Zelda, Otis, and the (ex)Polyphemus Moth

The 2 outdoor cats are proving to be quite the loving pair. Both are neutered, as you might tell from their tipped ears, so not that much loving.

Otis is quite the killer—mostly rats raiding the chicken/goat feed in the garage—but also an occasional bird :( and what I think was a baby rabbit yesterday.

I am pretty sure Otis was not the perp who killed the polyphemus moth. It was most likely one of the mom or pop parents feeding the insatiable baby birds occupying the 4 birdhouses inside the back fence (where I found the fore and hind wings).

Of course I had to Google it to determine what the heck it was other than 2 different moth wings.

What a beauty it must have been!

[User:Kadoka1]Template:Stephen Lody Photography • CC BY-SA 3.0

The Creek and the Jessie Project

I am back to doing water testing in the Herkimer Creek after just learning in a Zoom meeting how to be a real scientist (haha) and upload all of the data to the Chesapeake Monitoring Cooperative website.

It's hard to fathom how our little creek can have an impact all the way down to the Chesapeake Bay. If you click on the link, I think I am still the second most northern dot on the map, just below Utica.

I have pretty much given up on winter testing because access to the creek is getting more and more difficult. Erosion, old age and/or beavers are taking down some big trees (and small ones) and a few good storms have eroded the bank so much that it is difficult for this old lady to get into the water.

Update on the Jessie Project: she is still spending most of the day outside in the yard by herself teasing the vultures. She's had 2 practice visits to Breezy Acres Dog Resort where she gets to hang out with other dogs and humans, but she was still too nervous to enjoy it.

When we go to Ireland she will be there for 8 or 9 days. I have to do a better job of preparing her for our temporary abandonment. I am just not really sure how to do that...