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ExUrbanis

Urban Leaving to Country Living

Saturday Snapshot: On The Rock

March10

The Saturday Snapshot meme is hosted by Alyce of At Home With Books. Visit her blog to see more great photos or add your own.

My husband was on a business trip near Gros Morne National Park in Newfoundland last week and snapped lots of photos of caribou. I think they’re an unusual combination: they’re a type of deer, yet have the shoulders of a moose, and legs and a head that look like a horse (to me anyway).

What do you think?

Caribou Gros Park park Mar2012

More of the park. They don’t call Newfoundland “The Rock” for nothing.

gros Morne National Park


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Lawn Ornaments, Country Style

December11

I was out doing some volunteer work yesterday morning and came across what I at first thought was a large dog on the front lawn of a house.

Cow and house

When I realized that it was a cow, I thought for sure it was a lawn ornament – until said bovine raised her head to look at me.

cow close-up

Another “we never saw this in the city” moment!


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Afternoon Sighting: Inseparable Pals

August30

On the way to the nearest town 45 minutes away, the highway runs by a field in which there is often a white horse. And if the horse is there, so is the goat, following the horse around like a shadow. This summer, there is a new addition – the goat’s kid, who is not visible in the photo.

Horse & goat,North River

I think people must stop often for photos and the horse is fed up. Nearly every time I took a shot, he moved his rear-end to the camera. Not amused by the paparazzi , I guess.

Afternoon Sighting: Vigilant Llama

July13

The less-than-rich soil and shorter growing season along Nova Scotia’s North Shore means that most of the farmland around is used in woodlot, wild blueberries, hayfields, beef & dairy herds, and sheep – lots and lots of sheep. While many of the area farmers still use dogs to herd and protect their flocks–border collies and Bernese mountain dogs being a couple of the favorites–more and more are turning to the use of llamas.

Llamas are relatively friendly, curious and a great asset in keeping the local sheep from the local coyotes. You can read about their guard qualities here.

Yesterday afternoon, we passed a large flock of baa-ing ewes and lambs (what a marvelous sound!) and caught their protector in the middle of a grassy mouthful.

llama,Jul 2011

I thought you’d enjoy seeing this, too.

Duck!

May3

In the springtime, the back portion of our 2.5 acres, usually swampy, becomes a small creek. I sighted this pair of mallard ducks out there today.
ducks,male & female,springtime,mating

Since there’s a male and female, I’m hoping there’s a nest.
Photobucket
One of the perks of country living.

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Lambing Season

April24

It’s springtime in the country, and lambing season is here. I took these photos yesterday afternoon on a brief driving tour of the area.

Photobucket

The babies are growing quickly but are still gangly.

Photobucket

Watching the domestic animals like these is just one of the small joys of country living!

Photobucket

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Afternoon Sighting

April14

I was out doing some volunteer work yesterday afternoon and came across this curious bovine in the barn at the edge of a dooryard. Not something I saw very often in the city…

cow,barn door


Can’t get enough cows? Check out CowParade – Moo-ti-cultrural! Shop Today!

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Friday 05Feb: The View from My Office Window

February5

Can you see them? I finally figured out how to enlarge the detail and now I can show you the animals in the field across the road.

We see deer there nearly every day. Every delivery person who comes comments on seeing them there. And I often see cars stopping just in front of our place and backing up a bit to get a better look.

They are such gorgeous creatures and I never tire of seeing them or admiring their beauty.

Friday Afternoon view from my office window, Deer

P.S. Do you mind that I cheated a bit and took this picture this morning?

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Coyotes Howlin’ on the Trail

October30

coyote

The headlines here are exclaiming over the coyote attack earlier this week, when a young woman visitor from Toronto was killed by two rogue males while she was on a hiking trail in Cape Breton. Read the rest of this entry »

Invasion of the….LADYBUGS!

October25

Bill’s daughter, Laura, has arrived from Vancouver with her 16-month-old son for an extended visit. Of course, we love having them here, but for me, there is an added bonus: the country through a city person’s fresh eyes & ears.

One of our first crisis arose this morning. I heard out of my bedroom window that overlooks the side deck: “Come in here! Get those bugs off you!” with a touch of panic. Worried that we had an infestation of late mosquitoes or spiders, I peered out to find my window screen dotted with the culprits: ladybugs.

ladybugsPhoto via “How to Start a Ladybug Garden”

During the night, Read the rest of this entry »

Tae a Mouse – My Apologies

October7

When you live in an old country house, you have to come to terms with dealing with wildlife of many sorts. One of the most common is the tiny mouse who is scurrying this time of year to find a warm place for a winter nest.

House MouseSo I wasn’t totally unprepared to open the door this morning to see what the dog was barking at, to find a wee mousie cowering in the corner of the deck against the door jamb. Read the rest of this entry »

Oh Deer, Oh Deer

April10

On a quick run to the village today, I saw two separate groups of deer – perhaps two dozen in all. This time of year, they are seen frequently, foraging in the open as the weather improves & the supply of food in the woodland is exhausted from winter feeding.

Photobucket I still get a little thrill each time I see these graceful creatures. We sometimes spot them in the open field across the road from the house, or in the hay field out beyond the back of our property. They don’t come near our house too much – I think the scent & sound of the dogs keeps them away. So I don’t have to worry about losing my garden to these ruminants.

Others aren’t so lucky. Read the rest of this entry »

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