Monday, May 18, 2020

Resting worried face

When I resurrected this blog early on in the pandemic, I had every intention of posting regularly.
You can see how well that's gone.

I can't focus. My thoughts are too scattered, worrying about any number of things 
over which I have no control. You know, things like 90,000 dead Americans, and
the 37 million who have lost their jobs, and a grossly incompetent, reprehensible, 
morally bankrupt president, and how much more damage he will do in the next 247 days, 
and oh my god what happens if he's re-elected? I can't even.

 No wonder Alex's default expression is "resting worried face." 
She is my mirror.


Locally, we've been worrying a lot about these holes on the side of the road.


We pass about a dozen of them on our morning walk.


 What if something pops out and bites us?


You know me well enough to know what's coming, right?

So this happened. 

He was pretty far up the road when we spotted him;
nonetheless, we beat a hasty retreat, praised the lord that we had cell service
and googled our fate.



Hmm. "...would not attack under any circumstances usually.."

There is nothing usual about anything these days,
so we'll err on the side of caution and give all of those holes a wide berth.

At least this snake had the decency to make his presence known long before we got to him.
He was pretty hard to miss, stretched out across the road. 

He appeared to be digesting a rather large something or other
and couldn't be bothered by us. One less thing to worry about. 



28 comments:

  1. So badgers are new to your area? Armadillos are new to ours. Crazy to think they migrated all this way. They are so destructive to the land. I think badgers are like groundhogs....one den, lots of entrances. Would be fun to see the babies.
    As we say about so many things, this too shall pass. I was shocked that I knew so little about the 1919 pandemic where 20 million people died. Let's hope we do a better job of learning from and remembering and the history of this tragedy. Along with all the bad, we have seen so much good. Still the overwhelming feeling I have with this is sadness. So sad for the families who have lost so much, sad for all the kids, sad that politicians on all sides can't just work together, sad that this is the world today.
    Praying for a cure, thankful for all the people handing out food, thankful for the healthcare workers, thankful for the stores that stayed open to feed people, thankful for our family and friends who have drawn closer through all of this, thankful for technology that has aided us with so much of our connections...its a daily effort to focus on the good and not fall in to the sadness and fear that this has brought. Hope that you too can find some good today. Give all the animals a good scratch today...think that cures a lot. Lisa G in TN.

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  2. i would be equaly afraid of snake and badger... Alex face is exactly how I feel, and for all the same reasons. I feel like we are sitting in a doomsday world... nothing is as it was and i doubt it ever will be. the thing i worry about the most is that half our country, and that includes most of my friends and family, are Trump supporters. 50 million voted for him and they are still supporters.

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  3. I'm with you and Alex about having a resting worried face. Hardly seems safe to leave the house these days!

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  4. How cool to see a badger tho. I love knowing wildlife is out there even if I can't see it myself. Good to see even the occasional post from you, miss seeing your animals and hearing of their antics.

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  5. Badgers, huh. Mother Nature is having a good time with the pandemic. There are several Frances books written by Russell Hoban. Frances is a badger and stars in the books with her badger family. My favorite is Bedtime for Frances. Frances can't seem to get to sleep. Might as well anthropomorphize your new neighbors. I checked just now and there are YouTube videos of people reading Frances books for story time. Of course there are.

    I remember seeing articles in Brit newspapers about badgers and reminding people to leave them alone so they won't all die off. Lord knows you already have ample snakes around.

    Alex came with that resting worried face. She is happy to wear it for you.Thank you for the new post. Alex is game for most anything as long as you are taking the lead. She is a doll.

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  6. I"m loving Alex's ears! Remind me of origami :>)
    I too am overwhelmed at times. So much happening that we cannot control. But there are things we can control - our exposure: Physical (wear mask, wash hands, social distance, etc), Emotionally/Mentally (reduce exposure to the garbage on TV, Facebook, etc. I have un-followed many on Facebook b/c of the stupidity they were posting, and now enjoy spending time on FB again), Do the things that bring me joy (spend time with my animals, husband, cooking, reading, etc.) Control what you can, try and let go what cannot be controlled.
    I too would be cautious of those holes!

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  7. Yikes! - I didn't know badgers lived that far south...and what kind of snake is that? Good thing Alex was on leash.
    I can commiserate with you totally on the inability to focus and feelings about all the crap going on, especially the Trump Show. Glad you're posting again - it provides welcome relief for us from the crap.

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    1. Looks like a Bull Snake https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bullsnake

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    2. These are very unsettling times. I find myself never too far from the "news" which then leads me to chaotic and stressful dreams. I got off Facebook and went back to a somewhat irregular use of Blogger but I usually post about things that "bring me joy" like Marianne says. I note that our area (Albuquerque) is getting a lot of wildlife including bobcats, raccoons, deer, fox, woodpeckers (!) and moths all through our foothills neighborhood interfacing the wildlands. No badgers yet, but I suspect they are here, too.

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  8. I totally share your feelings about the current status of the POTUS. It is beyond my comprehension as to why anyone voted for him, and certainly why anyone would vote for him again. Heaven forbid. As with any horrible consequence, one looks for the analysis of the how/why/what if list. I completely believe, if we had had the Pandemic Response Team that Obama created, in place, which Trump disassembled, we would have avoided our current situation, and lives would have been saved. His negligence, arrogance, and ignorance in this pandemic has resulted in thousands of wrongful deaths. The mystery to me is how anyone can defend him. The mystery to me is how and why he is able to get away with blatant, constant lies. The mystery to me is how he has any supporters at all.

