Visitors

V is one of the harder letters (at least for me) in the A to Z Challenge. 

That means it's time for another critter corner video!

This one at least has V (Visits) in the title. 

Umbrella

 

Actually, it's another groundhog video!  But, it's one with an umbrella, so I think it counts for my U post.

Time for More Groundhogs

Since I went two days in a row without posting a groundhog video, I thought it was time for more groundhogs.   That works for my T post.  

So here's more of the groundhogs. 

Squirrels

In addition to the groundhogs and possums, we also have squirrels that like to visit our critter corner. 

The squirrels also enjoy eating out of the bird feeders in the front yard.

I'm still not sure how this one got in this feeder! 

Raccoons

While the groundhogs are the most frequent visitors to our critter corner, we do have some other visitors, especially at night while the groundhogs are tucked into their burrows. 

Here are a couple of videos of our raccoon visitors. 

Q Is One of the Harder Letters

Q is definitely one of the harder letters (at least for me) during the A to Z Challenge. 

Since I  couldn't come up with anything interesting for Q, I decided to share another groundhog video. 

They're just too cute not to share!  

Possums

Groundhogs are definitely the most common visitors to our critter corner, but we do occasionally have other visitors, including possums.

Of Course I'm Sharing More Groundhog Videos

I have a lot of groundhog videos, and they're adorable. 

Of course I'm going to keep sharing them whenever I can make it work for the day's letter. 

They like watermelon. 

They also like tomatoes. 

Now That Someone Asked

I didn't have a plan for my N post, and I wasn't sure about a way to make the groundhogs work for N.

But, now that Live and Learn asked (on my M post) if the groundhogs like the bananas you can see in the video, I can make them work for N.

Now, I can show you that the groundhogs definitely do like bananas. 

They definitely enjoy their bananas. 

 

Mom and Baby Groundhog Eating Carrots

The groundhogs might be the closest thing I have to a theme for the A to Z Challenge. 

Enjoy this video of a mom and baby groundhog eating carrots. 

Lilacs

The lilac is blooming!

It's not quite in full bloom, but there are lots of blooms, and it smells amazing. 

It has gotten huge!

Fortunately, the colder weather we had over the weekend doesn't seem to have hurt the blooms.

Kale

My kale seeds have sprouted.  

I think they're so cute.

We had a freeze last night/this morning, but the little kale seedlings still seem to be doing well. 

Are you having colder weather this weekend? 

Jellyfish

I wasn't sure what to do for my J post.

So, I scrolled through my pictures hoping for inspiration.  I came across these pictures of jellyfish from when we visited the SC Aquarium last year.   

  

I definitely wouldn't want to encounter one at the beach, but I think they're beautiful. 

They just seem so peaceful.   

If you're doing the A to Z Challenge, was J hard for you?  If you're not doing the challenge, is any particular letter the reason?  

I Couldn't Think of Anything Else

I couldn't really come up with anything for my I post.

So I decided I would share another groundhog video. 

I could watch them all day.  

Here Are a Few Random Things

How about a little midweek randomness?

My arugula seedlings are doing well. 

We're still working on a lot of decluttering. 

And no random things post is complete without at least one cat picture. 

How is your week going? 

Groundhogs

As soon as I signed up for the A to Z Challenge, I knew that my G would be groundhogs.

We had several groundhogs move into our backyard last year, and I absolutely love them.  They’re so much fun to watch. 

We set up a little critter corner, mainly for the groundhogs, but we have also had other visitors (some of the other letters in the challenge will be about some of the other visitors).  I put out food and water for them, we set up a trail cam, and I love watching the videos of the groundhogs enjoying their snacks.

They like bananas a lot.

They love broccoli.

And corn is one of their absolute favorites. 

I know a lot of people consider groundhogs to be pests, but they’re not hurting anything, so we’re peacefully co-existing with them.  I love that they’ve chosen to live in our yard.  

Free Range Chickens

One of our neighbors allows her chickens to free range most days.   

