I had a piece about botany scheduled for today, but in the miracle that is "life", I opened my door this morning to the little girl woodchuck* eating shoots on the front lawn. OH, YAY! As soon as I saw her, she smartly bolted to safety underneath the porch. It was great to see that she made it through the long cold winter. She has a rich, glossy, golden-brown pelt and a cute button tail on her round bottom.
So healthy!
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| The woodchucks made it through winter! Oh, good. I love them :) |
When I started getting ready to leave, making my bed and throwing out some trash, I opened the door for a second time to "Mr. Woodchuck". Yeah! He made it, too! He's bigger and browner, with a long, showily furry tail, and he's also a lot bolder, as is natural for most males of Mammalian species. I played a short game of hide-and-seek with him, as I went to the other room and back for my iPhone, deciding on whether or not to open the door, which had chased "Mrs. Woodchuck" away. I don't want to scare my home-base animals. I want them to feel safe with me, because they are.
Once outside, I was struck by how rodent-like its' side profile is, yet the full front face more closely resembles the chubby-cheek cuteness of a beaver. Awesome! Both Mommy and Daddy groundhogs stuffed their cheeks with the brand new sweet grass and wild onion shoots now growing in abundance throughout the Northeast. I spoke softly to the male that remained outdoors, opened out the door quietly while gently padding towards him on the porch, and I was rewarded for my good behavior with this killer shot:
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| Posing for the camera like a pro. Thanks, Mr. Woodchuck. I'm a big fan! |
It's important to that we respect all life on this planet we share,
which includes animal life. We've made it through the winter, folks! Let's celebrate the glory that is Spring 2015. There won't ever be another one like it, and that's the unique gift of each season we have to enjoy. To share our appreciation of the glory of G-d's gifts that expresses His love for us, try showing some support for His good, natural works through any number of the many available networks we have in place.
I joined the one that you see as a link below when I was a kid in the 70s by saving my weekly allowances. I still have the poster they sent me of beautiful line drawings. My "Moo Moo" mom was not exactly happy with my choice for fund allocation, but I did it anyway and I've never regretted it. Best of luck to you during your animal adventures (and all your other adventures) today.
* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Groundhog
