can be cruel...but it turns out that they are really talking about ducks in the spring (sometimes they kill).

If I had it to do over again, I would not get ducks as pets.

Our cats on the other hand are snarling, hissing puffballs of joy!

In an effort to soften the harsh reality of my previous comments I offer this more pleasant take on ducks:Only registered and activated users can see links., Click Here To Register...

[Virginia]

Well, Agate now you know what ducks can do.

I liked the U-tube video.

[agate]

Well, Agate now you know what ducks can do.

I liked the U-tube video.

Yes, and I'm thinking of steering clear of them from now on. Ducks I have known have always been gliding peacefully along in lagoons in parks, every duck minding its own business and no territorial warfare. They looked so peaceful.

A male and female must not have liked the lagoon because for years they kept turning up on a patch of grass between the sidewalk and the street near that lagoon. They'd just sit peaceably on the grass watching the world go by.

Brian, your duck-injured child must have been terrified.

[clouds z]

just take a spoon and gently pry a tiny bit -easy

[RandomThought]

Thank you for the comments.

The youngin has gotten over the wounding and like most the scar is fading with time. She loves her ducks and suffers greatly with each loss from the flock and those are likely the more painful hurts.

There is a whole series of those duck song videos...pretty cute if ya ask me.

I never would have thought of prying with a spoon !



Brian

In my brother's yard the other night...

Cougar at night.jpg

[stillstANNding]

Random, is that a Bobcat? Mountain Lion?

ANN

[RandomThought]

That is a cougar...also called a mountain lion...they're a pretty big cat...

"Cougars are the largest members of the cat family in Washington. Adult males average approximately 140 pounds but in rare cases may weigh 180 pounds and measure 7-8 feet long from nose to tip of tail. Adult males stand about 30 inches tall at the shoulder. Adult female cougars rarely exceed 110 pounds. Cougars vary in color from reddish-brown to tawny (deerlike) to gray, with a black tip on their long tail. Cougar kittens are spotted until they are 4-5 months old, after that, barring patterns may remain up to 14 months of age."

Only registered and activated users can see links., Click Here To Register...

I think we should train them to eliminate the murder hornets!

[agate]

We had those mountain lions in Arkansas. I never saw one but from time to time an awed account would sweep through the school (small school with all 12 grades in one building) to the effect that one of our number had shot a mountain lion. This was regarded as a major achievement.

I could never understand why anyone would want to kill such a magnificent animal but maybe mountain lions were eating people's chickens or making nuisances of themselves in some way.

[Virginia]

Agate, if I was Brian's Mom I wouldn't venture into the back yard to find out what they will do.

They saw so many around where Nuthatch was that she told me she was afraid for her husband to go out on his walks.

[agate]

I don't think I'd be inclined to summon one of them to come closer by calling "Here, kitty kitty kitty, nice kitty." I might even look for a nice hiding place.