I’ve had two days off with one more to go, but at least the sun was shining this morning, and there was no rain. Emma and I took a drive down the back roads of the refuge one last time today. Even though the weather was gorgeous, there wasn’t much happening as far as wildlife was concerned.
We did come across one great blue heron walking down the road, but that was about it. We had a nice little walk around the bridge over Milltail Creek, but there were no butterflies or snakes today, just a cool breeze blowing. It was very peaceful, and there really weren’t any other people in this area honking at me. That was refreshing.
Each day after 4:00 for the last week or so, I’ve been taking Emma for a walk off leash down the levy in front of the rigs. She has her shock collar on, of course, or she would be blasting off for parts unknown. It’s been so enjoyable for me to be able to give her some exercise without the constant tug on the leash.
I had the same plan for tonight, and as I clipped her collar on, her best friend Princess came over to see what we were doing. Princess belongs to Peggy and George, and I’ve been told that she will not leave the compound because she is afraid of the electric fence. As I opened the fence to let Emma out, I told Princess to stay put and then reattached the wires. Emma going with me was too much for Princess; she blasted under the fence, and the two wild maniacs were off to the races! So much for her being afraid of the fence! As I hollered loudly and flailed my arms, the both of them returned, but then began a wrestling match. I guess George and Peggy were taking a nap, because this went on right outside their trailer and no one came out to give me a hand. Eventually, I got them both back inside the compound, and started over. It took a correction, but I finally got Emma outside the fence and Princess stayed inside of it. Phew!
The levy runs for quite a ways down to the end of the field. Soy beans were planted in that field five years ago, but it was left to nature this year. Did you notice that there is no blue leash leading to Emma’s collar?
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I had brought my camera along, of course, and spotted these fresh paw prints along the levy. I found them at about the same distance I saw the two bear cubs two weeks ago.
That’s the cap to my camera lens to give you an idea of the size of this hind foot print. The rain we had the last couple of days softened the levy enough so the prints showed up.
I was even able to find both a front and a back paw print together. This should give you an idea of how closely we really are surrounded by the wildlife on the refuge. I have to admit that I’m more comfortable seeing the prints rather than the individual this close up.
THE END!!
Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later, Judy
