Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Red Sky In The Morning ... A Sailors Warning

My blog is not a photography blog, but I snapped this picture from my treehouse this morning, and I just had to share it with you. The sunrise looked as though the sky were on fire. I can feel spring in the air here in Vancouver. It's still cold, but the seagulls are coming to life, I can smell the ocean, and the squeaky gate birds are --- squeaking.

We have a family of skunks living under the trees around my treehouse, and last night they give birth to a litter of kittens. Pieeeuuuwww! There is nothing cuter, or stinkier than a skunk. A few years ago I was standing outside my building waiting for a friend to pick me up, and I felt a cat brushing around my ankles. I reached down to pet it and saw it was a skunk. I slowly backed away ... and it waddled off down the street.

Soon the raccoon family will park itself in the trees and wait for the crows to lay their eggs. The crows squawk and dive-bomb the raccoons, but the raccoons sit patiently waiting, smiling out at the world like the Cheshire cat in Alice in Wonderland. They love crow's eggs and they have all the time in the world.

This is my favorite time of the year, when the world starts to wake up from it's winter sleep.

34 comments:

Stephen Leach said...

I know its sad, but first comment! I love a morning sky. Purple and blue look even more amazing.

TheChicGeek said...

One word...Gorgeous...
Oops, that's three :)
Gorgeous!

Chris Benjamin said...

i hear that you can remove their stinker and they make great pets.

of course that's exactly what invading aliens will likely say about us one day.

Raph G. Neckmann said...

Those little skunks look very cute!

Your tree house sounds wonderful. For me, being able to gaze at nature from my house is one of the greatest riches in life.

Anonymous said...

"When the world wakes up from its winter sleep"...I love that!! It warmed to a balmy 65 the other day; of course now its threatening to snow. I adored spring time in the northeast, and am excited to see what the south will bring.

Scoobyloves2004 said...

Oh wow Jo, your home sounds so wonderful. My husband and I long to get out of stinky Vegas and back into the quiet pine life of Oregan or Seattle.

I just watched a show the other night about Skunks. They are interesting little fur balls. Fear not though, they will only spray you as a last resort. They do give a good warning, but I'm sure you already knew that!

Nancy said...

Tell us more about your tree house. It sounds heavenly. Our house in Portland, OR felt like a tree house, too. I loved it!

Jo said...

Greenpanda, isn't that sky gorgeous?

TheChicGeek, yes, yes, yes, *heh*

Benji, I would LOVE a pet skunk. And yes, I guess that's why they experiment on us now. :-)

Ralph, my treehouse is wonderful, and I love watching nature outside.

Preacherboy, 65 degrees! Wow! Send some of that our way!

Arley, well, I wish the little skunks had warned us this morning. Pieuw! BTW, I have tried to visit your website, but both at home and at work, the computer aborts the process and says "cannot find server". I am wondering if other people have the same problem. I have tried several times.

LoverofLife, I am nestled amongst Douglas Fir, Pine, Poplar, Japanese Plum, Willow and Cherry trees. It's wonderful.

SweetPeaSurry said...

Awww those skunks are so cute!!!

Russell said...

Nice photograph of your morning sun. I will confess, though, that I am more likely to see the sunset than the sunrise!! Well, okay. I am usually up very early but not awake enough to take such a nice picture!

Now...where's my coffee?!

PS I have been called a skunk more than once in my life! I guess black and white suits me because I am now pretty much a zebra...! And zebras are, well, not the easiest animals to be around...!!

Leilani Tresise said...

oh i was raised with that warning !!! I have never seen a skunk but my daughter who lives in Boston is terrified of the smell!!

Nicole said...

I love the picture of the skunks. I would just love to cuddle one, but my goodness...the smell!

lovelyprism said...

Aww those babies are so cute. We used to have skunks at one of our houses, they're adorable. Right up until they spray the dog. Ugh

Patsy said...

Jo---- would you describe your house? Where it sits? What view from each window? Pix would be wonderful!
~Lorna

Scoobyloves2004 said...

Jo-I thought I responded to your post, but I didn't see it here. You are the first person to not be able to view my blog. Try www.theodonnell7.blogspot.com. Please let me know if you still can't view it.

DUTA said...

I have the same wish as Lorna. Pse be more specific about your "tree house".

Kirie said...

This is a lovely photo, and a great time of day, when the world is alight with promise...

And spring: we live near the ocean, too, and though we are having a small gale now, the air has been, well, fresher or something the past few days. I caught a whiff of what must be spring yesterday. And today, before the snow, we heard birds again for the first time in a long time.

Add me to the list of readers curious about the treehouse. How fun!

Love your blog!

Kirie

Anonymous said...

Um, oh ya -- there are a LOT of things cuter than a skunk. And you petted one? That's got to be a fairly unusual claim to fame,eh?

