Mammal Sightings – The Hermits' Rest

Book Report: Foraging Texas

I got this book at the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center. I’m sure glad I did, because I thoroughly it and learned how many things right outside the house are delicious. Foraging Texas: Finding, Identifying, and Preparing Edible Wild Foods, in Texas (2021), by Eric M. Knight and Stacy M. Coplin, is the most fun and sensible foraging guide I ever read.

The authors, who apparently know my friend Linda Jo, strike a great balance e between caution and curiosity as they teach about edible plants. First, they insist you read the chapter on toxic plants, some of which I could go take you to right now (very healthy poison ivy vines). I do now know my water hemlock and friends, and simply won’t eat anything growing in the water, at all. Even the yummy ones might have pollutants in them. Sigh.

The authors focus on plants that are plentiful (many, if not most, non-native) so as not to encourage folks to contribute to a species going extinct. You’re heartily encouraged to eat annoying plants like bastard cabbage (they tell you to pull it up after you harvest the flowers, which proves to me that they have met Linda Jo). That woman hates bastard cabbage.

Bastard cabbage submitted by me to iNaturalist.

For each plant there’s a map of where to find it, a thorough botanical description (there’s an index of terms), comparison with any toxic lookalikes, how to harvest, and a recipe. Some recipes are like, just eat it. Other plants seem so hard to harvest that I wonder if it’s worth it. So many stickers and prickles to remove in your prickly pear fruit (tuna) or heart-leaf nettles. I’d say I’ll pass, but those fruit are so tasty.

Prickly pear with developing fruit at top. 2024.

Very few other plants are described as tasting delicious (dewberries are!). Most are okay.

I think the fun is mostly finding edible plants around you and knowing what’s a good hiking snack.

Found these today. You can eat flowers and roots, pink evening primrose.

Today I ate plantain seeds, because there are many in the pasture right now. I’m not going to go gather a bunch to share with the family. I could sneak chickweed in a salad, though. It’s tasty.

Bracted plantain. Much prettier than the kind I ate.

I will probably keep this reference book in the RV for reference when traveling. There are more comprehensive foraging books out there, but I like that this one covers the area where I live and is enjoyable to read. Now enjoy some pasture flowers.

Getting a Little Jumpy

Though it’s been two whole days since anything weird happened at the ranch, I’m on high alert. Any sudden movement gets me on defense. That has included swooping Barn Swallows, a deer in a field, and an owl on a fence post suddenly turning its head.

Most of this is normal, though the owl was pretty cool.

This Black Caterpillar Hunter didn’t set me off. I thought it was interesting.

I’ve been throwing myself into work, which is useful. And coaching coworkers does keep my mind off potential threats. But the minute I’m outside I’m watching for anything amiss. I’ll get over it after a few days.

Worst, we were watching our nightly television hour, when we heard loud screams. It wasn’t our TV, or the one in the bedroom. We ran outside to see if someone was hurt, then it became clear that our coyote neighbors were closer than usual. One coyote can sound a lot like someone screaming. It got my blood pumping!

I will do some breathing exercises after I finish this.

Today’s best news is I felt well enough to go eat some Mexican food with Lee. I sure enjoyed my tacos al pastor.

Happy Scenic Travels

We have returned from a very long travel day. We had to go from Garner State Park to Sisterville, or someplace like that, to drop the RV off to get fixed. The road there was as beautiful as only a Texas Hill. Country drive in spring can be. Believe me, if someone offers you a trip to this part of the world in April, go! So many flowers, hills, scenic rivers, and grand ranches to see!

I didn’t take scenery photos, but hey! Here’s a real live jackrabbit!

I didn’t take pictures for two reasons. One is that I had meetings all morning and was working. Two is that I woke up with the horrible sore throat I had recently, and my ears were also sore. I cannot swallow without bad pain. Yes, I will try to get in to the doctor tomorrow.

Squirrels having fun at the campsite. I hope the wrens find a new nest spot.

It was an adventure getting the RV and Jeep to the repair place, which is well off the main road. But Lee did it masterfully! While he talked to the repair folks, I met the neighbors.

We left a long list of repairs to be done, like making the bedroom slide, propane, and kitchen sink work again. We bid Seneca a fond farewell, and hope to see him fairly soon (realistically, the repairs will take a while).