With her permission, I started giving the chickens snacks and treats.  Now their routine is to come over every day for a snack.  

I love feeding them and seeing them everyday.   

Enjoy this video of the free range chickens having a snack.  

Eek! I Almost Forgot to Post

We're still working on our spring cleaning/decluttering project.   Why do these things always take so long?!?

Yesterday, I decided to do my "E" post on Sunday instead.  

I almost forgot, but I'm getting it done at the last minute.   

Enjoy this picture of sleepy Theodore. 

Don't Feel Like Blogging

I really don't feel like blogging today, which is part of why I signed up for the A to Z challenge.   I want to get back into the habit of regular blogging. 

I've been spring cleaning and decluttering (there's another d!) all day, and I'm exhausted.   It's at the "worse before it gets better" phase.  I know it will be worth it,  but it's definitely not fun.

Theodore has been enjoying it, though.   He's having so much fun inspecting everything I drag out of closets, climbing shelves, and generally getting into everything.   This picture is one of the few times he sat still today. 

Are you doing any spring cleaning/decluttering? 

Collard Greens & Cilantro (Blogging from A to Z Challenge)

I’m hoping to have a fairly large garden this year. 

We’re not past our last frost date yet, so, for outside, I’m only starting seeds that are a little more cold-tolerant. 

I recently learned that cilantro is best planted while it’s still chilly, and of course, greens tend to do well in cooler weather. 

So, last weekend, I started my collard green and cilantro seeds.

I’m hoping to see little sprouts soon!  

Blue Jays Eating Peanuts (Blogging from A to Z Challenge)

Last year, I set up a little critter corner in our backyard to feed the wildlife that stops by.  We also set up a camera so we can see our visitors. 

Recently, we had some Blue Jays stop by to eat some peanuts. (The date and time on the camera are wrong because it messed up when the batteries died and we haven’t reset it.)

Enjoy this video of the Blue Jays enjoying their peanuts.  

Azaleas (Blogging from A to Z Challenge)

Some of our azaleas are starting to bloom.

They tend to bloom anywhere from late March to late April. 

Some years, we’ve definitely had more blooms by April 1^st, and some years, they’re just barely starting to bloom around this time. 

I love azaleas, so it always makes me very happy when they bloom.

So what about you?  Do you like azaleas?  Are they in bloom where you are?  

March Wrap-Up

Since I missed doing a Thursday 13, I thought I’d do a March wrap-up for the random things since my last Thursday 13.

A cat picture is always a good place to start, so enjoy this one of Charlie in a basket.  He doesn’t exactly fit in the basket, but he still enjoyed hanging out in it.

We were close enough to some of the NC wildfires to get a lot of smoke and falling ash from them.  I’m not sure how well you can tell in the pictures, but the haze is from the fires.  

We had rain yesterday and today, which has helped with the fires.  Even though we desperately needed the rain, it’s still making me nervous. 

Last week made six months since we were hit by Hurricane Helene.  The recovery process is ongoing.  Storm damage was a contributing factor to the fires.

Our wonderful neighbors have been helping us dig a dry well for drainage.  It didn’t occur to me to take a picture while anyone was in the hole.  Hopefully, you can tell from these pictures how deep it is.  I just dangled my legs in for the pictures because I didn’t want to have to climb out of it again just for pictures. 

We had four tons of gravel delivered last week for the drainage project. 

I started some seeds (only for cold-tolerant plants since we’re not past our last frost date yet) last week.  Hopefully, I’ll be sharing seedling progress soon. 

I’ve decided (at the last minute!) to participate in the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge.  You can read more about it here, but the basic idea is to blog every day (except Sundays) in April, starting with A on the 1^st and ending with Z on the 30^th.  Some people do themes.  I’m not doing a specific theme; I'm just trying to blog more regularly and hopefully catch up on some of the things I’ve meant to blog about. 

So, how was the rest of March for you?  Are you planning to participate in the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge?