Another Battle

It appears raccoons have been reconnoitering our corn patch waiting for exactly the right time to invade- when the ears of corn are perfectly formed. From past experience we knew to be ready. As you can see in the pictures we were not quite successful. Our corn was planted inside a 6 foot tall fences guarded with several different kinds of animal traps. We used marshmallows for bait, but the sweet corn was more appetizing to the coons.

When they got in the field they proceeded to tear down a stalk of corn, pulled the shucks apart exposing the corn, and took a few bites off the ear. They then moved on to the next. Much of the ear was not eaten but wasted.

Raccoons are omnivores- eating both plants and animals. They will eat fruit, acorns, crayfish, insects, rodents, fish, young rabbits, turtles, garbage, birds and eggs. However, their absolute favorite is corn and grapes. They adapt and co-exist with humans often making them a nuisance and health concern as they often carry rabies. The wetlands adjacent to our property are a prime habitat for raccoons, and we are plagued with them every year. They not only get in the raid the corn, they will get in the chicken pen and kill hens. They will eat the entire chicken usually killing only 1 or 2 at a time.

We are always looking into other ways to deal with them. One very effective method will be to electrify the fence. That will be a future project. When you live as we do, there are always daily battles with nature. Nature wins more than we would  like.

Yucca Valley

In Alabama this plant is called the Yucca plant. It is also called Spanish Bayonet (Yucca Smalliana),  and you may have even heard it called Beargrass. You can see the abundant creamy white flowers 1 to 1 1/2 inches in diameter blooming from May to June. It also the namesake for the Valley in which we live.

The yucca plant was the inspiration for the naming of Yucca Valley, AL on the south side of the Tennessee River near the present town of Stevenson. Yucca Valley is a 7-8 miles long and a mile wide at its widest point. It runs parallel to the Tennessee River and along the base of Sand Mountain. ending at a TVA lake called Raccoon Creek.

The valley was first settled by the Chickamauga band of the Cherokee Indians during the latter part of the seventeen hundreds. This valley made up part of what is called "Crow Town" by the Cherokees. The Indians in the valley were hostile to the American settlers coming into the area. The power of the Chickamauga's was broken by the Sevier and Campbell expeditions in 1782. At that time the population of the valley was about 1,000 warriors. My ancestor, Doublehead, continued to fight the white encroachment until the 1800's. We will more on Doublehead in a later blog.

The McCoy's moved to Yucca Valley in 1830 and intermarried with the Cherokees. We don't know exactly when the name, "Yucca", became accepted, but we have letters with the postmark of Yucca, AL in 1851. The last post office in Yucca Valley was closed in November 1944 and moved to Fabius, AL. We later received our mail from the Stevenson, AL post office.

Predators and Prey

A pen full of wonderful models are no more. This spring a variety of predators devastated our flock of 50 laying hens. Despite constant efforts to protect them it was all in vain. We even built a fortress to house them at night. We have always dealt with an occasional owl, hawk, opossum, or a raccoon taking one or two victims. This year was different.

This year our nemesis was a bobcat. A bobcat's nature is to kill; not just for food. This one made several visits avoiding all traps and precautions that we could devise. It would kill 6-8 victims a night taking only one away. The others were just killed for the pleasure of killing. On the last night it avoided 6 traps, scaled an 8 foot wall, ripped away the heavy wire protecting under the eves, and entered the chicken house. It proceeded to kill the last 14 hens, piling them in the corner and then taking one victim. It made its exit the same way it entered. It then stopped outside the  fence, scratched up a pile of leaves and urinated on top to mark its territory. Since then it has moved on to a neighbors chicken pen.

We now have purchased our first dozen eggs at the grocery in about 20 years. We are also raising 50 more young chicks to replace the ones lost. Hopefully in 6 months we will once again have fresh eggs. Even though my recent heart surgery has put me on the sidelines, we will prevail!

Summer Bounty

After a few weeks I am back online. Unexpected heart surgery has delayed several posts that I had been trying to complete. Now, I am home recuperating and hoping to get into the garden again sooner than later. I am not allowed to do much but with my wife, family, and friends, the garden is producing and providing some excellent meals. Now we are just waiting on the sweet corn to be ready.

The pen and ink drawing of the garden vegetables is available as a print for $40.00.