Fall in the Rockies

You country-fry it, I think. Should taste like chicken, with a hint of rhizome.

Yes, WH, I think it is called Brunswick Stew. I think I even tasted it once when I was a kid in Mississippi. I liked it as I recall. Got any recipe for gophers?

LOL, Greenjay!

White, I used to fix squirrel after hunting it back in the day when I did that sort of thing. Greenjay's right, country fry, and it's pretty good, just a little small and not much fat.

Send your squirrels to me for asylum. We really enjoy them. Unfortunately the peppermint oil cotton balls that I put out last night to scare off the roof/tree rats (that showed up this week ) seems to have scared off my squirrels. The cats and I miss them and worry about them. :-(

This is the first day in years that we have not had squirrels on the deck. At first I thougth they were laying low due to the presence of Mr. & Mrs. Cooper Hawk. Junior hawk was sitting on the deck railing yesterday, but the squirrels showed up after he left. Looks like the peppermint oil worked too well.

Humm. I have some diggings out in my vacant lot that look like something other than gophers. I am wondering if maybe the rats are moving into the gopher tunnels. Maybe I will try a little peppermint oil out there as well. We only have one or two squirrels around my neighborhood. They are beautiful Abert's squirrels with large tufted ears. See:
http://dwrcdc.nr.utah.gov/rsgis2/Search/Display.asp?FlNm=sciuaber

They have never been a pain and now I know why. They live on Pondersosa Pine Bark. Gophers and Pack Rats, yes we have. But I love the squirrels.

I probably wouldn't find them so attractive if they dug up and ate my bulbs though.

Just got back from our Rocky Mountain neighbors to the North. Edmonton along the North Saskatchwan R. It was beautiful. Saw wolves, moose, beaver, and lots of deer and elk.

Magnificent picture. Seeing all that wildlife must make up for the cold weather.

Well to see all of that it took 12 hr days of paddling and full moon to bring out the interesting ones. The wolves and coyotes are every where. They called all of the nights we were on the river. This is a good one of the geese coming out of the fog in the early am over a warm cup of coffee.

Wow, beautiful!

Brings back many memories, and I do appreciate your pics. Wonderful country.

This is my back yard 3days ago. I love the fall.

Sofer, I LOVE the pics you post. Your garden is amazing. No killing frosts there yet?

SD just beautiful :o) Really sorry I missed coming to your place in August.

Connie

Beautiful backyard! Wow!

We have had some frosts but none below 25 so everything is happy. We are now into warm afternoons and cold eves and probably will start to lose the tenders. But I usually have a busy garden until 25 F. All of the compost I have in the soil and the thick mulch keeps the ground warm and the plants warm.

My mamaw would make squirel dumplings! Paj, that Abert squirel is cute, don't think I could bother it any. Fortunately, only have a couple living in a cottonwood a few houses down. They plowed my giant sunflowers for the past few weeks, but the birds got theirs, too. Sofer, beautiful pic's. More ammo to get the g/f to move with me in a couple of years! Always wanted to live in Montana or Idaho.

The Squirrels don't make it long at our house. We have 2 young terriers so they actually catch and chase off the wonderful pets. I like squirrells. The other part of fall I like are all the colorful berries on the Aronia, V Creeper, Viburnums, Choke cherries, Service Berries, and buffalo berries. The song birds and berrie eaters are loving my place now.

That fall color is wonderful, Sof. Would that be a Virginia Creeper?

Yes, I have 1/4 mile of fence covered in this spectacular plant. Quite beautiful usually but we had no irrigation this year so not much leaf left on the vine this year. The deer eat and prune them off a lot also this time of year.

Another nice photo. Is this one a maple? Which kind?

Sugar maple from my Dads yard in Michigan I brought a bunch of them to Montana to have a sugar bush so when I get old I can tap them for maple candy. Same tree only farther back.

How old is the tree? I grew up with these in Minnesota.