They're ba-aaack...
The Javelina Horde (as I like to call them; a group of Javelina is actually called a herd) returned to Faranuf's back yard. They walked in slowly, taking their time, seemingly unconcerned. As with birds, if you don't do any quick, fast movements, they seem to stay quite calm. When I saw them from inside the house, I slowly made my way to the back deck, which is at least 4 feet off the ground, and watched them vacuum up the bird seed that I'd placed on the ground and on tree stumps. They also sniffed at the higher feeders, too, but thankfully didn't try to pull them down. I have friends on Facebook who cautioned me not to get too close as they can be dangerous -- DUH! What am I going to do, go amongst them and try to be Javelina Man, like Grizzly Man? (Grizzly Man, a real person, thought he could be among the grizzlies and sort of "be one" with them until one day he was attacked while in his tent and half-eaten. His girlfriend that was with him died, too. His time with the grizzlies was made into a documentary by Werner Herzog.) Of course I'm going to stay away from Javelina; I'm no dummy. They depend on their acute sense of smell, rather than their bad eyesight, to sense things. And I hear their odor is pretty pungent, but I guess I've never been downwind from them as I've never noticed it. The were about 10 of them wandering around -- including this baby, who was following his mother VERY closely --
While the adults may not be the prettiest things you've seen, the babies are, like kittens and puppies, cute if not quite adorable --
Mom used the water feature, and her little one was nursing ---
Now come on -- how can you not go "awwww!" when you see this? --
"Will you STOP goosing me?" Just kidding, of course; he's still nursing --
Here Mom is sniffing at the bird seed, which she "Hoovered" up --
I certainly wouldn't want to get among them, though folks have related instances of javelina coming up to them (one woman said she felt something on her leg, looked down, and it was a baby javelina that was nosing her.) But there is a sense of "peaceful co-existence" here; there has to be as you really have no choice. Sure, I could get an electrified fence to keep them out, but then I would keep ALL of the critters out, and I certainly don't want that. In fact, I'm thinking of setting up a "critter cam" at my water feature, to see what comes there during the night. And right after the javelina left, a mule deer and her two young ones also came in to use the water feature, It's all part of the unique Faranuf experiences.
I received the mothballs from Amazon, so I opened up the package -- stinky! -- put holes in the bags they're in, and put them in a Zip-loc. I went out to the well house, opened up the door -- and there was more mouse droppings, the cotton balls with peppermint oil were scattered around inside -- and one of the two jar tops holding the cotton balls was missing. Along with cotton balls. Now how the HECK did that happen? It's not anywhere in the well house, or outside. What kind of mutant mice do I have in there? First they eat the Irish Spring bars, or take them to their hidey-holes, and now they haul off the cotton balls. So I replace them with the mothballs, and hope for the best.
Speaking of Amazon...I think I've mentioned before that I really don't know if I would have moved out to a somewhat out-of-the-way area like Portal if I didn't have the convenience of ordering things online. I've been with Amazon since 2000 (so it says on "Steve's Amazon") and am also a Prime member. Though having Prime out here isn't all it's cracked up to be. If you're in a town or city, it's free shipping and delivery in 2 days; out here it's still free shipping, but takes 4 to 5 days, and it says that on the product pages. I suppose it's no big deal, but you have to wonder as Prime membership has now gone up to $100 a year. But it's SO convenient, as you can buy literally anything on Amazon -- well, except for packaged dinners. But are websites even for that -- Blue Apron and Green Chef, among others. My friend Lori turned me on to those -- 3 dinners for 2 people, maybe 3 if you're not big eaters, that arrive in a huge box filled with dry ice to keep them cold. And they're not just Swanson-type frozen dinners that you used to eat on a TV tray (whatever happened to those?) ; these are gourmet dinners made with fresh produce, and pretty exotic stuff, too, certainly things I would never buy on my own. The only drawback is they're kinda expensive -- about $85 for the 3 meals. And though everything is pre-packaged and detailed directions for each meal are included, it's still somewhat of a challenge to actually put everything together into something that resembles a meal -- a least for me. And there are food preparation terms that I don't understand, or don't have the right cooking utensils. Though if the former happens, I go on the computer and Google it; again, what would I, or anyone else for that matter, do without the computer and its instant access? But the directions are simple, and even include photos of how each step in the preparation is supposed to look once you've done them. And both Green Chef and Blue Apron orders come by FedEx, and you know what day it will arrive but not the time, though out here it's usually around 5:30pm with the last deliveries. And the UPS and FedEx trucks (DHL is not a viable option out here, or so my friends who've used them tell me) are either vans, or smaller vehicles than what you'd see in the city; they're the rural route carriers. For instance, the UPS truck came by yesterday to deliver the large frame for the Cactus Wren giclee sent by Bobby Goldsboro (it looks good hanging up in my living room). It a combination of truck and van, and when I talked to the delivery guy he said it's one of only 2 in the entire state. I looked in the back, and there were only about 4 packages inside, including mine. And my delivery wasn't his last stop; he came by around 12:30pm. I told him I should take a photo of his vehicle and put it on my Facebook page. But it's another convenience that makes life out here so much easier. And ordering from Amazon -- sheesh, I got sealant for Discovery II that I would have had a hard time to get even if I went into Douglas, the nearest large town! I probably would have had to drive to Tucson, nearly 200 miles to the west, to even have a chance of picking it up at a "bricks and mortar" store. So everything is pretty much available online. I needed hubcaps for Tundra II as one had broken off. I wanted it to be an original Toyota product if possible, which back in the city would have cost at least $100, or so my repair shop back in Harbor City said. So I went online on Ebay, and found an "OEM" Toyota Tundra hubcap -- for $17. So I got 2. I also bought windshield wiper blades on Ebay, too, which should be arriving any day now and went on YouTube to view a video on how to install them on the wiper handles; it's not as easy as might think. So life out here, while perhaps not a piece of cake, is certainly made easier by the computer and the Internet. And it's kinda like Christmas when you receive a package -- even if you are paying for it yourself.
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