We enjoyed more scenery until we got closer to I35. But even there, the wildflowers have been planted. I found these at a rest stop.

I’m now going to try to sleep with my dear dogs and a hefty dose of throat spray. My sore finger will thank me, too.

Earth Day Musings

All the rain has made it so green here. It’s so beautiful, like the Earth is celebrating herself.

Nature’s fickle, of course, or maybe just variable (I don’t think the planet is frowning or smiling on any part of herself). I was reminded a couple of times today by friends in North Florida, how dry it is there, and that fires are dotted all across the landscapes I frequented as I was a young girl and college student. As a Master Naturalist, I know that the pine forests of the region need fire occasionally, but you always worry about who fire displaces.

When we first arrived here, you could see wildfires on the horizon.

The lesson I have received from Earth Day in 2026 is that the planet can be in balance at a macro level but still swing back and forth from rain to fire, freeze to heat wave, extinction to replenishment. Our job is to observe and try not to push the Earth into unbalance. Humans aren’t in charge at the macro level. I just hope our small actions tilt the balance towards harmony overall.

And that’s the best I can do after pinging my way across projects and duties today. I was greatly assisted by my good fortune that I can step outside and breathe fresh air and enjoy my wild and domestic animal companions.

I hope you all get to step outside, unless you’re avoiding particulate matter, sand, or storms. Happy Earth Day!

Oregon Has DUCKS!

I mean, I knew that…college mascot and all…but I got to see plenty of them today! I’m in Tualatin (near Portland) for work for a couple of days this week, and I figured the only birding I’d get to do was around my hotel and the office.

I was very pleased when my boss, Jasmine, suggested we go on a walk after a team lunch yesterday. After many hours on a plane and a stressful rental car drive, I welcomed the chance to move around. I swiftly got many plant photos and heard some good birds. I love the little woods next to the office buildings and am so glad they saved it.

When I got to my hotel in Lake Oswego, I was charmed by all the cherry blossoms fluttering around. I’d never seen them in person!

I took a little walk around the neighborhood, found a path around a creek, and walked by some beautiful homes while listening to birds and enjoying plants, both native and cultivated. Oregon is truly verdant.

This morning I woke up early, since I’m still on Central Time, which enabled me to drive through tree-lined streets, many of which were in full bloom to the Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge. Jasmine came up with the idea of going for a walk in the refuge before our meetings started, because she really wanted me to have the chance to go there.

I was grateful she loaned me a coat. It was pretty chilly!

This wildlife refuge is mostly a huge wetland teeming with life, including beautiful plants, both native and introduced.

We had a blast looking at all the birds we found. There was a White Pelican, Great Egrets, Red-winged Blackbirds many Robins and Yellowthroats, a Harrier, Song Sparrows, a Spotted Towhee, Mourning Doves, Canada Geese, and so many beautiful ducks. We had so much fun trying to figure out what we saw. Ones I’m sure of were Mallards, Gadwalls, Green-winged Teals, Northern Shovelers, and a gorgeous Cinnamon Teal that Jasmine actually spotted.

There were also many fascinating plants in the wetlands and wooded area. We particularly enjoyed this native Horseweed. It’s one weird plant, especially the flowers.

Many of the trees were new to me, being Oregon natives. The Oregon ash had very soft leaves in an ashy green. The maples were in bloom, as were many others. I learned so much. Here are some scenic pictures and some named trees.

Things like this fuzzy caterpillar made us a little late to our meetings. But we had so much fun, it was worth it.

And now I’m ready to catch some zzzzz. A half day at work tomorrow, then back I go!

Book Report: The Hare

I bought The Hare, by Chloe Dalton, at the Book People store in the Austin airport this morning. I then proceeded to read the entire book on the plane to Portland, Oregon. That’s pretty impressive, since I was also helping the woman on my row with her sweet little nonverbal 4-year-old boy. Wow that woman is a great mother.

I did love this little book, which is a loving memoir of the years Dalton spent raising an orphan baby hare, called a leveret (did you know that?).

I learned so much about hares (which are not rabbits) and how they live! And of course, I loved Dalton’s descriptions of the English countryside where she lives.

Dalton, who is a political consultant, is a wonderful writer. She has a very apt way of describing the behaviors of her hare friend that sounds authentic yet fantastic at the same time. I hope she writes more books—I truly enjoyed her prose.

