The Outback

I've been looking out the back window while tinkering with the blog template. In between adding the current weather block and link to Wunderground, and the Creative Commons license, we had a visitor. Mama moose passed through, with calf in tow, to sample some of the tastier bites of tree in the back yard. While it isn't uncommon to see a thousand pounds of moose ambling around the house and through the yard, they still merit attention.

Moose have the prettiest ears around: a soft grey inside, dark brown outside, longish and erect. [Note: if the ears are laid back, the moose is not laid back. Great discretion is advised.] They have incredibly long and slender legs with which they can easily clear a six foot fence or wade through five feet of snow. They are amazingly graceful and fun to watch -- from a safe distance.

My electric fence usually keeps them out of the garden, but I suspect that's because the neighbor's garden is unfenced. It certainly isn't because they can't jump the fence. Tracks show they don't like it, though. We found tracks showing an approach to the fence by a young one, encountering the wire, probably while reaching for a succulent cabbage, then flying backward several feet. With easy pickings next door, why bother?

These critters are common, generally unconcerned with puny humans -- except during hunting season, when the males mysteriously vanish -- and wander about freely, even inside the city limits. One hung around a picture window at the library, providing great moose admiration views. Others just walk about, browsing, distracting drivers. For the curious, there is a picture of my lady, giving directions to a backyard moose about what and what not to eat here. Alas, the moose wasn't receptive to her choices, and is displayed here, moving on to finer treats.