A fly – oh my!
Yesterday I finally got around to wearing my new glasses and the difference in the prescription was amazing! As I wended my way down Pagel Avenue to Council Point Park, I mused that I would be telling the Park’s furry and feathered critters “the better to see you with my dear” … that is, if I saw any there. As I mentioned recently, it has been like Dullsville with the usual Park inhabitants rather scarce.
I walked the first loop of the perimeter path, without having any reason to whip out the camera, nor retrieve the Ziploc bag of fresh peanuts that is tucked into the mesh bag that swings merrily from my fanny pack . I didn’t even pass a single walker.
But, all that changed when I got to the second loop, usually the less-interesting part of my walk. There are no dense bushes or trees, no reeds or swamp grass, very few birds, and the inline skating rink and vast fields take up most of that part of the Park.
Then I saw the most magnificent-looking and fairly large rabbit. He was grooming himself by the side of the path, so I pulled out the camera.
I saw a flash of white powder puff tail, but mostly I noticed his ears which looked almost translucent as the sun’s rays shone through them.
I crept up closer and he was busy munching on the grass, and didn’t pay any attention to me. I noticed a horsefly had settled onto his face, but he seemed unfazed by that big fly.
With the camera trained on this rabbit, I wasn’t watching the other side of the walking loop. When the rabbit finished his breakfast, on huge haunches he headed toward the bushes, as I tried once again, unsuccessfully, to photograph that fuzzy white tail.
Instantly, I was distracted by the horsefly that remained after the rabbit’s departure, as it went straight for my bare calves. I didn’t have anything to swat it with, and not wanting to use the palm of my hand, I stood there, stork like, trying to use my other leg to brush off that annoying fly. I got back on the path, thinking I’d leave the fly behind in the dust, when I saw a squirrel come racing toward me, crossing the grassy “donut” that separates the two sides of the pathway. “Could it be Parker?” is what I asked myself, as he kept running, just like Lassie the collie who’d come to greet Timmy when he got off the school bus, in one of my favorite childhood shows.
He stopped short of my feet and began circling and pacing around me.
Finally, he came over to investigate my shoe; that clinched it – it had to be Parker!
Next, he was prancing around my feet while eying the mesh bag – pretty savvy, as he remembered the many times I’d retrieve the Ziploc bag and wiggle it at him, if he was not already hustling over to greet me.
Well, Parker’s arrival truly made my day!
To my newer followers, Parker was a squirrel whose antics I often wrote about on my many trips to Council Point Park. He would either nuzzle the toe of my boot or shoe, or stand on his haunches to try to reach the peanut bag. Often, he’d follow along behind me, much to the amusement of the other walkers. I called him “my shadow” in this post earlier this year https://lindaschaubblog.net/2018/03/05/me-and-my-shadow-2/
Of course I know I shouldn’t play favorites but he got more peanuts than the others, and when I took “Nutter Butters” … well, I’d slip him a few more on the side. He got M&Ms last year and the occasional apple or tangerine.
Yes, he has my heart.
I’ve missed him these last few months. I told Parker he must wait for his treat until I got a few pictures of him to share on my blog. He soon grew tired of the impromptu photo session and strayed from my feet. I put the camera away in the case and fumbled to get out some peanuts to toss them on the path.
In that split-second, a robin was flying very low and blitzed past Parker. I say “blitzed” because he came at him with such force, causing Parker to reel a little and he was off balance, then looked a little stunned. I, too, was stunned and had my doubts that the robin was merely flying low to get a worm from the ground as its feet never hit the grass and it flew away. Before I could put out any peanuts, Parker sped right past me and scaled a small tree in a nanosecond.
I dragged out the camera again.
There he remained, looking a little shook up. You’ll note his paw on his chest … was his heart beating erratically from this strange encounter?
I stayed with Parker about five minutes, talking to him softly, and finally lured him down to ground level with a handful of peanuts. He crept down the tree slowly and as he ambled toward me, if that robin didn’t swoop down and head butt him again. So, it was no accident! The camera was in the pouch as I can only deal with one thing at a time – it’s either peanuts or pictures. I retrieved the camera once again, as Parker scurried into the bushes.
