Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Resident critters

Welcome to our new Follower, Bud Russman, whose blog is Arizona RV Guy!  It's funny, when I checked out his blog, his current post has info about Forest River, which is the manufacturer of The Palms.  He's talking specifically about their travel trailers and fifth wheels, but I recognized some of the things he was talking about that are part of The Palms.  This is a new blog, and I hope it continues along the same lines, because it looks like it will be interesting and helpful.  Welcome aboard, Bud, we're happy to have you along on our adventures!

Whew, was it cold last night.  When I woke up at 8:30 it was 38 degrees inside, and little Katie hadn't moved from under her little nest inside a small down comforter.   It was warm inside The Palms yesterday evening due to the two space heaters we have (I'll forever love all of you who suggested I get electric space heaters!!!), so I didn't put her jacket or sweater on her when we went to bed.

When I woke up, right away I thought about Katie, and looked down to see a bump still under the quilt.  Usually she will come out during the night, but not last night!  I got up and spread a quilt over her, too, and she didn't move.  I peeked to see if she was okay:


 "Hey, Mom, let me sleep.  It' so nice and warm in here."


I looked out the kitchen window and saw this little guy:



A little past noon we were at 73 degrees in here, up from 38 degrees.  It was time to take off the warm clothes and turn off the heaters.  :)

I was sitting here watching TV on my laptop when I heard some rattling outside my screen door.  I looked over my shoulder....... right into the eyes of a squirrel climbing up my screen. I don't know who was more surprised!   I, of course, got up for the camera while he scurried away and Katie went over to the door to see what she'd missed.

On our early afternoon walk, we were just about to turn into our driveway when I noticed something out of the corner of my eye:

 Anyone out there - is it safe?

 Hello...

 Food...

Yum!

He was so funny - he kept popping in and out of his hole, grabbing a little greens, back into the hole, looking back and forth.   We stood right next to him watching and snapping photos for a long time.  I can't believe how good Katie is when I stop to take pictures.  She'll sit for quite a while, completely quiet.

Later this afternoon there were lots of little birds in the bushes and on the ground behind The Palms, picking things out of the soil right near another hole - there are lots of animal holes here.  All of a sudden a head pops up, looks around at the birds, and goes back in again.  I wanted to get a picture of him looking out at the birds, but he didn't come back out.

Here are some shots of local flora.  These are from the front of the little shop area right outside the park:




The grounds are landscaped beautifully.

 The sun was setting across the valley.


From Me and My Dog, have a great Wednesday evening, everyone!   : )

9 comments:

  1. Love those little ground squirrels! I even like gophers when they are not where I don't want them.

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  2. Barbara, you sure do find a lot of interesting things to take great pictures of!! Thanks. Glad you warmed up, finally. Katie looks so funny peeking out from her warm bed. Stay warm and dry. Enjoy the day.

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  3. Hi Barbara,
    Angel loves hiding under the covers too! Just love the critters.

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  4. Some of your pictures I spoke of a today in my blog post. Not by name but just seeing your pictures and other RVer's on where you are staying is what is making want to start my RV journey sooner than I have planned. Great shots.

    Also I spoke of a co-worker today on my blog but failed to mention that he was at your current camp site this past summer as they worked their way out west.

    I think I like that 70's weather better than the 30's. I also use two electric space heaters in my house and have found they work much better than the baseboard electric heat this house came with.

    Enjoy the cool evening with a campfire, a cup of coffee and star gazing.

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  5. Great pictures again. I can just imagine coming eye to eye with an unexpected squirrel. I have read that squirrels might crawl into the engine compartment to find warmth so toot your horn or slap the hood before starting your engine when it's been cold out. With that many rodents running around, you might want to check into some form of non-lethal deterrent. They can eat the wires in your engine compartment and cause a big problem. They sure are cute though.

    Loved the photo of Katie peeking put from the quilt.

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  6. Great pix of the critters. Can't imagine the thought of a squirrel on the screen!

    We got an electric space heater for the bedroom. It's great, has a thermostat on it and everything. Keeps it toasty in there!

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  7. The space heaters are a great idea..sure saves on propane!!..love the shot of Katie all snug in her bed!!

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  8. Katie looks so cute all snuggled in her comforter.
    Great shots of the wild life. The sun setting shows the colors in the mountain so beautifully.
    Thank you for sharing.

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  9. My Bennie loves being under the quilts also when he gets cold.

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Thank you for your comments - we LOVE them!