Féerlas Báebe Raakúenz

Aróund 8:15 this éevning, I went out tu hórvast sum tamáetoez frum tha big red pláanter in mi frunt yord. Hwen I óepand tha daur, I sau a raakúen neer tha daur witth hiz (her?) haand in a boel uv dri kaat fued. Àurdinérile, a raakúen surpríezd bi a pérsan stéping out a néerbi daur wil reer up áand/àur reetréet prónto. This wun dídan't, but kantínyued tu taek fued out tu eet bi haand. Od, I tthaut.

Yu kaan se in this fóeto tha tthik roep uv twístad wistéerea vienz thaat raakúenz kaan kliem paast mi paurch óntu tha paurch ruef, aaz wel aaz tha blaak háandool uv a poosh bruem thaat I shood yuez tu sweep tha paurch agén.

I reetúrnd indáurz aand went baak upstáirz tu get mi káamra. I dídan't noe if tha raakúen wood stil be thair hwen I got baak dounstáirz. It wuz, aand I took tha píkchur abúv.
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I tthaut thaat raakúen wuz fòol-gróen, beekáuz it lookt príte big. I reetúrnd indáurz áafter táeking thaat ferst píkchur tu tend tu tthingz in tha kíchan aand díening ruem. Then I reetúrnd tu tha frunt daur aand óepand it tu se if tha raakúen wuz stil thair.


This tiem thair wer TUE raakúenz, but thae wéran't tha pair uv jíant ráakuenz I wuz yuest tu. Thair haav bin tthre raakúenz that vízit mi paurch tu eet tha dri fued aand dringk tha wúter thaat I poot doun faur óutdaur ("áale") kaats. Àurdinérile, thae apéer aaz éether tue toogéther aur wun bi itsélf, aul big, aand aul skítish. Wun uv toodáe'z tue raakúenz wuz not óenle not skítish but éevan maed a muev paast the end uv my staurm daur taurd éntering tha hous. I áakchuale haad tu diswáed it bi múeving mi foot taurd its faes.
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A week aur so agó, I spótad tthre raakúenz, wun graet big wun aand tue abóut haaf thaat siez. Wel, I ges I kaan sae haaf "her" siez, beekauz thae wer óbveaslè her báebeez. So tha fyuast raakúenz nou in mi náeberhòod iz preezúemablè fiev, a 40% ínkrees. Núark'z hyúeman pòpyooláeshan iz inkréesing tue, but not bi so much. Tha sáungberd pòpyooláeshan seemz tu haav deekréest, tho I du heer the akáezhanal kórdinal'z kaul. Tha maen saung I heer soundz like "Berde, berde, berde!"


Anúther wíald pòpyooláeshan thaat seemz tu haav deekréest iz thaat uv raats, tthangks priemérile tu óutdaur kaats (liek thoez I feed), aand perhaaps áulso due tu raakúenz, hwich or prédaterz. Thai'r O.K. witth kaats, but kaan be vére dáenjeras tu daugz, aand eet ráabits aand úther smaul áanimalz. This nekst fóeto shoez abóut haaf a raat on tha bótam step uv mi frunt stairz.


In adíshan tu tha tue nu raakúenz in mi áirea, thair or áulso tue lítool kítanz, wun blond, the úther blàak-aand-hwíet. Abóut a muntth agó, wun uv tha groen óutdaur kaats, a byúetifool dork, smóeke-grae tom, deesíedad tu let me pet him. Nou he haangz aróund mi paurch maur thaan beefáur, aand pláenle lieks tu be pétad éevan a lítool maur thaan béing fed. I kaan't bring him íntu mi hous riet nou, houwéver, beekáuz I haav tue goorl kíteez (wun blond, the úther táurtasqshel), néether uv hwich haaz bin spaed. If he iz stil háanging aróund tu be pétad hwen it storts tu get koeld, I mae haav tu se if I kaan get him íntu a kaat káareur aand taek him tu be "fikst", so he kaan kum indáurz dúering tha werst uv tha wínter. Uv kaurs, I wood liek tu be áebool tu òeverwínter in Kóesta Réeka this yeer, tho I mae not be áebool tu swing it fináanshalè. But máebe I kaan haav a náeber taek kair uv mi kaats (aul tthre) — aand poot out fued aand wúter on mi paurch — dúering mi áabsans.
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Áafter I reetúrnd indáurz toodáe aand went up tu mi bédruem, on tha sékand flaur, I wuz wóching T.V. hwen I herd snórling aand fíeting out tha wíndo. I myúetad tha T.V., aand deetérmind thaat tha nóizaz wer kúming not frum tha paurch aur fórther aféeld, but frum tha ruef óever tha paurch, just outsíed mi wíndo! I nue thaat kaats haav néver gótan up thaat hi, so nue it haad tu be raakúenz, hwich kaan kliem a stout twist uv méne wistéerea vienz frum tha ground paast tha paurch aand up tu tha paurch ruef. Hwen I lookt outsíed, I sau wun lítool raakúen faes lóoking baak aat me. I shoen a liet out tha wíndo tu se if I kood spi tha sékand pórte tu tha fiet, but kood not. It wuz aróund tha káurner, out uv siet. A fyu mínits láeter, thae wer fíeting agén, aand I shóutad aat them, in hoeps uv skáiring them íntu séparàeting. It dídan't werk riet awáe, but thae did go awáe áafter sévral mínits.


If tha raakúenz aat íshu wer síblingz, hwi wer thae fíeting? Thair iz no fued on tha paurch ruef, óenle on tha paurch itsélf, aand thae dídan't fiet thair. Púzling.
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P.S., Tthúrzdae, 8/13/15. I sau tue maur kítanz on tha paurch hwen I went out óorle in tha máurning, inklúeding wun dórk-tàurtasqshel kítan thaat seemd unwél. It kauft a bit, aand its left ie miet haav bin swóelan shut, aur wers. Thair iz sum máaladè, káareed bi fleez, in this náeberhòod thaat kilz méne kítanz. I wil keep lóoking faur thaat litool goorl aand the úther kítanz tu se hou thae fairq.
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Poest-P.S., Friedae, 8/14/15: Just beefáur 11 p.m., I sau wun big raakúen aand TTHRE lítool wunz! Hoom.