Our Neighbors Are Wild Party Animals!
An old guy, a backyard full of characters, and the usual Sunday Sip
Backyard Buddies
Happy New Year, and welcome to another year of the Life In Michigan Sunday Sip newsletter. If you’ve been reading Sunday Sip for a while, you know we’re pretty enamored with our backyard friends. Just last week, Brenda shared our horror of witnessing Karen, the black squirrel, encounter our sparrow deterrent system (fishing line and washers). Anyway, I’ve been seeing a few photographic journal-type deals here on Substack. You know, the ones where someone takes you on a journey or tells a story with a series of photos and perhaps a few words here and there to set the stage. Well, with that inspiration, I thought I’d share a retrospective on our backyard pals.
Where to start. When I was four, I befriended a crow…I’m kidding. Although a bucket list item is to befriend a crow (seriously). Our backyard buddies started visiting us in earnest when we lived on the north side of Ann Arbor. From our house, it felt like we were living in the woods, yet we could walk downtown. In fact, we called it our tree-house since the living room and dining nook were elevated on posts looking out into the trees. To the east of the house was a two-acre lot full of mature trees. Apparently, there had been a house there years ago, leaving only a foundation behind, which was quickly consumed by the forest. This became the home of our first batch of backyard friends.
The forest offered homes for a variety of birds, and Brenda’s birdfeeders drew them in. One time, an Indigo Bunting made a visit. Talk about striking bird watching gold!! I’m sure the bird nerd excitement meter was solidly pegged at eleven. Ok sure, the nuthatch is pretty cool, but wow, a bunting!!
For some reason, a house wren found our garage rafters to be the perfect spot for a nest. One day, a couple of little chicks fluttered about inside the garage, desperate to get out the window. I imagined this little one looking outside and thinking, “Hey buddy!! Put the camera down and open the damn window!” Since the windows didn’t open, we left the garage door up. After a bit of futile flapping by the window, they figured it out and busted a move for the great wide open.
Not long after we’d settled into our home on Ann Arbor’s northside (Traver Road specifically), we put in a raised bed garden. The garden produced a truckload of zucchini and a bushel of bunnies. Turns out the lettuce patch made for a perfect baby bunny nursery.
On a sunny summer day, one of these little dudes hopped outside the garden bed into the mulch path surrounding the garden. They froze when we came out to inspect the garden. Being concerned that a hawk would swoop in for an easy lunch, I reached down to pick the baby bunny up and put them back in the garden. I was amazed at the strength of their little legs as they kicked hard into the palm of my hand. As I peered in to take a photo, I got the distinct feeling this fella was thinking “That adventure didn’t go quite how I planned it!!”
The backyard at the house on Ann Arbor’s northside had a steep slope. Under a section of old decking that was giving way to nature, lived our resident woodchuck. We named him Winston. He was quite a character who enjoyed nuts and carrots. However, his extended family was problematic. We ended up having to evict his relatives who tried to set up residence near our basement wall.
The deer were a bit shy, yet became good neighbors. Apparently, they felt safe enough to let us watch over their fawns.
There were more than a couple of nights where we woke to what sounded like a woman screaming bloody murder. Thankfully, no serious mischief was occurring other than the neighborhood fox making the rounds. We set up our trail cam to uncover some of the nightly shenanigans. Who knew the fox would be curious about apples?
The deer had some serious questions about our surveillance activities.
The local band of hooligans, trash pandas, were caught red-handed.
Sadly, a developer bought the two-acre plot next to our house. Instead of building a single home and retaining the wooded nature, they leveled every tree. Seeing the fox sitting on the heavy equipment amongst the forest devastation, I felt they were protesting the destruction of their home.
With a big house built surprisingly close to our little house, we decided it was time to move on. Wishing our backyard friends good luck, we made our way to a new condo just south of Ann Arbor.
Our new condo is located in what used to be farmland to the south of Ann Arbor. The back of the condo looks out on an old hedgerow of scrubby trees and assorted brambles bordering a former farm field. The construction of our neighborhood disrupted the local animal community. We didn’t see a single critter when we moved in. Our bird feeders patiently waited for the dust to settle. Once the rumble of heavy equipment had subsided, our new backyard friends began to emerge, with the birds leading the charge.
In the winter, the dark-eyed Juncos make their home here. We lovingly call them the “Canadians.” Next to the Chickadee, they are one of the most adorable birds known to man.
