Mountain City Montage
by PAULINE TOM
June brought the annual 1st Saturday garage sale. Forgot? Remember now for next year.
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April had no showers, and May brought ... Painted Buntings. Cindy Rector on Juniper tidbitted (on May 2), “A bird feeder, bird bath and patience have resulted in the sighting of two male painted buntings at my house for the past two days. Just this morning I spotted a female at the feeder. What a wonderful way to start the day.”
Wasn’t it nice that mid-May brought showers? Thank you, God.
We had a wonderful way to start the day somewhere along the way in May. RonTom opened the curtains and exclaimed, “A newborn fawn.” The baby stood on wobbly legs as the mother provided its first bath.
Baby fawn have very little smell, so they’re safe from predators (like BoD and Kiss’Me’) unless their movement draws attention. BoD and Kiss’Me’ were banned from the open backyard for the day.
For newcomers to Mountain City, where newborn fawn spring up in late spring, here’s an important fact to know: Newborn fawns lying alone are not abandoned. Mother deer typically leave their young bedded down for two to 12 hours while they’re away foraging.
And, mama deer may be aggressive. Some old-timers will remember that we put down Starr after a deer attack in May 2004. (Blind, she probably stumbled onto a fawn.)
Little Kiss’Me’, known to bark his head off at deer in his backyard, got attacked late one night in mid-May. An hour-long surgery “sutured up” KissMe, on the inside and outside and left side and right side. The longest battle scar runs from close to his backbone down to his belly. Dr. Burke said deer usually run when chased.
An aggressive doe (probably Kiss’Me’s attacker) charged at the Burich’s dogs and the Medlock’s dogs down here in the Live Oak cul-de-sac. She even charged at David, who unabashedly says, “I ran.”
Does do sometimes attack humans. A doe (with a fawn) in Austin attacked three people in May.
Judge Beth Smith sent word on her email distribution that in the very early morning of a May day, a Mountain City habitation was burglarized. They even took a window. She wrote, “Just a reminder to please keep your homes secure, especially with summer around the corner. If we have any great weather, just make sure to close your windows.”
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In Orlando for five days in May, we continued our 40-week celebration of 40 years with a once-in-a-lifetime “Swim with Dolphins” at Discovery Cove. Ron dipped under to “swim” with CJ and the trainers quickly trained Ron that the “swim” means swimming in the same cove and getting pulled across the cove by the dolphin, alongside the dolphin.
The entire Discovery Cove (including snorkeling with tropical fish) ranks five stars. Very topnotch. They topped it off by FedExing my lost sunglasses to Mountain City – without a charge.
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Nancy Waddell lost a cockatiel before she finally escaped town for Midland. She and Rick are relocating their other 40 aviary’d avians. Solid gray. Phone Nancy at (512)517-4926 if you find the bird.?The same “Please send tidbits” instructions apply to Montage. (512) 268-5678 or [email protected].
