What's outside of your picture window today?

@sueinmn, @johnbishop at al..Were you talking about the woodchuck who does chuck a lot of wood, I understand, building a home under your deck? No door there? If you meant desk, you do have a problem . Bless you all! Elizabeth

We woke to overcast skies, and a cool breeze. It was wonderful. But the overcast has already burned off before 9am, and another hot day is on tap. The trees are hosting a scrubjay and blue bird convention, it seems!

We had a strong summer storm come through last night, bringing little moisture but lots of thunder and lightening. Many down fires [lightening coming down into trees, sparking fires] kept the local and nearby volunteer fire departments busy, along with local forest association personnel. Nothing super slose to us, thank goodness, but another reminder to "be ready".
Ginger

😂🤣🤣 - Hate autocorrect - under the deck.

Elizabeth @ess77, @sueinmn also caught my finger check. I might have been thinking "desk" when I typed but it came out "deck". 2 years ago I paid a DNR recommended trapper to come and get a rather fat woodchuck that was living under my three season porch part of my deck. It took about a week before one of the traps he set caught the guy. Then he came back, picked it up and released him in a safer place. They can do a lot of damage in an outbuilding and under a house if you have a crawlspace.

Hello, Ginger. @gingerw
What a tough time for my Western friends, and mid-west,too. I'm so sorry you have to deal with this.

Question from one of your Southern friends who regularly deals with the weather, ie hurricane season now through Sept and summer afternoon storms, highest # lightening event in US and lots of hot, humid days.....but still love it here and as do we all learn how to handle it all, good and not so good.

Do you folks do regular brush clearing throughout the years? Is this, clearing out the dead brush & trees, important to the reduction of lightening fires? Was it stopped or reduced due to environmental concerns?

Good to know you're doing well Keep up the s.iles, walking in circles around your kitchen...Blessings. elizabeth

Do they knaw on or eat you structure? That can be tough. I guess we have carpenter ants and termites that give us fits, don't know if Fl has woodchucks or not. You?

Enjoy your animal and seeing the DNR fellow visit. May be annual affair? Have a woodchuck party w/vaxxed only friends...no masks!
Serve ...not woodchuck!

Be well and enjoy my finger errors, can't blame them on computer. Most are on phone, using now but rarely for connect and on my laptop I have trouble w/a few keys. Oh well. Least by far of any problems!

Be well, enjoy the day filled w/blessings. Elizabeth

..

@ess77 Elizabeth, we have a lot of smoke drift today. There have been our spot fires all around, and larger fires to the south. The forest association brought in two more fire fighting/spotting planes so there are 6 helping our county out.

We work on defensible land space around our house. Unfortunately, the owner of empty properties to our east and south [we live on a corner] has refused to cooperate. Our neighbor and my husband regularly "accidentally" pull big rakes through by tractor or 4x4, to get vegetation down. I am more worried about the large stressed trees. This area is surrounded by timber country, ringing us on all sides with difficult-to-access areas. Underbrush is routinely cleared along roadsides, but I don't think higher up.

Yep, walking laps in the house. The cat thinks I am crazy!
Ginger

We're always on the lookout because the woodchucks come up from a nearby creek and natural area. I thought they had been chewing on our deck posts, but the real culprits were the possums! Both love to chew on cedar. I'm glad the beavers don't stray so far from the water, we don't need anymore wildlife.
Sue

Thanks for the message, Ginger, @gingerw and all. No wonder your neighbors don't do the clearing....you all do it for them. You're good neighbors. I'm concerned about al the timber around you, CA is filled as are Oregon, Washington, and the midwest and Canada. I read we slowed down or stopped most of the clearly of underbrush years ago due to environmental concerns. And water is diverted in Arizona or Ca due to some tiny frog or salamander. Is this legitimate and one reason for the increase in fires?

So horrible for everyone, but we're losing our important trees! Breaks my heart as I know it does yours. i want to shake somebody to get someone to act on all this!

I suppose i'm talking about local, state and fed gov't since it's way too big for us.

Anyway, be safe and keep the dat interested.
Bless you.
elizabeth

Wow! Life in the country areas.....where you still have real wildlife. Your so blessed. elizabeth