Varmint Shock and Awe

People ask me if I’m ever afraid living part time in Sonoma surrounded by wildlife. “Ha!”, I say, “the dangerous animals are in the City!” Yes, we had another raccoon stand-off. Yes, it again involved Oscar, our youngest terrier. And this time it took Andy, our carpenter friend Dino, San Francisco Animal Control, and assorted power tools to bring everyone...

Night of the Living Foxes

There is a scary event that is becoming a disturbing ritual around here. The barn, with its sleeping loft, is down at the more forested part of the property. So we see lots of wildlife — most of it in the evening and most of it staying a healthy distance away from the smell of terriers. But despite Oscar’s daily attempts to mark a wide circumference around the barn as his...

Dog Vomit Slime Mold!

Ha! Made you look. Because there is no way you can hear that name and not say, “Whaaaaat?” Then once you discover it, Dog Vomit Slime Mold quickly becomes a part of your vocabulary. Is there any string of curse words you can think of that would have the sheer visual impact of Dog Vomit Slime Mold? And there is a visual impact. Because there is a real Dog Vomit Slime Mold....

John the Baptist. Fully Loaded.

Any frequent visitors to Left Coast Cowboys know John the Baptist. He’s the guy who builds trails, restores Native habitat and does skilled, environmentally sensitive maintenance at Two Terrier Vineyards. (He’s not really a Biblical figure. He just plays one in the field.) Well now he’s got a new camera. He’s locked and loaded and ready to shoot. It’s...

The Mayor of Crittertown

Guess I scared everyone away with my rattlesnake post. Heck, I scared myself away as it’s been a week since I’ve been able to post! But let’s just catch everyone up on other non-rattlesnake critter news, shall we? Because, everything we’re commissioning in Sonoma is increasing the critter count tenfold. Just call me The Mayor of Crittertown. The most exciting...

I’ve Had It With These Motherf%$*&...

Okay, where is Samuel L. Jackson when you really need him? Because while the ultimate Hollywood badass is probably out sipping Champagne at some film premiere, I’m suddenly dealing with a scary snake invasion. I knew there were rattlers around here. The workmen used to find them all the time when they were starting to work on the barn. But after a while, the sounds of...