I thought I’d stay to see if he returned, but the pesky fly was back, biting around my ankles and backs of my knees– what in the world? I gave up and tried swatting it with the back of my hand, to no avail.
Just then, Maria, another walker at the Park, came by and signaled to me to look into the deep tunnel, the burrow where the groundhog and his family live. She whispered “look, the baby is peeking out the hole at you – get a picture!” I moved over for a closer look and if the fly didn’t bite again, so intensely this time that I jiggled my leg to turn it loose. This spooked the baby groundhog who disappeared backwards into this cavernous hole.
I tried coaxing it to the top with peanuts (what else). I tossed a few into that gaping black hole, but he (or she) is not a peanut fan and remained below ground. Maria showed me a video she had just taken on her phone of this cute little fellow while I was flailing around with the fly. That horsefly followed me around the Park the balance of my walk, and I lost him somewhere as I exited the Park.
This morning I looked for the groundhog and its “pup” but all I saw was the empty tunnel, and it seemed that the pesky fly, the dive-bombing robin and that sweet squirrel were likewise MIA and nowhere to be found.
Linda Schaub
WALKIN', WRITIN', WIT & WHIMSY 
You had an exciting walk today.
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Yes Anne … I came back here after having a bite to eat, intending to catch up in Reader and decided to write about this encounter instead. Now I am hopelessly behind!
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It’s a struggle for me to stay caught up, too.
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I came back and said to myself, no … I’ll push through and get both things done; this morning …when the alarm rang, I was regretting it a little!
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If I could be that entertained walking (without the horse fly!) I would be more apt to do it too!
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That blasted horsefly – it kept nipping at me and wouldn’t stop. I never carry a Kleenex with me and I didn’t want to touch it – it was huge! Yes, all that excitement happened within a few minutes – Parker was shaking like a leaf.
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I remember when my daughter was young and we were swimming in our pool. Horse flies drove us crazy. Every time they landed on us we would go under the water and they would fly away. As soon as we came up they would dive bomb us…lol
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They are the worst – I never remember that happening before at the park. I used to go horseback riding years ago and they would buzz around the horse, and the horse would flip his tail around batting them over closer to me!
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And they hurt when they bite!
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Yes they do, it’s almost like a nip out of your skin! I don’t know why he went after to me like that – he should have stuck with the rabbit.
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that mean Robin! Poor little Parker.I hope he doesn’t associate this with you but because you have food I’m sure that outweighs everything.
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I wanted to ask Parker what bad deed he did for the Robin to turn on him like that, but he was still in hiding. I hope the pictures captured his fear — he scrambled up that tree in no time!
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I could see he was watchful!
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Yes and I should have mentioned the flicking tail which was pretty active once he got up into the tree … he was scared of that robin which was almost his size … give or take. I always notice the flicking or swishing tail when they are agitated about something.
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that tail is visible warning to other squirrels that there is trouble a foot!
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Parker is an excellent “Town Crier” then as that tail was going a mile a moment!
Yesterday we discussed rabid animals. In our local news today was a story of a New Jersey woman that dealt with a rabid fox after it bit her. I’ve never seen a fox in the wild, or at a zoo, so I have no idea how big a fox is, or how easy it is to choke it, but maybe her adrenaline was working overtime enabling her to kill the fox on the spot. I have to admire her spunk.
https://wwjnewsradio.radio.com/articles/woman-strangles-rabid-fox-attacking-her-backyard
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amazing! Being known for doing something like that goes a long way! Any argument………instantly settled when she interjects.
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I just looked to see if she was a large woman taking down that fox … she is not. Husband might want to beware! The fox did a number on her leg though: https://www.nj.com/salem/index.ssf/2018/07/cornered_and_wounded_woman_grabs_kills_rabid_fox_t.html
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thats it? Thats the extant of her wounds? She didn’t try to get away or the Fox would of done a hell of lot more damage! It bite her once & she immediately grabbed it.
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I had to look because I thought it might have been a case of a mangled leg, so I Googled (and also to see her size). But why should she assume it was rabid because it bit her? Look at the number the raccoon did on the little girl a few years ago – her ear, and the woman with the pet monkey that went crazy and chewed her face.
