Introduction

From the time I was a child, I always wanted to live in the country. It seems like some people just have a fascination with all things nature, and that was certainly me. I was always after my widowed mother to sell our suburban home and get a farm in the country. She never would, and it was not until I had been an adult for a long-time that I finally realized my dream.

Fortunately, I married a man who shared my dream, and we are now blessed to have a six-acre property in the middle of beautiful and rural Carroll County, Maryland. We are surrounded by dairy farms, woods, and wonderful views. Our property has a stream and an acre or so of woods, so there is plenty of wildlife there. We have a couple of horses and a couple of dogs and a bunch of feral barn cats we inherited from the previous owners. We are privileged to dwell among all manner of interesting critters, from deer to raccoons to foxes to all manner of birds, insects, and fungi.

I am in my element, studying these fascinating critters. Every now and then I wonder about them, asking such questions as, "Where do flies go in the wintertime and how is they can be resurrected on a sunny day in January?" "What do crickets eat?" and "What are those orange and black bugs that are all over the side of the garage?"

And so I've decided to create a blog where I will attempt to answer some of these crucial questions and record some of my day-to-day observations.

If you happen to live in Carroll County and would like to join me in my search or raise a few questions of your own, you are most welcome--just drop me a note. And of course even if you don't live in Carroll County, I hope you find this blog entertaining and educational.