Wildlife and the city girl

I have a broad definition of wildlife. As a city girl, I didn't have much experience with the great outdoors. The wildest thing on my block was probably the cranky lady who would yell at all of us kids from her window. Now I live in those "wild" suburbs of New York. Here are some of my encounters with the wildlife in my yard. Remember that I'm a city girl, so anything scampering, scuttling, slithering, or hopping will probably freak me out :) I'm not totally nervous about all the wildlife in my yard. Birds and I are on good terms for now.

"We need to call in the Calvary." Pregnant with a toddler wrapped around my legs, I looked outside to see a skunk squirming on his back next to our playhouse. Of course, hubby was at work, and I immediately called him for some direction and "wisdom". His response, "Call the cops." We don't have a town Animal Control Department, so I had to call someone for help. When a police officer arrived, he surveyed the situation and explained to me that the skunk needed to be removed. My response, "Great. I'm glad that you're here. I'll be inside. Let me know if you need anything." His response, "Sorry, ma'am, but it is not our responsibility to remove this skunk. It is yours." With eyes bugging out of my head, I go on to chastise the poor guy about how is a pregnant woman supposed to handle this sick skunk. I even went on about how could he feel good about himself knowing that he left me alone with this problem. Well, I guess "my pathetic girl in distress" rant worked because he went to put on what looked like a space suit to confront the skunk. The poor skunk was really sick. I did feel sorry for it. He had to put it out of its misery. I don't know why it took him three shots to get the job done. His target was just 2 feet away from him. I wonder how is aim would be when chasing a true perpetrator. Gratefully, he agreed to dispose of the body. For a minute, he wanted me to do it!

"Mom, the bushes are shaking." Getting in the van one day, my five year old asked me about the shaking bushes next to the driveway. I postponed responding to his comment because I was in "pack up the kids" zone. Well, I get startled easy. All of a sudden, two squirrels were doing flying leaps into the bushes. I was absolutely freaked out. Now when I walk down my driveway, I tend to favor the other side. I don't want any squirrels mistaking my curly top as another bush landing place.

"Look at the screen." Typing away at the laptop, I noticed a squirrel holding on to my screen with both his hands and feet. I'm very glad that the window was closed. This squirrel was huge! Even in the city, I never saw such an assertive squirrel. I guess he wanted to see what I was typing about. My kids thought it was cool how he hung there for a minute.

"Cute little froggy." Nature is out to get me some days. One day, my daughter was happily walking around her little outdoor play house. When I went out to check on her, I wondered what she was studying. A very small little frog was holding her attention. I didn't know that they could be so small! I decided to become a "nature girl" for once and enjoy this bonding moment with my daughter. That sweet moment didn't last long. Of course, another little frog decided to hop near my shoulder and that was the end of my nature study. Like a silly girl, I jumped around to the amusement of my kids.

Good thing that I live in this part of NY. I wouldn't do well in an area where bigger wildlife roam around:)