Animal Wednesday - finally!

It's been ages since I've done an Animal Wednesday - mostly due to....winter I guess.  I was working on the book, and wasn't taking time for other drawing or photos - oh well.

So, it is spring-like around here and I say that because right now it is 45 degrees outside, which is pretty cool I think.  But it's been a lovely time, with sunny days and cool nights - really my favorite combination.

We saw this guy trying to cross the road last week.  He was HUGE and slow. I knew he would get killed on the busy road, and that it was very dangerous to have such a large animal hurt or killed on the street.  So after we passed him, I convinced DH to turn around and let me get pictures.  Then I pretended that I was coming closer to him and sort of stomped my feet and he scuttled back into the woods.  I may have thwarted his amorous intents....it is mating season after all, and some siren turtle across the street may have been calling him but oh well....

Yesterday we saw this fox in our backyard. We've seen him, or his cousins, for a few months now, he's pretty used to us and doesn't usually dart off or anything.  And he normally looks healthy and beautiful. Yesterday he looked awful - with a skinny hairless tail, and a quick look up told us that he probably has mange.  He will also probably get over it, I hope.  He stared at us for a long time and then nosing around found a dead squirrel, picked it up and darted into the woods.  Why there was a dead squirrel on the ground is a mystery to us, unless he had it stashed there. 

Then yesterday afternoon we went kayaking. First day of the year on the river and it was a perfect day.   DH paddles like crazy looking at everything, and I've learned to paddle for awhile, then anchor somewhere and sketch, or read. It's heaven!  Quiet with nothing to hear but birdsong - completely relaxing.  I had dinner waiting in a crockpot at home which made it even more relaxing, no worries about what to cook when we got home.   This muskrat was paddling around me, fairly fearless.   

The swans were also out - enormous birds. I can barely understand how they fly they are so huge!

And finally, this isn't an animal but a promise of a song.  I found this on my walk the other day - lovely blue shell. I'm hoping it hatched and that this wasn't the result of a foxy poacher but who knows. 

Looking at this picture makes me think of something.  This is my hand and since I was young I've had the wrinkliest fingers of anyone I've known.  For some reason, this has never bothered me, even as a teenage "wanna be like everyone else".  I have never had smooth girly hands, and I've always been proud of my wrinkly hands.  I count that now as a blessing, that there was one less thing to worry about in my youth.  Isn't it amazing how you can accept somethings about yourself, yet agonize about others?  Ah...youth. 

Happy Animal Wednesday!!!