Coyote Not-So-Ugly…

The coyote is without a doubt the most famous desert animal, the very symbol of the west. He is prominently figured as the Trickster as well as the Wise One in Native American myths and legends. The coyote fascinates us with its intelligence and adapability. Coyotes are omnivores, which means they will eat or try to eat just about anything. In the Sonoran Desert coyotes vary their diet with the seasons. Cactus fruit, mesquite beans, flowers, insects, rodents, lizards, rabbits, birds, and snakes make up some of their dietary choices. It can survive eating anything from saguaro fruit to roadkills, and is able to live in any habitat from cactus forest to the city.
The coyote is not only intelligent, curious and playful, it has very keen senses that adapt it for survival—acute hearing, excellent vision, and an extremely sensitive sense of smell.
Coyotes are often mistaken for small to medium sized domestic dogs. They have a long, bushy black-tipped tail, pointed ears and a narrow pointed face. Their fur varies in color, from light brown to grayish. The fur on their belly is usually white.
A desert coyote usually weighs between 15 to 25 pounds. They stand about 25 inches tall and are 4 feet in length.
Coyotes “sing” as a way to communicate with other coyote families and as a way to keep track of their own family members.
Because coyotes are not picky eaters, they have even been known to eat domestic cats and small dogs.
(This is not my photo)

You REALLY know you’re in the wilds when you spot a coyote not 50 feet away from you.

We’ve started taking Winston out really early on a morning (between 4:30 and 5 AM) to beat the heat that starts as soon as the sun comes up. He’d been really starting to suffer the heat when we were taking him out at the usual time and was pulling towards any small amount of shade. Poor thing was panting up a storm and it usually made him rather out-of-sorts the rest of the day.

So I take him out this morning and it’s just getting light at 4:30 and I wonder why there were absolutely no rabbits around. I know it’s not too early for them because they’re out in the middle of the night and most mornings when we’re out and about… and they’re usually out in droves. But this morning there were absolutely none.

Then I get down to the doggie park which is right next to the goat pen and the goats were all out of their little house there and were standing right up at the fence looking outward past the doggie park. They usually do this when they’ve spotted Jack and are waiting for him to come let them out. But when they do that, they usually make quite a bit of a ruckus calling to him. This morning, they were dead silent and locked in place.

I was just about to let Winston off his leash when I saw the coyote right there… just about 50 feet away from me.

I decided to keep Winston on his leash because I didn’t want him to start going crazy barking and not sure if this coyote had seen me and/or if there was any danger there – rabid coyotes could attack I’ve been told.

So with nothing but a chain link fence and about 50 feet between us, I made myself quite known to this guy who was solely interested in the chicken coop. By “quite known”, I mean that I went and stood right in the open in the middle of the doggie park, and didn’t move. I was wearing all black from head-to-toe… The one time I wish I wasn’t looking so much like a ninja in stealth-mode.

The coyote kept looking over at me, then back at the coop but I reckon he knew with my being there, any attempt at a chook breakky was out of the question and finally took off. He was a bit skittish, and before he decided there was absolutely no way he was getting any breakfast at this place, stopped one more time just past the chicken coop and gave one last ditch look to see how he could get at the chooks. He looked at me one last time to make sure I hadn’t moved, and then trotted off down the lane.

After we were done at the park, I thought it would probably be best to not walk around the site as normal but to come right back home, but I did walk part way further past where we’d normally turn up to get home, where I have a good vantage point of the entry road, just to make sure he wasn’t still lingering around… all was clear. Just as I turned to walk up the way home, there was a rabbit sitting right there on the path ahead of me, and all was well in the world again. I figured that he must be gone as it was safe again for the rabbits to come out.

So I know you must be wondering what was the thought that ran through my head as I put myself between the goats and held Winston’s leash taut, and him behind me in a protective stance…? Nope, it was not “OMG! I hope I don’t look good enough to eat” but rather “SHIT! Why didn’t I bring my camera out with me?!” Urgh… this lady is never going on a walk again without her camera!

Making Friends…

What a gorgeous day out here in the desert today. It is overcast with a very cool wind. I’ve the windows and front door open and the lovely breeze is passing right through the whole RV. Best part is, no air con today and Winston is not even panting!

Had a lovely visit outside with ol’ Jim – the resident worker here, this morning. He really is such a nice man and he has so many stories to tell too.

I’m not sure if I mentioned in a previous blog post about this “scream” we heard the other night when we were taking Winston for a walk. The closer we got to the pool area, the louder it got and I was pretty sure that it was either a frog or a sick cricket. I went down to the store yesterday and asked Jack, and he said that they’re toads and that’s their mating call. He told us that they have red bumps all over their bodies and they secrete a toxin that is a hallucinogen. He explained that the Indians used to lick them to get high.

