##################################################
Volume 10, Number 09
Publisher: ARKtech | Guerrero Ink
Online: http://www.guerreroink.com
Copyright © 2012 Diana L. Guerrero. All rights reserved.
Content may not be reproduced without permission.
#################################################
ARKwire
=============================================
=============================================
Ark Lady News
=============================================
As I sit here watching the birds and the crowds playing out on the lake, I find it hard to believe that it is Labor Day. I am going to depart from my normal newsletter to just chat - - hope you don't mind.

For some reason I expected this holiday weekend to be later in the month. But never mind, one of my Aspens has leaves that are turning a nice shade of yellow while the pear tree is reminding me that it will soon be time to harvest the few fruits of her labors.

The blue moon seemed to signal changes and new beginnings - - and caused the night wind temperatures to plummet. I actually wore a sweatshirt yesterday in response.

This year we had a spring frost that annihilated all the blossoms on the apple trees. Fortunately across town my friend's trees are loads and I have been seriously juicing with greens and odds and ends in the never ending battle of restoration.

The ups and downs are frustrating...but progress is steady even though it is slower than I would like.

Out on the party perch, six adolescent Stellar jays have been bullying the other birds. The upside of their bad behavior is that I cut back on the backyard bird feeding for a time - - which was a good thing.

I should have known something was coming...

Now the truth is, when animals know you pay attention and understand they tend to make their demands known.

Sometimes I dismiss it but they know better.

I have to tell them to quit bossing me but laughing while I say it doesn't convince them it is the truth.

So, when I got busy working and let the feeders remain empty, one of this year's mountain chickadees decided I needed a reminder.

He flew up to the window and landed on the ledge which got me to pause, look up, say hello and return to working.

Ahem.

Not to be dissuaded, he then pecked on the window to get my attention.

It worked, as I looked up at him I realized he was reminding me that I was falling short on my duties as a bird slave.

My gaze crossed over the deck to the tree where I place the feeders and each was empty.

As our eyes again connected, I told him that I would be out in a minute. And, with that reassurance, he retreated to the shed to await my delivery.

Pressure to deliver...and I only dispense about a cup or two at a time knowing that they get only about 20% of their daily diet from the feeders but they love the make shift bird baths I have on the deck and that seems more important to them than the food...usually.

Since I live above a wildlife sanctuary, and my cabin sits above the bay, I see a lot of wildlife but not as much as those that live closer to the treed edge of the forest.

The main creek is a short stroll down my hillside and, when I am feeling better, I walk it on my way to and from the Post Office.

I love watching for the tiny changes that occur and glimpsing unusual wildlife that has made its way to the area.

The forest border wraps around the area like a horseshow and I am midway up the side of one tip of it.

This means that I usually see more wildlife in the winter since they appreciate my snow removal efforts and use my stairs as a shortcut to get down to the lake without having to struggle through the snow drifts.

When I had three rockers on the deck, the raccoon family thought it was super fun to romp and play keep away from each other by using the rockers as they rotated in "King of the Hill" fashion in a sort of tag game that I could never figure out.

They also thought it was super fun to do at 3 am.

So when I heard the noise on the deck that night, I thought it was the raccoons, imagine my surprise to discover that it was one of the yearling bears.

He ambled a long way to make it to the party perch, because I don't have trash service, the only thing on the deck was the trashcan with some bird seed.

He tried to tumble the can over about the time I turned on the outside light and opened the blinds to see him right at my front door.

Now, if you know anything about my history, I used to train and care for large captive animals.

Bears were part of the package and so I thought nothing of pounding on the window and telling him to "Git!"

Did he run? Nope, but he did amble off - - which is good since habituated bears tend to lose their lives because they become nuisance animals and because not everyone respects the fact that they lived here first.

Anyway, he did me a favor and cleaned up the seed hulls in the garden below the deck.

Me, I hauled the bird seed inside and have a nice big trashcan sitting next to the work station.

It isn't glamorous but it will keep temptation to a minimum.

So, were the birds prepping me for this visitor? Perhaps, but they are not telling.

As for the neighbors, the main comments were expressions of shock that I didn't welcome or invite the bear in.

Me? I felt blessed to have my placed graced with his visit and happy that he didn't get anything that might entice him back.

Over the past few months a whole ecosystem has evolved on the party perch. There are birds, reptiles, rodents and predators which keep me amused and in appreciation.

Speaking of appreciation, thanks for being a subscriber and I'll touch base with you again next month.

Diana L Guerrero
***************************************************
Please feel free to share this newsletter with anyone
who is on the lookout for information related to animals
and other topics I find of interest.

PRIVACY STATEMENT: Subscriber information will not be
distributed to anyone.

Subscribe/Unsubscribe: If you subscribed electronically,
you may unsubscribe by following the information (or
clicking on the link) included in your verification
email (or the bottom of this email).

If you signed up at an event, you were entered into the
private database and can be removed by following the
same instructions.

***************************************************
Thanks for joining me.

Want to advertise or sponsor an event? Contact me below.

###########################
ARKwire | News from the ARKlady
***************************
***************************
Copyright © 2012 by Diana L. Guerrero
39132 North Shore Drive
Suite 99
Fawnskin, CA 92333

Team ARK
http://support.arklady.com

ARKanimals
http://www.ARKanimals.com

ARKtech
http://www.ARKtech.co

Twitter http://twitter.com/ArkLady | http://twitter.com/TheArkLady
Facebook http://facebook.com/TheArkLady
LinkedIn http://linkedin.com/in/ArkLady

(909) 547 - 4ARK (4275) Office Line
(909) 781 - 4ARK (4275) or (800) 818 - 7387 Events & Media
(800) 962 - 4544 Skylight Paths Book Wholesale (ISBN 1893361845)
(800) 805 - 5489 Sterling Publishing Book Wholesale (ISBN 1402729677)