Wildlife in our backyard

Living by a nature trail, we are often treated to sightings of wildlife. Some are small, and common, like squirrels and chipmunks (Chippy and Ella really don't like to share our yard and the peanuts with anyone else). We've seen fat bunnies, who despite the fence around our yard, always seem to manage to find a way in.

Not this winter but the one before, there were even coyotes spotted on the trail. Of course my son, the one who saw them running, initially thought they were small wolves. Eep. I kept the pets in for a few days out of fear they'd get eaten.

Deer are also common, as well as wild turkeys. Although, our first experience with one of those was quite comical.

My children playing out front, came in screaming (because they only have two volume levels; loud and excited, and silently plotting). "Mom, there's a mini ostrich out front." Me: "I doubt it." Them: "There is. Come see, it's running in between the houses." Sure enough, between the neighbors house scurried a chubby feathered 'ostrich'. LOL. I'll admit, I didn't know what the hell it was other than it wasn't an ostrich. It was my hubby who declared it was a wild turkey. Seeing as how I'd only ever seen them in a roasting pan or a plate before, it was quite the novel experience. And being a bit of a suburbanite, I ushered the children in the house less the wild fowl decide to attack.

Then there was the bear incident. The roaming furry predator wasn't quite in my yard, but he was close to my kids school, close enough they cancelled recess. He was eventually caught and released in a less populated area, but it certainly got my mind working about the wild animals you can sometimes encounter, in your own back yard. And what if the wild creature came inside? What would you do?

My newest heroine in Kodiak's Claim has a method of dealing with a BIG bear and it involves a frying pan. Little does she know the bear is in fact a man, a sexy one, and fight it as he might, he can't resist the allure of a curvy city girl.