    It's very cool that you have a badger. It's understandable that you would have snakes...but that is one big snake. I'm glad you have Alex to share these wonders and experiences with. Watch out for the murder hornets!

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    1. I know why my parents voted for him. They hated Clinton more. : (

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  9. Alex's RWF is endearing and funny as always.
    Mr. Badger there reminds me of The tale of Mr. Tod. Never a dull moment at the 7MSN.

    I laughed when I read your "hmm" because that's exactly what I did when I read "usually". These last few years has been all but usual. It feels surreal at times, like we're in a timeline that wasn't supposed to happen, but here we are, all in this together... What will be will be, I hope things change for the better soon.

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  10. Snakes and badgers...oh, my! I also share your anxiety over the current occupant of the White House. Most nights I can't sleep. And, the thought of another 4 years of this corruption? It's BEYOND my comprehension. I'll take a badger any day compared to what's in the White House. All we have here are doves, sparrows, finches, and a bunny who comes from next door for a visit.

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  11. When I am saw those holes I was thinking maybe a big ole desert reptile all scaly with forked tongue that were thought extinct....nope a badger oh well
    Since Alex is little you can always pick her up and run! She is such a cutie. Hope it cools down for you for a little bit.
    Ethel

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  12. Badgers and snakes ... Yikes! Do badgers eat snakes? If so ... there you go ... badgers going out for fast food! LOL OMG ... do snakes eat badgers! I don't like where this is heading! ☹
    I was starting to get a bit concerned about you and Alex, but glad to see you are still up and at'em and discovering your local wildlife!! I always enjoy your blogs, Linda!
    Hugs from S.CO -- Marcia

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  13. A badger! How wonderful! You have a built-in varmint hunter and I’m envious. “Resting worried face” is my default state also, and I’m becoming more worried that this will be a long term condition. So it’s a self-amplifying condition. If all goes as it MUST on Election Day we’ll have something of a reprieve, but in the meantime, I’m right there with you.

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  14. Badgers and snakes and Trump! Oh my! Don't suppose the badger and the snake would get rid of the big varmint Trump. It might give nausea and indigestion, but it would save many people and hopefully reunite people enough to work together on making our world better.

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  15. "Googled our fate." LOL!!!! Wonder how many badgers there are w/ all those burrows? Love the tag in the screen shot - "Pros and Cons of badgers in your garden." Con - broken leg from the burrows! LOL!

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  16. I've been interested in badgers since reading Incident at Hawk's Hill. Cool story, here's a revue........"Incident at Hawk's Hill is a Newbery Honor book by naturalist and writer Allan W. Eckert published in 1971. Supposedly based on a true event, it is a historical novel centering on a six-year-old boy who gets lost on the Canadian prairie and survives for two months thanks to a mother badger."

    I know that they are ferocious fighters. Keep Alex away!

    Agree whole heartedly on our political situation. VOTE him out !

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  17. Noticed the site you chose to "google" was from the UK.Better look up North American badgers not the relatively cuddly ones from Europe.

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  18. Love Alex's face, that's just how I feel. Can't take much more from the orange baboon either.

    Don't know if you've got what they call a honey badger but watch this video on You Tube for a laugh. They're bad ass. ' The Crazy Nastyass Honey Badger (original narration by Randall)'The original one with the most views is the best one.

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  19. Badgers? Badgers?! We don't need no stinkin' badgers!

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  20. Covid-19 is a virus. Because of your situation, living alone and few interactions, you probably won't get it. If you do get it, statistically you will not die. All anyone could do is spread out the infection over time. Like a cold, it can't be stopped. Polio is also a virus which was only stop by a vaccine. Mumps, chicken pox, shingles, all viruses. Our gov had to buy time to get medical supplies in place. We weren't prepared, which is a issue that has been long standing. Only those countries that had Sara/mersa were prepared. So don't panic, because the shut down did what it had to do. I get the issue that gov wasn't preparebut di hold all gov responsible, not just one person.

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  21. I have not been checking the blog recently.... my schedule all off for lack of one. This did not disappoint today :) Glad google was working for you and glad you were able to get some nice blog fodder for it!! I have this constant dark cloud over me and I forget why it is there and then I turn on the news and see the orange stain. sigh..... thanks for your bright spot in this dark time
    jane K

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  22. First time visiting your blog and it’s great! LOVE the doggie photos! The snake not so much but I get it.. I live in the desert too.. we’ve come close up with critters on our hikes..have to learn to be careful!! I’ll keep reading.. hope you’ll post more often.But I know what you mean, my concentration is shot..I ‘m lucky I can finish a book over a week,when I used to read a book in 3 sittings max. State of the nation??? Don’t get me started. If only the election were tomorrow..am dreading the chaos and subterfuge which is sure to accompany what should be a CELEBRATION of our democracy: free elections !! Let’s hope for the best.. what else can we do. ..and VOTE!!!!!!!!!

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  23. Living in the middle of nowhere never looked so good! Hope all the critters are doing well, would love to see some pictures of the boys. Need some happy images. Lisa G in TN

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    1. I was thinking about dumping out all the photos on my phone from the past few weeks. Now you've inspired me.

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  24. Would love to see the photos from your phone! Critters and beautiful scenery just have a way of healing the soul. Lisa G in TN

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