Day #3 Up on the Mountain

This has been my spot for much of the day.

Today has been another lovely, peaceful day up here in the Crooked Acorn Lodge on top of the mountain.  Yesterday the weather cycled all day from drenching storms with rolling thunder to sunny and warm interludes.  Today, however, it's been a completely sunny day with comfortable temperatures in the upper 70's.

I don't usually talk very much about the weather, but since I've been spending hours each day out on this beautiful enclosed deck, I'm hyper aware of the atmospheric conditions.

At one point I looked out into the surrounding area, and there was a very large gobbler pecking away nearby.  Can you see him?  Turkeys have such good eyesight, and of course, as I moved to grab my camera, he was already leaving.

Today I was planning on refreshing the nectar in our hummingbird feeder, but there's been so much activity there that I'll just plan on doing it tomorrow.  The feeder is hung right outside one of the windows near our dining area.

Although I couldn't see the perpetrators, there was some sort of a squawking, screaming battle happening nearby in the woods last evening.  A bird and a mouse?  A hawk and a squirrel?  A bird and a snake?  Mating porcupines?  Whatever it was, it sounded like a fight to the death at that moment.

I haven't gone out much since I arrived here on Saturday, not other than right around the immediate area.  Because I know this area is heavily populated with rattlesnakes, and because I'm by myself, and because it's a very long way to medical help, I don't plan on being very adventurous just now.  There will be no hiking through the woods, no fishing near the tall grasses, and no four wheeling.  I really don't like snakes, and especially now, I don't want any run-ins with rattlers.

We had two recent herpetological events recently back at home.  (Cool word, huh?)

In the first lovely event, our puppy apparently found a small snake in our yard.  We are not sure whether she killed it or if it was already dead.  By the time we noticed what had happened, and by that I mean SMELLED the putrid smell she had repeatedly rolled in, it was all over her.  Stinky dead snake guts smeared all over our overly friendly puppy.  Here's what was left of it:

Before Sheila could rub her "perfume" onto us or along our inside furniture, son Caleb corralled her into the bathroom for a bath.  Baths are not Sheila's favorite thing, as you can see by the photos.

After her traumatic bathing, Sheila emerged all silky and smelling good again.  

It wasn't long after that that I experienced the second of the snake events.  I went to the food store, got groceries, drove home, parked the car, stuck my leg out, and .....  lo and behold, I almost stepped on this guy laying right there under my foot.  

Why are there so many snakes right around us?  We live in the center of town!

In my last bit of news from the mountain top, I received this picture this morning from grandtwins Brianna and Tori.  Brianna just got casted for a broken wrist.  To her, having a broken arm is not the bad news.  Nor is starting school with a cast on her arm.  Let's be honest here - the tragedy is having to put her horseback riding lessons on hold for at least four weeks.  

Brianna and Tori

  I just hope she saves me a prime spot where I can sign that cast.  And pink?  That's way cool.