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whenever a animal attacks like that assume worse case scenario or you’ll be pushing up daisies.
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The squirrels is close to tame!😊 It’s an amazing feeling to come so close to them. The squirrels we have isn’t so unafraid.
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I was glad to see Parker back after at least two months, maybe more. He came racing over – so cute. Then the robin’s attacks … I felt guilty afterward I didn’t give him the peanuts right away … he eventually gave up. Hopefully, he comes around again. He used to stand on my shoe or boot toe to try to reach the peanuts (hanging from my fanny pack) … that’s as close as he gets though. Sharp claws and I’m leery to hand feed him.
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Linda,
I love the way you are able to find joy and beauty in the same old surrounds. I can’t imagine what you’d do if on a boat here in Bc, where there’s always something around the next corner. Always cheering to get another blog.
Fred
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Fred – I think it is the escape from the city … this little nature nook is just a mile away from my house, a park plunked down in the middle of the city, yet a chance to get away and be with nature and see what natural wonders await me. I have no doubt it is beautiful there as I see your pictures, those that AJ posts as she runs, walks or bikes and the scenic photos by Wayne at Tofino Photography https://tofinophotography.wordpress.com/
It makes me want to return to my homeland, but not to Ontario where I was born but somewhere with a slower pace and taking time to appreciate your surroundings. It is good to enjoy life’s simplest pleasures.
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Awww so glad to hear Parker is back and you got a baby sighting:)
Ugh to the horse fly though! I don’t like those things as one took a chunk out of my shoulder when I was a kid:(
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AJ, yup – I’m going to look for Parker and the baby groundhog again this morning. Those horseflies are horrid and they sure can take a chunk out of you.
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Amazing what a new glasses prescription can show! I used to have thick glasses, then contacts, then Lasik eye surgery… and now, finally, cataract lens replacement. 20/20 now without glasses! 🙂
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Tom – I’ve toyed with the idea of Lasik over the years and about five years ago the eye doc said I had a cataract but was years away from surgery to remove it. Again, I thought of the Lasik to thwart cataract surgery. I wore hard contact lenses for 35 years, and switched to glasses permanently when I started working from home – it has been nine years since doing so. My glasses I wear in the house are very lightweight and I have glasses I wore outside that hook on my ears better and are more solid and heavier.
They were a prescription from a few years ago – I was putting sunglasses over them to drive but my peripheral vision was impaired, so I left off the sunglasses; I decided to get new glasses for outside, the, transition lenses. Not only is the prescription so much stronger, but the darker lenses were an adjustment as well. My regular glasses now have something for white light from computer screen issues. I am on the computer so many hours in a day for work, blogging that my eyes were getting very tired and scratchy the end of the day. I have progressive lenses for trifocals … I know my eyes are getting worse from not only age, but computer hours logged. I have not had 20/20 vision since I was a kid – got my first pair of glasses at age 7.
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Parker is back ! Whoppee !
That is the best news. I hate the horsefly though I don’t know what it is. I can see two eyes in the groundhog house- is that the baby ?
This is a happy post.
Susie
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I have to take a closer look Susie as I may have missed that pair of eyes. Yes, it is a happy post and hopefully the robin did not scare Parker away for another couple of months!
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when would you go there next ?
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I will look for him this morning and report back!
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I did look again at the picture Susie – your younger eyes may be seeing more than I am seeing. Once again this morning, just like yesterday, I walked over the grass to check out that burrow and nothing. No Parker either … I hate to think now that he has surfaced, the robin terrorized him and he has gone to a neighborhood or out of the Park. We’ll see if he returns or not. As to the horsefly, they are huge flies, and buzz loudly and mostly you see them out in the country around barnyard animals. They are annoying and bite, as opposed to a housefly which is a pest and hard to trap and filthy, but they may light on you, but no bites. I looked to find a good image of one and Wikipedia had one, and I was surprised to find that only the female bites. They draw blood as well. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horse-fly.
