...nope, this isn’t a bear...or a squirrel...but it is a mammal...a rabbit, to be sure...which was having a grass salad for an afternoon snack...(I was really hopping, um, make that hoping, to get a picture of a squirrel snacking at one of our bird feeders.)...I was pretty sure that I would NOT get a picture of a bear snacking at one of our bird feeders......don’t know what kind of raptor this might be...except that I’m pretty sure that it’s a hawk...

This week...hopping from one topic to another...

Please read this. . .

Once again this week, we’ll have a little bit of this...and a little bit of that...just bear with me...

...in the “at least we don’t have to worry about this” category...

...yours truly read last week in USA TODAY that the Department of Fish & Wildlife in Vermont was urging people “to take down their bird feeders by April 1, as bears emerge from hibernation.”

...at first glance, I thought something like “that’s interesting.” Then, I looked again at the date. April 1. Hmmm. What happens on April 1? Bears at the bird feeders had to be a bit of silliness...right? 

...so, being the intrepid journalist that I am, a little digging was done, and, yes indeed, the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department did issue a press release in which it was suggested that bird feeders be removed by, yes, April Fool’s Day.

...that’s because bears apparently are not fools when it comes to looking for a snack.

...the department advised that “warm spring weather and melting snows will cause bears to come out of their winter dens in search of food. The department recommends taking down bird feeders by April 1 to avoid attracting bears.”

...bears, it seems, come out of their winter dens looking for munchies, and they are “very fond of suet and bird seed, especially black oil sunflower seed.”

...this got me to thinking about another four-legged critter, one which is much smaller than a bear, which also likes suet, bird seed and sunflower seeds.

...you know we’re talking about our bushy-tailed friend, the squirrel. Squirrels love the bird snacks we put out in our feeders. They will go through absolute contortions in attempts to steal food from our bird feeders. The sunflower seeds we have placed on what amounts to a dinner bowl on our front porch is a little bit easier for squirrels to get to. And they have.  We have some very well fed squirrels. 

...and, for whatever it’s worth, we have not seen any bears on our porch...although we did have three raccoons peeking in our window one night a number of years ago...

...this isn’t to say that a bear could not show up on our front porch...I kind of hope that one does not...then again, not all that long ago, I wouldn’t have expected to see armadillos in Southern Illinois...

...speaking of four-legged critters and elections...

...as you know (well, I hope you know), we have some elections coming up next week. Sadly, the elections probably won’t generate much of a turnout at the polls. I really hope I’m wrong about that.

...one of the issues on the ballot involves a proposed sales tax which would help to support schools here in Union County. My thought is that the tax should...

...you thought I was going to support, or not support, something on the ballot...

...truth be told, that decision is up to you...

...that being said, let me just suggest that in order to keep up with the rest of the world...if that matters...which, by the way, it does...we need to have a strong public education system...

...so, with that in mind, when you go to vote, take some advice that the very wise Other Half often shares with me...let your conscience be your guide...

...anyway, we digressed...we had turned our attention to critters and elections...

...seems that a town in Vermont (yes, Vermont, again), elected a 3-year-old Nubian goat as its mayor...

...well, sort of...

...USA TODAY (yes, them again) reported in early March that the town of Fair Haven elected a goat named Lincoln as its first honorary pet mayor. The people of Fair Haven chose Lincoln from a ballot which featured 16 pets, including dogs, cats and a gerbil. Turns out the vote actually was a fund-raiser for a playground.

...the whole idea of a goat running for office, and getting elected, seems kind of silly. But the more I thought about it, well, it’s probably best that you folks don’t know what I thought about it...

 

 

 

 

 

The Gazette-Democrat

112 Lafayette St.
Anna, Illinois 62906
Office Number: (618) 833-2158
Email: news@annanews.com

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