More Deer

Yesterday evening I saw eight deer as I returned from a walk.  They were crossing the court and heading generally to the southwest. 

Don't know how they manage to avoid the cars that zoom down streets all around town.

Hope they will continue to stay safe. 

The Key to Training

Training cats (and other animals) is made much easier by finding a treat that the critter likes.

Anyone who has seen dolphins completing acrobatic stunts for their trainers has probably noticed that after a trick, the performer gets a fish.

Food rewards are highly attractive to cats, too, provided you find one that your cat likes. Cats are known for their fussiness so some experimentation is often required to find just the right reward.

Fortunately grocery and pet stores have many kinds to choose from. Experiment. Any that your cat doesn't like might be dropped off at the local humane society--staffers there will make good use of them.

Some cats turn their noses up at store-bought rewards, and for those guys you should experiment with human food items. We once had a wonderful black manx cat that our son named Midnight. She was a sweetheart but didn't like commercially available treats. After some experimentation, we discovered that she craved small pieces of plain white bread.

In my experience, every cat likes some type of treat; it's just a matter of finding out what turns it on. Once you have accomplished this, training her or him to claw an approved surface and nothing else becomes relatively easy.

Signs Of Spring

Two days ago I saw my first robin (Wisconsin's state bird) of 2012, a sure sign of spring in these parts.  I can't recall seeing one this early.

Winter this year was about as mild as any I can remember, but as the saying goes, "we're not out of the woods, yet."  More than once in my lifetime, we've been hit by heavy snow storms in April, even May.

The upcoming weekend also will return us to Daylight Savings Time, but even on normal time over the past few mornings I've noticed that the Sun is rising earlier and the sky is lighter by 5:30 a.m.

Soon we'll reach the official beginning of spring, March 20, vernal equinox. 

By the time we reach summer solstice on June 20, it will be light at 4:45 a.m. 

Deer In The 'Burbs

The attached image shows deer just outside my office-in-the-home in Brookfield, Wisconsin.

It's amazing how many we have in this area. 

This photo was taken at about 4:30 p.m.

They are fun to see but living in a suburb with all its drivers in a hurry is dangerous for these guys.   Click on the image for a larger view.