Her attitude toward the wild animal in her care impressed me greatly, and even when she gets into her sincere entreaties to take care of the native animals of England and provide them with the environment they need to thrive.

I loved The Hare enough to read it again later. These wonderful animals are fascinating, and Dalton’s gentle observations of them endear you to hares without pressure or stridency. You end up fond of both the author and her subjects.

The Best Thing about Today

Oh, it’s probably a tie for best thing about today. I enjoyed watching a cottontail standing very still while a juvenile bald eagle flew over. That was pretty special.

Just as good was the fact that I did a good job on today’s meeting for my new assignment while only letting my annoyance come through once during difficult meetings with my own department. You know it’s bad when you need multiple debriefs and still come out with no idea what to do next. But I got through it!

I rewarded myself by smelling the incredible scented white petunias.

Many of you will have been in situations like the one I’m in, where multiple people think they’re the decision makers, topped by workers who refuse to do what the deciders ask. All my cohorts and I can do is explain the consequences and listen. We aren’t the deciders. We’re the facilitators once we know what to facilitate. Guess that’s why we make the big(-ish) bucks.

Second reward: finding winecups in the front of the house.

Other hard decisions were made on other topics, so my brain is ready to shut down. I pulled together outfits for a trip to Oregon next week, but still have to pack for camping this weekend. I hope to have fun between all the driving and flying. I get to see favorite camping friends and coworkers I like, so that bodes well.

I feel confident I can deal with all the challenges and that remembering what’s good will be of great assistance. Ow I’ll make a wish for success in the next week!

There’s Always Time for a Story or Two

I broke my blogging streak yesterday, but I just didn’t have the brain power to do it. My brain was too feeble to put together even my usual simple sentences. I’m still dealing with this virus today, but I have more energy, so I’m gonna say I’m on the mend. (Yes, I know there’s a new COVID strain, and yes, I will get the booster because I’m at risk due to my advanced age.)

This is my picture from yesterday when I felt sickly.

It’s story time, nature observation time, life update time, or whatever. First, I’m cheered every time I go outside these days, because some of my favorite sounds are back, Barn Swallows and White-eyed Vireos. I’ll be tired of them eventually, but right now, those songs convince me it’s spring.

White eyes! Photo by Brad Imhoff. These guys hide in trees, so I rarely see them.

I’m looking forward to seeing hummingbirds soon, because our red yucca are starting to bloom. These are good signs when all the grass is brown and crunchy.

This stuff is nice and green, but the Bermuda grass beside it should be green, too.

Second is another tale of rural living. Yesterday I didn’t feed the horses their supplements, and neither did Kathleen due to recovering from her recent issue. Today I felt up to it, and marched into the tack room (which smells good because it’s the WOMEN’S room and we can turn on the Scentsy diffuser. I digress.

It came time to give Dusty his two scoops of bran powder, and when I reached into the bin, the bran moved. I guess the lid on this bin needs to be very securely attached. Yep. A mouse. One of the little ones. I tried to scoop it out and that’s when the whole dang bin began to move. More than one mouse. They started to try to fling themselves out, as they do. I did not want them in the tack room!

I did NOT take pictures today, so here’s the henhouse mouse.

So I bravely dragged the bin outside, grateful that the bran stuff isn’t very heavy. I did my best to encourage exiting by angling the bin downward, but of course the rodents tried to climb up or bury themselves in the bran. My goal was for zero mice to crawl up my arms. I succeeded! In the end, SIX mice scampered away. I hope something eats them.

Maybe they went over to chicken world where there is corn.

How did six of them get in the bin? There’s not any mouse poop around since Kathleen cleaned the room. Maybe they were in there when the bran was put in? Mystery. Even AI can’t solve that one. I do assure you, though, that I put the lid back on very tightly.

Lids must stay secure or critters will get in. Stock photo.

Later, Kathleen helpfully offered up the theory that if they’d kept eating the bran they’d have gotten all swollen and died. Eww. Now that’s in my head.

Boom! Note mouse has 3 tails. Quality AI.

So, to change the subject, I want to share how happy I am with a work development. Today I was meeting with a colleague on my new project and we got to talking about our previous lives. And talking. And laughing. And blathering away in geeky grad student language about our original fields of study, linguistics and folklore. At some point we were practically giddy about how much we have in common. And some of it is pretty niche far left cultural stuff that you usually don’t get to talk to random coworkers about.

I didn’t mention crafts to her, but hey, five rows of my blanket!

Then she told me the other woman running the project I’ve been brought in on is secretly a cultural anthropologist. I’d never have guessed.

I’m quite thrilled to have gotten to know someone just as weird as me who speaks the same quasi-intellectual language I used to speak. Sometimes I do miss aspects of my earlier years, and learning is one of them. My new friend and I both admitted we could stay in grad school the rest of our lives. I’d just keep getting Master’s degrees to go with all my interests!

I guess today was not all bad. It was quite interesting and satisfying. Hope yours was, too.

Book Report: The Age of Deer

It seems that I’m fascinated by the animals that surround me. I wonder I snapped this book, The Age of Deer: Trouble and Kinship with Our Wild Neighbors, by Erika Howsare (2024), the minute I saw it in the bookstore.

I’ve always enjoyed sharing space with deer, from childhood. There were deer in Florida when I was young, only fewer than there are today. Illinois had them roaming to cornfield borders, too. They’re everywhere in North America. And in Texas, whoa, the suburbs I lived in were full of them, too full in some places.

I learned a lot more about deer when I took my Master Naturalist classes and did more reading on North American and world history. I realized deer have been around humans pretty much throughout our histories. Deer have nourished us (and other animals) all this time, yet still survived. And they’ve inspired humans with their beauty and courage, as well.

Howsare began the book not really knowing why she wrote it and ended up feeling a complicated kinship with the white-tails. Truth be told, complex is one of the best words to describe the human/deer relationship. We both love them and kill them. We create habitat for them just so they can look better when they lose their lives to us. They can kill us, too, by making a poor choice of when to cross the road. Complicated.

Like the beavers, deer were extirpated in many parts of North America when their skins became popular for clothing in Europe. When it was just Native Americans using their hides, horns, and sinews, there were enough to go around. But those dang Europeans never realized when they were taking too much until it was too late.

I also learned a lot about the US hunting culture, much more than I knew before, even though I’m surrounded by hunters and benefit from meat they share. I didn’t realize that the trophy antler hunters of farmed deer are looked down on by the wild deer hunters who hunt for sport and food , nor that the culture of crowd hunting is another separate group who hunt to eat.

By the time you finish this book (if you can…it’s not for the squeamish in some parts), you’ll have a much greater understanding of issues surrounding dear, the resilience of the species, and how interdependent we are. If you didn’t already admire deer, you will. You’ll also gain respect for many people who care about them.

(All photos by me)

Blam blam blam

I had exactly ONE important meeting today where I had to pay attention. That is when some folks off somewhere adjacent to the people across the road decided it was time to break out the rifles and start with the pew, pew, pew. Only it was much louder.

I should have run outside and blinded them with my nails. This stuff is incredibly reflective outdoors.

Of course, while I had my camera on, Penney had to try to insert herself into my arms, Carlton started shaking under my desk, and Alfred stuck his giant head under my free arm. My headphones disconnected, things fell off the desk, and I kept trying to act professional. At least I wasn’t leading the meeting.

Why couldn’t those woods be all peaceful, like yesterday, when it was just me and the orange cat?

Let’s hope they don’t start up again tomorrow when I’m leading a meeting with bosses in it. Apparently, yesterday the blamming was during my lunch with friends.

I’d have been trying to hide like this raccoon was during today’s noise.

The good news is that there was no massacre. Once the meeting ended and I walked past the bridge, I could hear them yelling, “pull,” before shots rang out, so I figured out they were skeet shooting. That’s a new one.

There are the shooters. They also mowed an entire field of bluebonnets.

The shots sounded really close from our house, and my neighbor said it sounded like it was in her back yard. Her dogs were also terrified. The shooters were very close to her property line. Well, I hope they got lots of skeet.

I also enjoyed banter about skeet and what they could be hunting in response to my Facebook post about the noise. That made a weird day a bit better.

Getting to enjoy the bridge turtles on their new sunning log also cheered me up.

In the end, I enjoyed writing for most of the day, and had a nice rest on the porch with all the flowers after work.

Then all but one horse got some vigorous currying, because it’s shedding time. Mabel, as usual, also has mud clods that I’m gradually scraping off. She can really collect mud. I’m in charge of the horses for a while, since my helper has had a setback, but I’m on it! I just want no nearby shooting during horse time.