My Own Personal Monotony

Much of my monotony is spent in the woods and on the trails around our house walking with Hamish. We are surrounded by about 100 acres of woods, trails, brooks and a few ponds.

Behind the house is the area I call “The Killing Fields.” It’s where the animal screams come from, and where Hamish finds various body parts to chew on (all animal so far.) Having only moved to the woods a year ago from the city – well, Massachusetts*- I’m still unsure of what is doing the screaming, why there is screaming, and whose parts are being found (and chewed.)

So, we’re tromping through the Killing Fields about a week ago, and I’m threatening the dog as he runs from one pile of deer poop to the next – gobbling as much as he can before I catch up, and I look down and see the white of the underside of a neck bone.

I nudged it and overturned the top-half of a skull. One canine tooth was missing, and there is this thick whisker-type piece coming from the roof of the mouth out across the opposite canine – that would drive me mental! So I don’t know who this skull belonged to – maybe raccoon or fox? I had my Crocs on, which have holes in them, so got skeeved out and stopped nudging it with my foot.

We had a pair of Orioles here this week too. I put out some orange halves, but so far, no takers. Beautiful birds – they flew over our heads and didn’t seem bothered at all by our talking and staring at them. Vanity.

The hummingbirds seem to be the most fascinating for everyone. They fly right near us, almost in-your-face – especially when we were hanging the new feeder – like,
“get out of the way…
hurry up or I’ll creep you out by getting even closer next time!”
I was disconcerted.

This feeder has spots for them to rest on while they eat – when this one flew away there was bright red orange color around his collar.

* I’ve come to learn from the locals anywhere in Massachusetts is city. Anywhere. And then you find out that 90% of the locals are immigrants from Massachusetts. I’m not sure when the statute of limitations runs out. They won’t tell me that yet.