Yes, I was playing off of the comedy film title, "City Slickers" about a bunch of mid-life guys who take a vacation to a dude ranch.
You see, I am in mid-life but not a guy. Moving to Santa Fe, New Mexico, it sometimes feels I am living in a ranch-like existence with glorious open space skies, biggest puffiest clouds on earth and cactus. And tumbleweeds. And typical animals expected for a terrain such as this but not expected by this city girl.
What prompted all this for me was a report from our neighborhood email digest and photo about a bobcat on a someone's porch last Sunday morning. Okay, we had been warned about the coyotes. Then came the emails about coach snakes (blessedly, non-poisonous) that sometimes look like a dead tree limb on the path. Followed by a newer email post about a different bobcat that has taken up residence in someone's backyard and attacked and injured their cat.
WTF???? Bobcats that don't seem deterred by property or human interference? We have a cat (indoor, thankfully) and a small dog that we often let out to the backyard to 'do her business' in-between the morning and evening walks so this is not something to ignore.
On last report, animal control would not address this so the neighbor is approaching the Fish and Game Warden to see if they can help safely trap these animals to keep the community animals --that includes we humans--safe.
When I let our dog, Chai outside to our backyard, I am a bit more cautious and if she is out longer than typically she needs, I go outside to look for her as our cement walls are not very high.
Happy to co-habitate with the cute little lizards and I have seen real bunny rabbits that really do have cottontails. Yesterday, on the paved path there was a rather large beetle looking creature that stood up on it's hind legs and looked as if it was malevolently rubbings it's hands (?) together in delight as we passed by.
Now when we take our long walks on the lovely trails that surround our community, I have to be extra attentive to what might be lurking under those big bushes. I take my iPhone more for security reasons but I no longer answer calls or texts while walking lest I ignore what our dog sees or sniffs.
This City Slicker can no longer be a City Slacker.
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