Eventually, the furry neighbors started to show up. We named the red squirrel Avery and the fox squirrel Gary. There are multiple Averys and Garys, so far, none of them have complained about having the same name.
Let’s not forget Karen, the black squirrel. She is actually a Grey squirrel with black fur (in case you thought black squirrels were their own species, as I did at first).
There is also Flossy the rabbit, who enjoys hot summer evenings and cool drinks at the bird bath.
We aren’t sure if this is “The” Winston or not. Clearly, he felt the need to survey the land. Perhaps we should call him Meriwether!
The deer have also stopped by on occasion. While we have seen fawns, they aren’t quite yet sleeping outside the window. However, this big fella will stroll by from time to time.
While we have yet to see a fox in the new neighborhood, we spotted a coyote.
Every once in a while, you can hear them out in the field doing a rally call. We aren’t sure if it is a community “good morning” or “hey, where is dinner?” cry. So far, I have not been Johnny-on-the-spot with my camera to snap a quality picture. Brenda did manage to snag a nice one of this wily coyote who scared Gary up a tree.
The view from the B’s cozy nook (aka the sunroom) or from the walkout basement is ideal for watching the antics of our backyard pals. There was the time when the local hawk (not sure if it is a Cooper’s or Red Shouldered) zoomed in for lunch. Gary was not a fan and scampered up the tree to give the hawk hell.
In an attempt to invite the crows that fly overhead to and from wherever they spend their day, we’ve started to put our corn and peanuts along with the usual birdseed mix. Let me tell you, Avery, Gary, and the Blue Jays have never been happier with this decision. I’ve yet to capture it on camera, but both Avery and Gary will grab a nut, dash a few yards away, and then carefully bury it. Avery goes a step further by patting down the grass over the nut. As if thinking to himself, “Now that is a fine burial!” as he gives the ground another satisfying pat.
Avery and Gary have to be quick as the Blue Jays buzz in as soon as the peanuts hit the ground. They sit in the tree, cock an eye toward a nut, and then dive in like a fighter pilot to snag a nut. Nut in hand, they take off to perch and enjoy.
After a recent snowfall, Gary spent his morning searching in vain for one more nut. With a face full of snow, he stood up and looked over at me. I’m sure he was thinking, “Hey man!! Put the damn camera down and get some nuts out here stat!!”
I would be remiss if I failed to mention Steve the tree frog. He spent a winter inside our house after stowing away in one of the potted plants we kept on the deck in the summer. Steve enjoyed the balmy indoors until spring, when we took them back outdoors. We’ve not seen Steve in a bit, but we hope he is doing well in the backyard.
I’m looking forward to more adventures with our friends in the backyard. Hopefully, this retrospective was worth your time. I’d love to hear about your backyard buddies. Feel free to shoot us an email or drop us a comment on Substack. Bonus points if you include photos of your friends.
Upcoming Events You Won’t Want to Miss
Our events calendar on Life In Michigan is a treasure trove of events we’ve scoured the interwebs to bring to you. There are a ton of great events coming up. From that list, here are a few highlights:
Hopslam Release and Spelling Bee at Bell’s Eccentric Cafe in Kalamazoo on Jan 7
Might as well forget about dry January and enjoy some Hopslam at Bell’s
On The Tracks Songwriter Series presents DuPont Phillips at the Chelsea Depot in Chelsea on Jan 7
A night of outstanding music featuring the talented Chris DuPont and Kylee Phillips
A Night Trapped Under Ice at Mac’s Bar in Lansing on Jan 10
A night of extreme heaviness with Dug Ins, Pillar Of Light, and Room 101
Darkness On The Edge of Corktown III at the Lager House in Detroit on Jan 10
Over 30 musical acts pay tribute to Bruce Springsteen with all proceeds benefiting Motor City Mitten Mission.
Detox/Retox Yoga at Wolverine Pickleball in Ann Arbor on Jan 16
Perfect time to relax, unwind, and restart your year with this all-levels yoga class with our pal Roo from Eclipse Yoga.
In Other News
The riffs were heavy at Bowlero Lounge in Royal Oak with Detroit riff masters Winds Of Neptune and doom dealers Angel Of Mars.
The Sun Times News recently featured an interesting Christmas related story from Paul Schubert, which tells the tale of his uncle’s release from a Russian prison after World War II and the kindness of strangers.
Lori Stratton has an excellent interview with local indie rock band Ness Lake, which includes cuts from their new album called Normal Speed.