A more-interesting story is found here … it talks more about the biting … they really are bad, and aim right for your bare skin: https://www.healthline.com/health/outdoor-health/horse-fly-bite
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So happy you were reunited with your friend 🙂
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Me too Ruth – many of my posts have revolved around Parker and his antics. I hope the silly robin has not scared him away.
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there is one thing Horse flies are good for……..usually when you smack one you don’t kill it but only stun it.Slip one on a fishing hook for bait & with it still being alive & buzzing it’ll attract the fish even more!
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They are big buggers and I can remember going horseback riding years ago near Amherstberg and the flies would be biting, the horses’ tails would be twitching and every so often they’d stomp or snort to rid themselves of them. It would make for a miserable ride for both the horse/rider. Now I’d have had some pleasure watching that horsefly go into a hungry fish’s mouth. A friend of mine is an avid fly fisherman and he ties his own flies … he is retired now so he makes those flies all Winter then sells them at various fishing expositions in the Spring/Summer. I guess they bug your black bears because a fellow blogger was not familiar with horseflies, so I sent her a link and I read the article and noticed they like large, dark moving objects … AND humans. I did not fall into that first category, but either did that rabbit and that fly was buzzing around its face, embedding itself into its cheek.
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My husband and I love to watch the squirrels at our farm. We also have to laugh when they get buzzed by the barn swallows, robins and wrens that are sure the squirrel is out to get them.
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How funny Faye – I’ve never seen the birds dive-bomb or buzz the squirrels before. The look on this squirrel’s face and he tore up that tree in no time, staying up in the branches absolutely terrified. That robin’s body was nearly as big as his!
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Oh I am so glad that you got to meet up with Parker again. what a lovely reunion. ❤
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I am happy too Zena, but it seems since the issue with the robin, he has been scared off again. I am hoping he comes around soon though. Poor Parker, but I suspect he was messing with the robin, or that robin would not have picked on him like that.
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The beautiful story:)
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Thank you. It’s been three days and that squirrel has not surfaced. That robin really messed with him!
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You’re so good at writing:)
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Those are perfect photos 👌😍
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Thanks Sharon – I appreciate it, especially since I feel most of them are lucky shots since animals don’t sit still too often.
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You’re Michigan’s answer to Henry David Thoreau with these nature observations !
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Thanks Terry, sometimes I feel that inspiration too when I’m walking along the water’s edge!
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Linda— forgot to ask— tell me about your new glasses. What color are they?, I imagine a happy color but curious to hear as it lets me know you more my friend.
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Well Jennifer, they are the transition lenses and separate from my other glasses – first time I did that but I was finding it difficult driving with my glasses with the sunglasses over top … my peripheral vision was not so great, so decided to get these. They are black frames but the arms are white leopard … I know, I like animals, but white leopard? But that is the only part that is like this; the other frames available were either resembling the granny glasses we used to wear back in the late 60s/early 70s or the newer trend of horn-rimmed glasses. And, he had designer frames which I didn’t need. I am still getting used to them and had a concern it would affect using the camera if they were too dark, but I think it is okay so far. Yesterday it was hazy and overcast, it was difficult to tell.
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I’m glad you got glasses 👓 with a little pizazz like you!!! You blog has a woman with red glasses so I knew you had some of your own special!!!!!
I love imagining your glasses as you walk your paths. I hope you end up liking your new transition 👓!!!!
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I am liking the new transitions and wish I had done this before. Today I looked at the glasses when I put them on, and they are more brownish that I initially thought. Every room in my house is poorly lit. I switched to the CFL lights and they never light up the entire room … so, more brownish leopard, but the case is white leopard. I liked that caricature with the red glasses Jennifer because when I was creating the design for the blog, all the pictures I had were a mix of pink/white and red. So, in looking at stock photos, I decided that girl’s image would work on the blog page plus as my gravitar.
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I love your BLOG image — it has always stood out to me!!! Further, I love that you are liking your new 👓 glasses. My dad got some transition lenses too!! He says they are “quite handy!”.
Also,
What are CFL Lights??
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I wish I’d done it years ago since I stopped wearing contacts. CFL lights are the compact fluorescent lights that look like a Dairy Queen ice cream cone. They are hard to find now – most people are opting for LED lights.
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