Relatively Chilly Sunday Lucy Park Visit With An Armadillo

With the temperature well below 100, in the low 90s, it was to Lucy Park I ventured on this final Sunday of August for some breezy communing with nature, which would make that the Lucy Park suspension bridge over the Wichita River you are seeing here.

Most of the wind damaged trees have been removed since last I was at the Lucy Park location. 

Possible thunderstorms are on the weather menu for today, but, looking at the mostly blue sky it does not seem likely any thunder booming is going to be heard at my location.

I hiked the Lucy Park backwoods jungle today. The windfalls across the trail have not been removed, but multiple trails have been worn into the grass making for an easy walk around the windfalls.

Walking in any tall grass sets me a bit on edge, on the lookout for anything slithering in the grass.

So far, this summer, I have seen zero snakes.

Today I saw a dead armadillo, on the trail, that I almost stepped on. Which startled me a little. I do not recollect seeing in armadillos at my current Texas location. When I lived in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex zone I would see dozens of those cute hard-shelled mammals, the cutest being baby armadillos.

I wonder what an armadillo was doing in Lucy Park. And what killed it.

Armadillos are one of the State Mammals of Texas. I believe the law protects armadillos from being murdered.

But, the law does not protect armadillos from being roadkill, something frequently seen in the D/FW zone.

The Former Queen Of Assumption Miss Julie's Armadillos

This morning on Facebook (or was it last night?), Miss Julie, formerly known as the Queen of Assumption, shared a video of a pet armadillo having itself a mighty fine time being a playful housepet.

Miss Julie's armadillo video brought about an amusing series of comments about armadillos, including details from someone who had had personal experience with having a pet armadillo.

I was among those making a comment, with my comment mentioning a time I had myself an encounter with two packs of baby armadillos in Arlington's River Legacy Park

I was sure I could easily find the photo documentation of my encounter with the River Legacy armadillo babies. I recollect way back in 2005, at Lake Cushman on Hood Canal, in Washington, my dear Aunt Arlene asking if I had any armadillo pictures on the very laptop I am using right now. I recollect saying I did have armadillo pictures and proceeded to show my dear Aunt Arlene photos of the River Legacy Park baby armadillos.

I looked all through the Picassa album that tracks my photos, to no avail. Then I remembered that I likely used the River Legacy armadillo photos on my webpage about River Legacy Park. I looked there and quickly found a couple photos of the baby armadillos, including the one you see above.

Why have the armadillo pics disappeared from Picassa? This is not the first time I have had a disappeared picture mystery.

Anyway, below is the Queen of Assumption, I mean, Miss Julie's Facebook armadillo discussion, in part....

• Connie Dees and 6 others like this.
• 

  Christy Sly Wow, it's just nice to see one that's alive and not smushed on the road or made into a purse.

  20 hrs · Like · 2
• 

  Cindy Hoffmeister We had an armadillo living in our house in Nebraska for 3-4 years when I was growing up. 
  His name was Hairy Bellyfonte but we called him Butch. He used a cat litter box, was very clean and ate earthworms and raw eggs with mayonnaise. 
  He was hysterical and great friends with our cats and Great Dane. 
  Thanks for bringing up the memories!

  18 hrs · Like · 3
• 

  Mel Tanner Yeah, they're awesome until they turn on you and rip your face off..... Just kidding.

  16 hrs · Like · 3
• 

  Julie Hall How great, Cindy Hoffmeister! I had never heard of such a thing! I'll never look at them merely as deaf, blind garden pests again. 

  4 hrs · Like · 1
• 

  Durango Jones You have never picked up an armadillo, Miss Julie? They are very cuddly and make a cute high pitched squeal of delight. I came upon two sets of armadillo babies, on one day, years ago, at Arlington's River Legacy Park. Both sets had four babies. I got down on the ground to take pictures and they came over to me, with their mama not seeming to mind. You must learn not to pre-judge the animal kingdom. Those armadillos you judged deaf, blind garden pests easily may have thought the same of you......

  4 hrs · Like · 1
• 

  Cindy Hoffmeister Butch was a rescue pet! A friend found him, as a baby, beside his dead mother on a Texas highway. She brought him back to Nebraska, knowing my mother would figure out how to take care of him. He slept under my dresser, constantly pulling any clothes I left on the floor (a lot) under to make his nest. We eventually gave him to the 
  Henry Dorley Zoo in Omaha.

  4 hrs · Like · 1

Sunday Prayers With The Village Creek Armadillos Getting Ready For Some Football

The armadillo population that inhabits the Village Creek Natural Historical Area was very busy today.

I think they may have been in a feeding frenzy due to the return of a semi-pleasant temperature.

As in, currently, it is only 4 degrees shy of 60 degrees at my location on the planet.

I think the armadillo in the picture knew it is Sunday today, hence the praying pose.

Has anyone ever turned an armadillo into a pet I was wondering today? The cute little critters sure catch the attention of those walking by them.

Today was the most pleasant walk I've enjoyed this year. And for weeks before this new year arrived. Walking with the Indian Ghosts who haunt the Village Creek zone is pretty much my favorite place to walk. It is always so extremely peaceful.

The pre-Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks and Washington Redskins is getting ready to start up in about a half an hour.

My pre-Super Bowl lunch was a light one, oven toasted ham and cheese on thick flatbread.

The pre-Super Bowl Party, snack-wise, will be pizza and chicken.

My most experienced mixmaster is supposed to arrive soon and is claiming she will be bringing the ingredients to make the infamous Durango Cocktail. With Amaretto subbing for the apparently hard to find Orgeat Almond Syrup.

I hear a doorbell ringing. I suspect this indicates I need to open a door. I'll talk to you later...

Mountain Biking With The Big Herd Of River Legacy Park Armadillos

I'd pedaled past a couple foraging armadillos on the River Legacy Park paved trail, heading to the western termination of that trail, to then pedal the mountain bike trail, when a blonde lady urgently signaled me to cease with the pedaling.

The blonde lady was excited to tell me she'd been seeing a lot of armadillos, 11 total by the moment she stopped me.

The blonde lady wondered if I knew why there was such a lot of armadillo activity, speculating that maybe they were out in heavy duty foraging mode in anticipation of the incoming scheduled deep freeze, which, incidentally, has begun to arrive, dropping the temperature from the relatively balmy 61, this morning, soon after the sun arrived to light up my morning swim, to the current temperature of 55, at mid-afternoon, as the heat begins to slowly exit as the freeze moves into town.

With possible snow.

On the mountain bike trail I came upon several armadillos, including the one in the above picture. He did not seem to mind me too much, ignoring me getting close, until I tried to have a conversation. That set the armadillo off into run away mode.

Today was the busiest I've ever seen the River Legacy Park mountain bike trail. The mountain bike parking lot was full. It  takes dozens of vehicles to fill up all those parking spaces. I was passed multiple times by bikers speedier than me, including a couple speed demons of the female persuasion.

I highly doubt I will feel motivated to get on my bike tomorrow, what with the temperature scheduled to be well below freezing, with some of that frozen white stuff possible.