Life In Michigan Podcast
We had a wonderful time talking with Ken Konarzewski Jr. (formerly of the Better On Draft podcast) about bowling and beer. If you are in Michigan and looking for a killer map app to help you find not only every brewery, but craft distilleries, cider, and mead, check out Ken’s Michigan Brewery Map App.
Substack Restack Attack
Substack is where it’s at. Check out these other superb publications:
It is sort of a music nerd battle with Brad Kyle and Nuno Babo trading tunes on Brad’s Tune Tag series
Rediscovering Vinyl has a great review of the classic All The World’s a Stage by Rush
Cedric provides some great insights into the ways people perceive your intention as a photographer when using an iPhone versus a full-size camera. Honestly, I feel conspicuous trying to do street photography with my Canon.
Adventures Yet To Print
We spent New Year’s with friends in Kentucky, taking it easy, eating way too much, and watching football (as well as catching up on the first season of The Pitt - so good!) That said, we don’t have much on the horizon in terms of new stories for Life In Michigan. However, the Great Beer State Conference is coming next week in Kalamazoo. Then it is off to Jacksonville, FL, and a visit to Saint Augustine, so hang on! More stories will be coming along in a bit.
What Are You Reading?
I was in between audiobooks, listening to the Your Aleatoric Reality Season 2 Episode 7, where they were interviewing “Ninja” Nate, one of the creators of Morton’s List (a game of random real-life quests). During this episode, Nate mentioned a highly influential book called The Master and His Emissary by Iain McGilchrist. Given that the book’s topic is the brain, specifically the functions of the right and left hemispheres, I was intrigued and downloaded the Audible version.
I’m about halfway through, and all I can say is—Wow. According to Dr. McGilchrist, much of the common knowledge about the hemispheres’ functions is incorrect. The book provides a lot of fascinating information about the functions of each hemisphere based on research on patients who have either had strokes or other issues (such as epilepsy). It turns out our right hemisphere is responsible for a holistic interpretation of reality. It is the primary hemisphere for empathy, our ability to learn novel things, among other key contributions to how we function as human beings. Meanwhile, the left hemisphere is more abstract and less able to understand our experiences as a whole.
There is plenty more to get into, but let’s just say that the functions of the hemispheres have some major differences besides handedness. Oh, and if you think that because you are right-handed, you are less “creative”—Think again and read this book.
What Are You Spinning?
Back when MTV actually played music, there was a show I watched religiously called Headbanger’s Ball. Now, for the most part, this show sucked ass. Shitty hair metal bands dominated it, and the hosts were typically tools. However, once in a while, a gem would sneak into the mix and change my world. One such gem was the video “Climbing The Walls” by Wrathchild America.
Shortly after seeing this video, I purchased the CD and fell in love. What drew me in was multifaceted. Brad Givens’ vocals had a gritty melodic power. The drumming of Shannon Larkin easily moves from rock to double-kick metal madness. Finally, there is the fabulous guitar work of Jay Abbene and Terry Carter. While there was no doubt about their shredding abilities, they transcended the typical guitar solo. Their leads were some of the most excellent compositions in metal music. They didn’t wank all over the song; they crafted pieces that elevated the music to new levels. Overall, the songwriting on this album is fun and inventive, with great storytelling through the lyrics.
I played the hell out of this CD, and it had a huge influence on me when I started to create my own music. After nearly 30 years, I finally found a copy of this stellar album on vinyl. It is heaven.
Fun story that I’ve probably told 1000 times: I went to the Ritz in Roseville to see Wrathchild America when they were touring for their 3-D album (another fantastic album I need on vinyl). As everyone should, I arrived early to check out the opening band. As soon as this band hit the stage, the entire club erupted. It was mayhem! A steady stream of people jumping on stage, headbanging, and stage diving. I must have stage-dived at least 10 times, and I was a sweaty mess by the end of the set. That opening band was Pantera, who were on tour to support their album Cowboys From Hell. Let’s just say, Pantera blew me away, and I quickly had yet another awesome band to listen to too.
In case you were curious, the Wrathchild America set was great. Yet it didn’t come anywhere close to the feral energy of Pantera.
That’s A Wrap
As my buddy Sturgill once said:
“Keep your head out of the clouds
And remember to be kind
And just stay in school
Stay off the drugs
And keep between the lines.”
Thank you for reading. I hope your week is awesome! Don’t forget to kick out the jams!
Now, here is your moment of zen:
Great photos Chuck. Really enjoyed the critters.
Love the photos and music updates. Tour backyard looks like mine— Wild Kingdom!