"Please, I'll never eat another Cheeto as long as I live!" If you are ever in charge of trapping a pesky animal of some kind to "take care of it," here is a tip. Don't call me to come check it out before you "take care of it," or it won't get "taken care of." As seen in this example when someone, was supposed to do something, but he -or she- didn't because someone else would have made him -or her- sleep on the couch that night if he -or she- had done it. For music, I couldn't decide between something French in honor of my old buddy Peppy, or the classic ballad, "Born Free." Either way, I bet this little fellow is never tempted by the smell of Cheetos (yes, Cheetos!) again. (In case you missed  yesterday's  disclaimer, I am  still  not Steven Spielberg)

                          We could be little...                                                       Or big.    A different color... Or just plain  different !               And though we may be curious...                            Or even guarded at first,   We can get over it and play together!

I saw this beauty at the park. There was just something regal about the way she stood, unafraid in the sunlight. She let us get so close to her. So we threw her an apple, which she picked up and crunched. This shot reminds me of Susan in the Boonies' button at her blog,  Wild Life in the Woods .

Eddie took this short video at the park where he works as a National Park Ranger. By far, the most numerous critters that live within the grounds, are chipmunks.  One of my first visits there, I heard the loudest, shrillest "chirp" sound, and swiveled my head from tree to tree, looking for the bird making that call. That's when Eddie told me it was a chipmunk, not a bird! I didn't believe him at first, but he finally caught it on video and there's no denying it. These guys are everywhere and I find them irresistibly adorable. Hope you do too! ~~ You might also enjoy: The Critter Awards The Adventures of Beach Day The Four Cats

My husband and I drove an hour and a half west to the  Lakota Wolf Preserve  in Warren County, NJ. Whenever we both have a day off at the same time (about once every 2 weeks!), we try and do something out of the ordinary and special. Eddie found this Wolf Preserve on the internet and we booked a Wolf Watch Tour. How cool is that?! The Lakota Wolf Preserve cares for dozens of wolves, who for whatever reason, could not survive in the wild. They have Arctic, Timber, and Tundra wolves in an open habitat with plenty of space to be healthy and happy. On our wolf watch tour, we saw many of these animals, separated into their different packs by reinforced, double chain-linked fences. Since many of these were raised here since pups, they were not afraid to approach the humans on the other side of the fence. I have to admit, when I first saw these legendary, intimidating creatures walk towards us in a pack of 4 or 5, I tensed slightly.  This preserve also conducts photography tou...

Is it the rain drops, Or pitter pat of her feet? Only one ceases. Goodnight, Fauna. ~~~ Deer Hunting Fauna Searching for Fauna

I met Fauna  a few days ago  in the National Park where my husband is a Park Ranger. I haven't gone back to see her yet, but I asked Eddie to keep a look out for her. I want to follow her progress, and since the Park is surrounded by an urban area, I want to make sure she stays safe from passing cars.  During one of his late security checks, he was near the parking lot and was shocked to find that he literally almost stepped on her. He was so close he could reach his arm out and touch her if he wanted. Instead, he snapped this picture for me, then carried on. He called me from work to tell me what he saw, but that he hadn't seen the mother.  I was a little worried. It may be hard to tell from this picture, but she is  tiny . Really the size of a dog, and her fur is still fuzzy. So why wasn't her mother with her late at night when the predators are out?! Google, or as I refer to it, my smart best friend, came to the rescue. It turns out that fawns who are less ...

My husband is a Park Ranger at a National Park in New Jersey. Though it's a small park, whose historical significance boasts Thomas Edison's former residence, he still sees his dose of wildlife. And since I love little critters, he took me on a mission to hunt and shoot - my camera. Our main objective was deer, but on our mission, we found some less-illusive critters to shoot.  More chipmunks that I could possibly count I find them irresistibly adorable  More groundhogs than I could possibly count See baby groundhog on the left, and lazy mamma on the right? My own pretty little critter, Joy. (She did more scaring away, than helping us find). Finally, the deer came out. But the best find, and shots of the day, were of this little baby. I named her Fauna.  Fauna was brave, but we didn't want to get too close. I'll continue to check on her. One of the best things about the return of good weather, is that critter season is open. I must remember to keep my camera...

I am SO not a  horseback rider , though I love to try every now and then. Eddie and I went for a trail ride in the Pocono Mountains and I rode an older, brown horse named Jerry. Like most trail horses, Jerry followed the guide in front of him with minimal direction. I thought it was odd though, that Jerry kept veering around the particularly rocky parts of the trail. I am no expert, but I thought maybe the rocks were uncomfortable for his feet, so I let him veer occasionally.  But my heart stopped several times when Jerry stumbled and tripped. Some stumbles were so bad, that I spoke up and told the guide, worried that poor old Jerry may actually go down. The guide didn't seem concerned at all. He told me, "Just keep him on the trail." It dawned on me that perhaps Jerry thought he was making things easier on his feet by veering around the trail, but really he was tripping himself up on his own feet, making things more complicated. After that, I was much more strict with ...

I'm nearly 28 and I still love to go to the zoo - even with no nieces or nephews to use as an excuse. I went to the Turtle Back Zoo in NJ with Eddie today. It was cold and rainy, but I thought I'd take the opportunity to have fun snapping photos of my favorite critters. The Happiest Critter award goes to : Cassie the Sea Otter This is Cassie's first nomination as she is a new addition to the zoo. She thanks her parents for making her so cute, and the zoo keepers for feeding her and keeping her energy up to entertain the guests. The Most Hypnotizing Critter award goes to : The Sea Horse The Sea Horse was also nominated for Brightest Critter. The Brightest Critter award goes to : The Blue Fish The Blue Fish and the Sea Horse are considered rivals in many aspects, but personally maintain a good friendship. "We work together in our goal to inspire awe in our spectators," said the Blue Fish. The Best Dressed Critter award goes to : The Peacock The Peacock has won t...

To celebrate the new spring season, I thought about taking Joy for a good, long run today, but then I looked outside. Hello white snow flakes. Welcome back. Instead, I ran on the treadmill where it was warm. When I looked outside later, I realized Harry the squirrel (named by my neighbor) had a very similar idea. Spring, you deceptive little thing. " Forget it. I'm staying underneath the tree where it's still spring! " -Harry

On rainy days like today, I like to cozy up on the couch. I guess Emily the cat has her own place to cozy up. Having a dog and cat, I find animal hair in my carpet, on my clothes, and all over my furniture. The bathroom sink was the one place I thought was safe, until today... (Although, she might think it's raining inside , when I turn the water on...) The best kind of rain, of course, is a cozy rain. This is the kind the anonymous medieval poet makes me remember, the rain that falls on a day when you'd just as soon stay in bed a little longer, write letters or read a good book by the fire, take early tea with hot scones and jam and look out the streaked window with complacency.   - Susan Allen Toth , England For All Seasons

Remember this video  when my dog Joy, discovered that the tree near our parking lot is the perfect circumference to always see the end of her leash, but never catch it? Every time we go outside, she silently pleads with those large, brown eyes to walk to her favorite tree and chase her leash for a while. I usually let her. But as a result of the 5th snow storm in 4 weeks, this is what her beloved tree looks like now. Her little heart broke when she realized she couldn't make her way to the base of the trunk. She tried with all her might, but the snow just swallowed her up. I admire her persistence, her resilience, and as we kept walking down the sidewalk, her ingenuity when she spotted this telephone pole. Her brown eyes once again lit up with excitement, as she discovered, "This'll do." (Notice, she managed to catch her pink leash this time!) When God covers a tree with snow, somewhere He frees up a telephone pole.

Our dog, Joy, is a Shetland sheep dog, which means she can’t possibly run or chase enough. She attempts to herd anything that moves, which includes squirrels, blowing leaves, and our cat. I always joke that one day, we’re gonna get some sheep so that our dog can finally do the job she was bred to do. When we got her a year ago, the neighbor children were nearly as thrilled with her as we were, and became her pseudo family and best playmates. Often when I walk with Joy by the neighbor’s window, I hear a tiny, little voice yell with delight from her second floor bedroom, “JO-EE!” (she has trouble with the “oy” sound and has taken to calling the dog “Joey” instead). This is generally followed, thirty seconds later, by a storm of children racing out of the house and oodling over Joy while she lays on the ground, basking in the love fest. Once, the five children begged me to take her to the back yard and let her run and play without the leash on, which I obliged. They squealed as they ra...

"The great pleasure of a dog is that you may make a fool of yourself with him and not only will he not scold you, but he will make a fool of himself too." ~Samuel Butler, Notebooks , 1912 When I sit down at my piano with a pen and notepad, I banish Eddie from the house for fear of feeling inhibited in my "creative process." When I record an audition video, or just a video for fun, I go so far as to close all the windows in the house so that not even the neighbors or passers by can hear me. But of all the hours I spend experimenting, practicing, and making awful noises in my small music room, I have one audience member who is supportive, attentive, and constant. Joy, my dog. She patiently endures my out of tune screeching, repetitive mistakes, and frustrated yells. She was my comfort when Duchess passed away. She is my companion when I feel alone. She is my running partner, my traveling buddy, my amusement, and my friend. She is one of the few in the world that I ...