Misadventures of the Monster Librarian

It's funny how the daily rituals of the animals around the Farm can occassioanlly seem less than thrilling as we grow accustomed to sharing our little world with them. Being back in Michigan this past weekend made me very aware of this fact, as the only animals I saw were family pets; gas guzzling beasts on the southeastern Michigan highways, growling and lurching all around me; and the occasional robins, indicators of spring in the midwest. I told my family and friends stories about what we'd encountered lately around the Farm and they oohed and aahed, intrigued. So, I thought I would mention the latest and greatest animal sightings (my own and others) worth noting. Moose : A few weeks back an acquaintance mentioned his having seen a moose. It was near dusk and the acquaintance was hiking one of the many Farm trails. I am assuming it was this same moose which was also reported to have been seen not far from this trail a few days later. Hearing of these si...

HOLY CATS! I love that there are so many visable signs of nature where I live! Cool animals sighting over the past couple of weeks since last I wrote, though none of them were as cool, or as close to me as the bear : TSO , S and I were driving into town, heading towards the highway, when what should run in front of my car? A BOBCAT! I was surprised at how small it was--about the size of a small dog. But still very cool! Some facts I gathered here : Type: Mammal Diet: Carnivore Average lifespan in the wild: 10 to 12 years Size: Head and body, 26 to 41 in (66 to 104 cm); Tail, 4 to 7 in (10 to 18 cm) Weight: 11 to 30 lbs (5 to 14 kg) Did you know? The bobcat is the most abundant wildcat in the U.S. and has the greatest range of all native North American cats. I had just turned onto the Farm's road from the state highway the other day when what should I see running across one of our fields? A RED FOX, not to be confused with Redd Foxx --because that would be weird! Some facts I gathe...