A new kitten, and some turkey vultures

Two events today: some turkey vultures suddenly appeared - big, predatory looking things.

And, earlier, a new kitten. One we've never seen before!

We're not sure where the kitten comes from; it appeared at the food bowl, and was chowing down with enthusiasm. So it's definitely weaned. The poor little thing looked very lonely; the Mrs said it looked like Sparky did when he re-appeared, having lost his 3 siblings. (I miss Spunky; he was, well, just so spunky!) We ... GOOD GRIEF!!! A big Labrador dog just walked past the back door! Another stray. A spot check around the property showed it be to "standing off" about 15 yards from the house.

Where was I? Oh, yes: We tried to entice the kitten, but it was quite, and understandably, afraid. It seems to have made friends with a couple of the other cats, so its chances have improved. :-)

The drowned squirrel has attracted some turkey vultures. I checked where I'd buried the thing - admittedly not as deep as it should have been buried - and the corpse is gone. A racoon probably dug it up, and now all sorts of critters are making a beeline here. Anyway, after we'd got back from a little afternoon sojourn, I spotted 3 big turkey vultures sitting in the trees. Those birds are, to be perfectly frank, BIG. And they just look so prehistoric.

Fortunately, they only eat carrion - which, considering the amount of road kill, is why they are plentiful. On the other hand, the quantity of road kill around here, and in all of the continent, couldn't match that of the British Isles! I've never seen so much as when we were over there. It's a wonder they don't run out of wildlife!

The storm did bring down some small trees, and one big one up the street. It straddled the road. As you might expect, some people didn't see a tree in the road, and hit it. How do you not see what is basically most of a tree, in the middle of the road?!? It wasn't in an unseen dip, or behind a curve. It was in the middle of a straight, level, bit of road.

Well, it looks like we're looking after a few new visitors. I'm not surprised - the foreclosure rate around here has been pretty bad, and people generally abandon their pets when they foreclose. (Responsibility? What's that?) I'm tempted to name the kitten "Snittens", for no reason whatsoever. The vultures I'll name "dangerous" and the dog - "Astonishing". Or maybe something simpler if it sticks around.

Carolyn Ann