Our Pet Chipmunk

Sometimes I feel as though we really do have an enchanted garden, and the other afternoon was a perfect example. While it's not very big or fancy, our little backyard is filled with a variety of birds and little critters scampering about. And we've made some "enchanting" friends back there.

One day last week hubby and I sat back there and spent quite a bit of time with one of our "Chips," seen here taking peanuts from me.

Not wanting to play favorites, Chip divided his time equally between hubby and me.

We all hung out, just chit-chatting, admiring the garden, and enjoying a glorious summer day.

After a while, Chip decided he'd like to choose his own peanuts.

He may be small, but he's got a mighty big appetite!

A bit later, while tossing peanuts on the patio for Chip and some of his friends, one peanut ended up in the waterfall fountain.

Our little Chip wasn't about to let a bit of water stop him from retrieving that tasty tidbit, as evidenced by this short video:

I've made a set of "steps" by placing rocks, from small to large, along the inside edge of the lower level as it's a bit deep for small animals and birds and I want to make sure they're able to get out if they ever fall in. Chip was smart enough to climb down those rocks in order to reach his peanut. That's my boy!

Wishing you all enchanted gardens filled with magical little creatures!

I'm linking to Tracie's Cottage Garden Party at the lovely Fishtail Cottage
and Cindy's Show & Tell Friday at the lovely My Romantic Home this week.

Donna

The Chip Whisperer....

(A photo of "Back Yard Chip." All of our Chips are named for the locations of their little holes/dens. It is Backyard Chip that appears in the following video)

A sweet little video of Amanda, home from the city for a few days, feeding Back Yard Chip out on the deck this week...
I think it was my good friend, Claudia, who used the term Chip Whisperer in a comment she left in one of my previous "Chip" posts. Love it! haha Bless the beasts and the children... Donna

My brown thumb.... or why I love faux...

Brown Thumb: (noun)

Definition: Lack of skills at growing plants; something possessed by a poor gardener.

Used in a sentence: I have a terrible brown thumb. I could probably kill silk flowers.

Brown thumb images: see An Enchanted Cottage's 1/29/2010 blog post

We won't even get into the layer of dust on the ceramic bird or the dead leaves all over the battenburg table runner. Wait a minute... do I still see hints of green in there? Let's see if I can bring these babies back to life (running to get the watering can).

While taking photos of the "brown thumb" gang, the bluejays kept a vigil on the deck, waiting for peanuts (it is bitter, bitter cold in Massachusetts today)... So I tossed out several handfuls of peanuts to the birds and squirrels and then stepped back and took this photo of the first bluejay that swooped down to grab a treat as reflected in the family room mirror. (Ignore the wayward peanut that rolled under the carpenter's bench.) I didn't even notice it until I up?/down?loaded the photos onto my computer. It has now been tossed out on the deck as well...

I hope you're all staying warm (at least in our area where we're experiencing the coldest weather of the winter season)...

Donna

I'm seeing red...

... squirrels, that is!!!


We've been delighted by the antics of this little fellow, who showed up out of the blue in mid-July...


Now we have never, ever had red squirrels in our yard or neighborhood, so this was quite exciting!! And they are so different from our gray Sammy Squirrels!


First of all, they move at the speed of light! No moseying around for these guys.. Nope, they zip, zip, zip from one place to the next, almost doing a bunny hop!!! And they're tiny compared to grey squirrels! At first glance, they almost look like giant chipmunks! Also, their personalities are more similar to chipmunks than squirrels, as evidenced by these photos...

... They're much more trusting and way less fearful than the grey squirrels. All our Chips are quite trusting and brave whereas most of our Sammies are a little more cautious... But this little guy had no problem racing across the top of Squirrel Gulch to greet me once he saw what I was handing out, because...

... that's the one area where there's NO difference between red squirrels, grey squirrels, or chipmunks - they all love their peanuts! I think this photo says it all!!!!

Hope you all have a lovely week!!!

Donna

A tisket, a tasket...

... the perfect peanut basket!

Most of you know that I love giving little treats to the beautiful furry and feathered friends who visit our yard... But this bag of peanuts is an eyesore, sitting by the patio door...


Bingo! A large bag of peanuts fits perfectly into this beautiful lined basket that my friend from Ohio gave me last summer (back then it was overflowing with goodies she brought me from Amish country!)...

A little quilted placemat on top and voila! The perfect place to store peanuts! (I imagine I'll feel a bit like Little Red Riding Hood when I take that out to the backyard with me!)

Thank you, Jill - see how pretty the peanut stash looks now? And I owe it all to you!!

Donna

Peeping Toms in the Neighborhood...

(click on any photos to enlarge)

It was a dark and stormy day here in New England, full of wind and rain....

I'd just settled down on the sofa after rearranging the family room when, suddenly, I felt as though I was being watched....


My hair stood on end ... I was covered with goosebumps... And that's when I spotted him, peering at me through the open slider doors... (if you look closely at the photo above, you'll see him, too!)


And he wasn't alone... While he crept closer to the door, his friend kept a lookout from the top of the chair... He came closer, and closer, until he was right at the door, and that's when he whispered...

"Oh Mrs. Peanut Lady!! It's only us, your beautiful blue feathered friends!" "Well why didn't you say so, Mr. Blue Jay! Of course I have peanuts for you!!!"

As I headed back to the sofa, that uncomfortable feeling of being watched came rushing back...

Closer and closer he came, until he was literally peering through the door at me!

"Did you forget me?" he asked. "Oh, Sammy, thank goodness it's only you! Of course I didn't! Here are some peanuts for you, too!!!"

Peanuts ... such a small price to pay to be visited by such special friends as these!!

Donna