Dixie said...

beautiful description of the coming of spring. I love this time of year too...

and you're right... there is nothing cuter than those baby skunks... but they bite! we had some under the house a couple of years ago... and we were glad when they moved out to the field.. they never sprayed, but we worried about it quite often!

blessings. Dixie

George Sneddn said...

I would say that nature paints the most beautiful of pictures.

Avril Fleur said...

Oh, I am so envious of you if you are already sensing spring in Victoria. Southern Ontario is nowhere NEAR being close to spring. Maybe in another 6 to 8 weeks. But I fear winter will only very reluctantly release its icy grip this year.

I got an email from the BC Gov't to come and interview for a job in Victoria the other day. I guess I applied for it while I was in a state of dreaming about getting away from the snow! I don't think I'm going to take them up on it though. I might think about it if it was full-time but it's just for casual work. It was nice to be considered though!

Jo said...

SweetPea, aren't they cute?

Russell, you've been called a skunk? *heh* I can't imagine that.

Leilani, the smell of a skunk is unbelievable!

Nicole, aren't they adorable? It would have to want to be cuddled. *heh*

Lovelyprism, oh, it's almost impossible to get the smell of skunk out of a dog. Lots of tomato juice...!

Lorna, I will put up some pictures of my treehouse, especially when the cherry trees are in bloom! Not long now...

Arley, yes your first comment is here. I have tried several times to get onto your blog, and I just can't do it. Explorer won't let me. :-(

DUTA, I will put up some pictures. It's wonderful!

Kirie, yes, when the smell of the ocean comes back and the birds, spring is not far behind!

XUP, *heh* oh, yes, I have several unusual claims to fame. :-)

Dixie, I have never been bitten by a skunk, but I have been bitten by a raccoon. We battled over a chocolate chip cookie. I won!

George, oh yes. I was gobsmacked by that sunrise today.

Avril, were they going to pay your way for the interview? You should take them up on it anyway. Who knows! You might like it. :-

Avril Fleur said...

Unfortunately, no, the travel fees would be mine alone. There's no doubt I would like it. My husband and I were in Victoria a few years ago and we've been in BC 3 or 4 times and we LOVE it there! I could easily see myself living there. The only problem would be leaving everyone else behind.

Hilary said...

Gorgeous pic, Jo. And I agree about how cute skunks are, but I sure wouldn't want them in my house. That raccoon last year was bad enough.

nomore said...

Very nice pictures...and your beautiful 'Lyrical Poetrys' too...
Yes, getting to the " Spring has come " here too day by day....
You know, I'v been listening the "Il Trovatore" for a while....thanks.

VioletSky said...

I've come too close to the skunk smell to find them cute anymore.

The sunrise is gorgeous, though!
(and then the skunks go into sleep mode)

Leslie: said...

Beautiful shot, Josie. I actually managed to get outside in the sunshine today! Lorne took me for a very slow, very short walk down the street and back. It was SO nice to feel that sun on my face! Please God! let spring be near!

Kym said...

I love your blog, thanks for the pictures...Especially the skunks...I am looking forward to spring and all that it brings! Have a great evening.

Susan English Mason said...

I love this! Flowery skunks and a beautiful silhouette - who could ask for anything more?

Anonymous said...

Skunks. Slow weasels, but stink!

I love Christopher Walken skit on SNL when he acts out the Pepe Le Pew cartoon where our amorous skunk attempts to seduce the picky feline.
M'sieur le bon Skonk. Le Pew!

Firefly the Travel Guy said...

An amazing sunrise, but I'm with Russell on this one. I'm more likely to see a sunset (and photograph it) than a sunrise.

I was the global weather on tv this morning and saw that Vancouver will be 9 degrees C today. The way you discribe the turning of the season is fantastic. Makes me feel it without being there.

Jo said...

Avril, well you definitely have to stay where you heart is!

Hilary, when I came home from work tonight, I could still smell l'aroma d'skunk all through the building. :-)

Nomore, "Il Trovatore"! Verdi. I'm impressed. :-)

VioletSky, oh, yes, skunks can be stinky little critters. Omigoodness!

Leslie! You got outdoors! Yay! Yay! I'm glad you're feeling better. It has been a long haul for you.

Kym, thank you! Oh, goodness yes. Spring cannot get here soon enough for me.

Poutalicious, if skunks only smelled as nice as they looked, hey? Oh, what a stink! *heh*

Ivan, I have never seen that skit, but I love Christopher Walken.

Firefly, *heh* 9 degrees Celsius is almost balmy. That would be almost 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Shorts and T-shirts weather. :-)

Unknown said...

Do you actually live in a treehouse? If so how incredibley awesome!

Adorable skunks and lovely sky.

Mona said...

squeaky gate bird? you have a squeaky gate bird? that's a name we gave to a bird we heard in costa rica who made a sound like a squeaky gate opening...though we never saw what the bird looked like...you have one of those?

wow, i've never been rubbed by a skunk...how cool and scary too (: