Muskrat Love
I don’t remember if I mentioned that I got my camera back finally. Guess what? They didn’t DO anything to it. Because the shutter was dry and wasn’t shorting out Canon Canada determined there was nothing wrong with the camera. So they didn’t fix the leaky water seals. Nothing. Despite this being a problem on numerous 5D MKII bodies. Just a wee bit frustrating. If the problem occurs again I may end up having to take a route I personally find distasteful…….a lawyer. But what else do you do when you invest (what to me is) a huge amount of money on a so called professional grade camera, that has worse build quality than their prosumer models; and the company knows it through repeated camera failures and consumer complaints.
Anyway, enough about that nasty camera business……
I think Spring is trying to arrive. I was out for a walk the other day and thought I’d go see what’s happening around the pond. I haven’t really been out there all winter because the snow is so deep. It’s still almost knee deep out there, but the sun was shining and it just felt so darn good to be outside. It was worth stumbling around getting boot-fulls of snow.
On one of the banks of the pond I spotted this muskrat. At first I thought it was dead because it was just laying there. I had gotten quite close and it wasn’t moving. The thought that our muskrat didn’t survive winter was very sad. But then, suddenly, it stood up barring it’s tiny yellow teeth at me, which was surprisingly frightening for such a little critter. I backed off and he (or she) scurried a little further away.
That’s not the first time I’ve mistaken a critter for dead that was actually just out soaking up the rays. The other incidence involved a little more fearsome critter though…….a rattlesnake on the side of the road. I admittedly have poor eyesight. Someday it could land me in hot water; but I’ve vowed never to assume snakes or muskrats are dead again!
I also saw the first pair of geese fly over checking out the pond. The sound of geese returning in the Spring fills me with joy. The Starlings are back as well. Despite them being a nuisance bird I’ve learned to appreciate their return as the first signs of Spring. They are like a grumpy old neighbor, who you love to hate, returning from a long winter holiday. He might be a pain in the arse, but you missed him while he was away.
What are some of your favorite signs of Spring?
