I was working at my computer when something caught my eye out of the window. It was a young moose walking down our sidewalk. She went right to the front door! I was tempted to let her in but decided I better not. In a few minutes, her twin sister joined her. My husband, Shon, and I needed to go to town for an errand but had to wait them out. I enjoyed getting pictures out of the window with her so close. I hope you enjoy them.
This may be the most beautiful moose I have ever seen. We spotted her on the way to McCarthy. My husband, Shon, stopped the truck, I rolled down the window, and I talked softly to the pretty girl. I was amazed at her coloring and muscles. At one point, she dipped her head to the water to get a drink, keeping those big eyes fixed on me as I told her how wonderful I thought she was. “Oh, I know I’m magnificent!” she seemed to tell me as she batted those eyelashes my direction. Have you ever seen a moose as impressive as this one?
I caught my little rabbit friend in the yard this morning. He didn’t stick around for a chat, but he did let me get a quick picture.
We have a male pine grosbeak who has been hanging around. He isn’t scared of us one bit. Almost every morning he flies up to our window and hovers, looking in at us. He does it again and again…going on two years now. Sometimes Shon or I will stand at the window while he hovers. If it is me, I talk to him. When we are sitting in our chairs on the front porch, he flies up to the bird feeder like he owns the place, not bothered by us at all.
He has a female companion that we call Wilma. She’s a bit more skittish so I haven’t gotten a good picture of her. It looks to me like Fred has been trying to tell her that we won’t bother her. We were sitting in our chairs a few days ago, enjoying the Alaskan beauty, and here comes Fred. He eats a bit from the bird feeder. I laugh about him not being scared of us. All of a sudden, Fred flies right at me, makes a turn, and flies in front of Shon, missing us by only about a foot! We both pop our heads back, totally surprised!
In just a few minutes, here comes Fred again, this time with his lady friend, Wilma. He has convinced here, apparently, that we are no threat. I’m not sure what that conversation was like, but she is now making regular appearances at the feeder, even when we are present! I’m convinced I’m going to get a good picture of her soon!
We had two moose waiting for their birch buffet this morning. When we drove up to harvest another tree for firewood, they both took their places out of our way. The first one found her spot under a spruce tree about thirty feet away and laid down. The chain saw didn’t even seem to bother her. She knows that when we leave, she gets to eat. The other one is still a bit skittish. She got a little farther into the forest and hid behind some trees.
We worked with one eye on the moose. We know they are dangerous, but they are enjoyable to watch. Not very often do we get to see one relaxed. While the hubby cut a tree down, I took pictures and enjoyed seeing the cow twitch her ears and look around. When the tree fell, the moose got up for a moment, turned around, then laid back down facing the opposite direction. There for a second, I thought she was going to come right over for her breakfast!
It gets lonesome out here in the wilderness of Alaska. I haven’t seen another soul except for my husband, Shon, in over a month. I do my best to make friends with the wildlife. I fed the chickadees all winter and were excited when the pine grosbeaks showed up! We have that one bird, Fred, who flies into our window each morning to say, “Hello!” I talk to the trumpeter swans, Amelia and Orville when I see them. I even got as close as I could to Melissa the Moose. So you can imagine my excitement when I saw a cute little bushy-tailed squirrel on our front porch!
The squirrel found the little pieces of bread that I had laid out for my birds. She grabbed a bit, took a few nibbles, and scurried away. In a few minutes, she was back! This time she was taking her time, so I grabbed my camera. I was snapping a few pictures when Shon walked into the room. “I have a new friend!” I exclaimed. Shon took one look at the squirrel and said, “That squirrel must die! Can you imagine the damage that thing could do if it got up into our attic?” My heart sank.
I was in our room a little while later making up the bed when I saw the squirrel scurry by the window, headed for another snack. I heard Shon in the living room, getting his gun. “RUN, Little Squirrel! Run for your LIFE!” I shouted in my head. Several shots rang out. I knew that squirrel must be zig-zagging, taking cover when possible, avoiding every bullet. Shon is an excellent shot, so I knew that my new friend must have some serious skills.
After the shooting stopped, I removed the bread from the front porch, hoping to avoid another confrontation. I’m afraid Suzie the Squirrel might not be as lucky next time. As of today, my new little friend still lives, but Shon’s rifle is reloaded and ready to go. And Shon keeps looking out of the window with a murderous gleam in his eye.
