Welcome to General Chat - GAW Community Area
This General Chat area started off as a place for people to talk about things that are off topic, however it has quickly evolved into a community and has become an integral part of the GAW experience for many of us.
Based on its evolving needs and plenty of user feedback, we are trying to bring some order and institute some rules. Please make sure you read these rules and participate in the spirit of this community.
Rules for General Chat
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Be respectful to each other. This is of utmost importance, and comments may be removed if deemed not respectful.
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Avoid long drawn out arguments. This should be a place to relax, not to waste your time needlessly.
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Personal anecdotes, puzzles, cute pics/clips - everything welcome
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Please do not spam at the top level. If you have a lot to post each day, try and post them all together in one top level comment
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Try keep things light. If you are bringing in deep stuff, try not to go overboard.
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Things that are clearly on-topic for this board should be posted as a separate post and not here (except if you are new and still getting the feel of this place)
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If you find people violating these rules, deport them rather than start a argument here.
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Feel free to give feedback as these rules are expected to keep evoloving
In short, imagine this thread to be a local community hall where we all gather and chat daily. Please be respectful to others in the same way
But chipmunks are SO cute...you must forgive them...they know not what they do...
saddest day was seeing a hawk take off with a chipmunk sunning on a rock...âšī¸
Oh, they are cute, no doubt! My mother used to call them 'grinnies'. Not sure where that came from, might originally have been Pennsylvania Dutch, and just spread colloquially to the surrounding areas.
As part of landscaping, we have a big rock outside the DR window. They love sitting on top of it, and the dog loves watching them.
Seeing what the hawk did, that must have been unsettling. I watch bird cams and I've seen plenty of prey delivered to nests. One brought back a cat for the babies. That was rough and I didn't watch much of it. :(
When our other dog was a puppy, I had a golden eagle swoop down to almost knee-height and try to take him. Boy did I chase that bird away!
Nature is nature, beautiful but harsh, sometimes!
Wow...yeah one time a hawk scooped up a frog from the pond...all I could see was the legs dangling....nature can be very harsh sometimes...especially the poor cat...my four are totally indoor for their own safety...we have a few strays around and when I stop seeing them I often wonder whether they were hit by a car, the coyotes got to them or if the hawks found them. The thing I noticed is that squirrels are overabundent...but no one seems to like the squirrels...I always wondered about this....
We actually made some squirrel jerky that turned out pretty good...I guess that means that we are predators also...but if everything goes south at least we will know we can eat squirrels...I guess that is a mixed blessing because they are also a lot of fun to watch traversing the very high trees or chasing each other up and down the very tall trees...it is such a lot of fun to watch all the beautiful animals God has created...
Well, the hawk had good taste, frog legs are delicious! đ
We had a black cat. Although the yard was fenced in, there were still a couple spots he would occasionally sneak out of. We didn't let him out from the middle of September through the middle of November.
We have always had plenty of squirrels. Usually the brown ones. I've been seeing a gray one lately. I think it's because they cleared a 6 acre lot on the next street over. Seeing things I haven't seen for years. Rosebreasted grossbeaks, pearl crescent butterflies, among others. Probably all looking for new homes. :(
Side note, when we first moved here 30 years ago, we saw a luna moth. Also had walking sticks, hummingbird moths (they are so cool), preying mantises, tiny tree toads, chorus frogs, etc., all gone now! So sad!
Haven't tried squirrel anything....... yet! I'm sure the day is coming. I'll probably hit you up for recipes! đ
The dog and the squirrels have a thing going. He barks up at them and they shake their tails and chatter down at him. It goes on for hours! đ¤Ŗ
Oh, and for squirrel antics, you'll probably enjoy these:
Backyard squirrel maze 1.0
Backyard squirrelmaze 2.0
And last, but not least:
Backyard squirrel maze 3.0
I do love froglegs myself...used to get delicious ones at a bar in S. Chicago...in the South have never found any good ones...they overcook them...
We have lost a lot of wildlife also...I see a lot of skinks...mosquitoes, bees, yellow jackets and wasps seem the most prolific...
I saw his first maze...I will have to watch the next two...you should put all three in a post...they are that good...