@californiazebra I love learning about your life. You are so inspirational. Super great attitude. It sounds like you are in sort of a desert area. I wouldn't want to worry about other animal predators either. My only worry here is human crazy people when I go for walks. So I've been sticking to malls.
My father had to retire earlier than he wanted to, and he surprised us all with his sudden affection for squirrels. He could identify each and worried over them when they didn't show for a feeding. He was raised in the South, so dogs and small animals were not deemed as pets. It was so heartwarming to see him relating to the squirrels as something other than a food source...lol