Red-spotted toads – occurs in Southern California, mainly in the deserts east of the mountain ranges and north through much of the Mojave Desert. It’s small, rounded parotoid glands and lack of a back stripe will distinguish it from its neighbors. It often has many red spots on the body, but sometimes the red is lacking.

So this morning, I was still in bed – trying to get some more sleep from the horrendous night sleeping – or lack thereof, when there was a knock on the door. It was Jim. He’d brought me two toads in a bucket to have a look and take photos of. After, he was taking them over to the lemon/orange tree and setting them free there. While we were talking, suddenly this “chirping” sound came out of the bucket. These little guys actually chirp, like birds!!! I was astounded.

 

 

Jim stayed for a bit and we had a lovely visit and he shared stories about his time in Vietnam – some things made me cry. He even showed me his old dog-tags and told me that they had been with him all through his years in Vietnam. I fet so incredibly honoured that he shared his stories and showed me his dog tag – which he carries on his key ring now.

He was in Vietnam for four years, and to this day, he still suffers from PTSD and pains in his body from being shot on several occasions and being blown up – he explained that he had shrapnel in his shins that when his kids were little, they thought it was “awesome” that they could put a magnet on their Dad’s shin and it’d stay! He said “what they didn’t know, was that them doing that, hurt so much”, he went on to explain that the shrapnel was in his bones and the magnet was like pulling them out.

Of course, Ainey climbing through the blinds to look out the window and watch us talk while we were out there, knocking over a glass vase and smashing (and breaking) it into the sink, didn’t help poor Jim’s PTSD. He’d just told me about how loud and shocking noises could “set” him off… Ainey’s lucky she didn’t get turned into stew!

I have met several people, had several friends even, who have served in Vietnam, and not one of them has ever spoken about their experiences there. Too painful, too difficult, or they’ve sworn it to a self-imposed secrecy – or maybe not so self-imposed.

We talked about many things about his experiences this morning; as I said, some things made me cry, but for respect I’ll not repeat everything. It was a very humbling and emotional experience. One that I am not likely ever to forget. One that I honour categorically, and am so humbled that he would share such deeply personal stories with me.

Soon the topic drifted away, and we talked about the different cacti and the fruits they produce. He told me that he would bring us some cactus fruit when they’re ready for harvest and teach us how to eat them. He said that he’d teach us how to live off the desert, and that one truly can live off the desert if they know what they’re looking for. I’m excited to try some of these fresh cactus fruits! Let’s hope he gets to them before the birds do.

Ben hung one of my wind chimes up on the tree here – I did get permission from Jim to do so as the website had said to not hang anything from any trees. He said that the KOA doesn’t want people hanging washing lines from RV to trees with lines of clothes drying, he exlained that they don’t want us looking “like trailer trash”! lol

My windchime sounds lovely, and I don’t think it’s ever had such a workout living down in the Valley. The green of my windchime blends in nicely with the green of the tree so it’s very subtle.

Last evening, I took Winston down to the dog park and brought my camera with me. Just observing, and taking photos of, all the wildlife, it was absolutely blissful. It’s almost like each time you step foot outside the door, take a walk, or even sit in the house here and just tune everything out and tune nature (which is all around you) in, you’re living in a state of absolute meditation. I’ve never felt so at peace. Even with the stress of finances, and lacking food, no running water and all that “stuff”, it’s almost as if it all becomes “blah blah blah” with no real ability to “touch” us in this meditative bliss we’re surrounded in.

I’m comfortable here. I’m happy. I feel fulfilled. I have my husband, our four furry kids and our own home on wheels – and I feel like the wealthiest woman in the world. We’re starting to meet people here and make friends. Last night, we had some neighbours from “The Rollin’ Green Project” (a film documentary) come over to visit. Rick was helping us figure a leak in the back and where it comes from – seems like we’ve a potential crack in the black tank (urgh) and Ben was helping Samantha with websites and such. They’re such cool people, they “speak our language” and we’re so much alike. It was a lovely visit and I think we should organize a pot luck of sorts. 🙂 https://www.facebook.com/TheRollinGreenProject?fref=ts

I have to say that this place SO feels like home, I’d even be willing to stay put here for a while with no complaint. I am SO loving the people here – this “small town” friendliness from the residents here and long-term visitors… it’s what I’ve missed living in the Valley for 10 years. SO SO SO happy! 🙂

Here are some photos taken on my walk with Winston last evening…

Saguaro cactus. Right under the crown of flowers “halo” on the tops, are the fruits coming into being. I can’t wait to give them a try.