I'm a nature lover, I really am. This may seem insincere coming from someone who hunts varmints but it's true. When Jeff and I first moved to Framingham I immediately put up bird feeders to attract the local feathered fauna. It wasn't long before the usual suspects arrived; black-capped chickadees, cardinals, mourning doves and the very cute tufted titmouse. When our first spring came, I was shocked to see a bright yellow and black bird vying for a spot on the feeder. Born and raised in Dorchester, my first thought was that someone's canary got loose. It turned out to be an american goldfinch. In time he was joined by other birds I couldn't identify so Jeff bought me a field book of local species. Since then I've logged (mentally - I don't actually keep a bird book) a wide variety of birds observed at the feeder or in the trees. I've even had the privilege of seeing a pileated woodpecker. A gorgeous black bird the size of a crow with a great red crest on it's head.

Birds are just a small part of the wildlife here in the boonies. There is a good share of amphibians as well. I've caught (and released) tiny red newts, pebble-skinned toads and beautiful grey tree frogs. The sound of the peeping frogs fills the air during the summer nights and they are not the only ones calling in the dark. Lying in bed with the windows open our first summer, Jeff and I awoke to the eerie cry of coyote. I still get chills when I hear them. Then there are fisher cats, red-tailed hawks, foxes, and, of course, the ever present white-tailed deer. We have a bit of a love-hate relationship with the deer. We love seeing them out in the back yard, we hate seeing what's left of our shrubs after they've had a good graze. I've come home at night to a herd of four or five of them feasting on the arbor vitae in my front yard. And were they ever happy when I planted that row of azalea. There are countless products on the market that claim to keep them from eating everything in your yard. One of them is concentrated coyote urine. Supposedly, the scent of a predator keeps the deer from getting cozy in the treated area. When I found this out I told Jeff he needed to pee on the shrubs immediately. Man being on top of the food chain I figure that smell will keep everything away. He informed me he'd already peed on the shrubs.
"But the deer are still eating everything in our yard!"
"Oh!" he says with a silly grin, "you want me to pee on the shrubs in our yard!"
Then he laughs at his joke and at me for believing he'd taken a whiz out back. One of the reasons I love the man so much is he's always making me laugh. Just last week there was yet another deer in the back yard. "Goddamnit!" I grumbled as I watched it nibble something along my beautiful bank of ferns, "Jeff! Go chase that deer!" And what do you know, he did. I never saw anything in such a befuddled panic as that deer when Jeff bounded out of the house screeching like a deranged monkey. With a flash of it's white tail it disappeared into the woods while I laughed my ass off from the comfort of my living room.