So sweet to see all the creatures out and about while on our stay in Panicale. Sure, there are plenty of cats and dogs, but I get a big kick out of all the little unexpected sights we would come across on our daily walks and drives.
Being in a fairly rural area, I expect to see farm type animals here and there.....
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| Just outside of Panicale, near La Querciolina...a wonderful winery. |
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| Cuteness personified. And so curious... |
I loved finding the two following "vignettes". The thing that really floored me was the amazing texture these guys both happened to find themselves emerged in, just as I walked by.... I could not have asked for more.
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| Don't even know how I found this one...just lucky, I guess. |
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| This one, too. A perfect blend of color and texture. |
On one of our day trips to Isola Maggiore, I went walking while Johnny was painting and had loads of fun. We had been wondering what all the odd screeching was, and found out it was all the pheasants around the island. Man, do they make a hellish sound. The color of the feathers on the male pheasants are so beautiful, it's ok about all the noise they make.
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| Pretty Boy. |
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| Very subtle female..... |
Then there are the scaly critters. My favorites, really. I always had snakes around during our summer vacations...we would catch garter snakes, or the beautiful white and black king snakes. I have fond memories, and still like to hold snakes whenever given half a chance. Which, by the way, is never, these days..... just saying....
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| Doing her daily push-ups in the warm sunshine near the lake. |
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| A bit out of focus, but he would not stay still! Such a nice green... |
There are vipers in the area, but we didn't come across any. I did see a snake about three feet long while walking with Tasha one day. We both jumped! It was well hidden in the leaves and shade on the edge of the dirt path we were following. Not quick enough to get a photo that time. Fortunately, I did get a nice long moment to get this little cutie on film. Well, digital whatever....
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| He was playing dead, and didn't move a muscle... |
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| So...I put a pencil down to show just how tiny he was. So cute! A seriously still character. |
Then there are the odd ball moments...the really fun moments.
Maybe it's just me that thinks it's fun. Besides the snakes and lizards and frogs and turtles, when I was growing up, I had this hokey nature camp I made up. I would give myself and any of the other kids in the 'hood "points" for bringing in the most interesting living creatures we could find. Mom and Dad had set up an old bath tub in the back yard, and we used it for toads and pollywogs, turtles...whatever we could find. I guess I should have gone into science of some sort.....
Anyway.
So on the day we got caught in the massive rain/thunder/lightening storm, I came across this really cool sight. Now I understand that these ants knew what was coming, and were doing whatever they could to plug up their entryway from the deluge that was only moments away....
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| Ants desperately working to drag these hazelnut seeds into their doorway. Little did we know that twenty minutes later we would be soaked and scared ourselves.... |
Then there were the bees.....
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| I'm thinking they are getting ready to swarm. On a wall in Montone. |
Of course, there are always big surprises.....
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| The ever elusive Olive Tree Cat. This was a real coup. Normally never seen in daylight. What luck. |
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| Stone Hawk. Only found in a small region outside of Tavernalle, near Oro. Most rare. |
From the Devic Council on International Fairy Conduct (DCIFC):
ReplyDeleteHistory: From the parchments recently discovered deep below the Sphinx, it has been confirmed that humans, for once, did something in accordance to sacred law. Domestic cats were honored with their own temples. This was no surprise to the Divine Order of Felines (DOF) for they knew of their greatness for eons. The great Goddess Bast was extremely pleased that humans finally came to their senses. That is until it became known that cats were killed when their pet human died and they were horrifically mummified and buried in smelly tombs. When this news circulated in the palace-homes of the felines, the DOF ordered a mass exodus of all members. Under the cover of darkness, thousands of cats fled the dusty desert and found their way around the planet. The humans were furious when they woke up to find their homes overrun with rodents and cobras and not a cat in sight. A crusade ensued to find the errant felines and bring them back (very few were recovered). A clowder of particularly enterprising felines boarded a friendly Phoenician ship and landed on the shores of what is now Italy. They were greeted by hundreds of fairies who whisked them even farther north. It was one of those odd evolutionary happenstances that it was the flower fairies rather than the furry animal fairies were the first to greet the refuges. This error became evident, to the delight of the flower fairies who were getting rather bored, when several generations of cats were birthed during the spring in fruit trees rather than by the traditional method. It soon became apparent that the weight of small kittens hanging in delicate sacs, were damaging the smaller trees. While the fairies were thrilled at their feat, especially with the soft rumblings emitted by the kitten-fruit, the tree Devas were not. They immediately lodged a complaint with the DCIFC. By the time this issue was placed before the council (it was a very busy time for us), a small epidemic of kitten-fruit had spread throughout the region and the flower fairies directly responsible were unavailable, presumably in deep hiding. We are pleased to say, that the epidemic was halted and all future kittens were born in well hidden nests.
Current: Regrettably, we have recently received word that the mischievous flower fairies who caused the commotion decades ago, have been spotted in the Umbria region. Humans have reported seeing an unusual number of cats lounging in olive trees and there were rumblings earlier this spring that some obscure Plums had larger than normal fruit hanging from the highest branches that were emitting a soothing, thrumbling sound. We, the DCIFC, regret that all the flower fairies were not contained during the original outbreak and have appointed a special committee to rectify this error. The DOF has been notified but we have not heard a response…