The Moose are Loose in Melody Ranch!

 Okay all my friends who are still questioning whether the pictures I post are real....THESE ARE REAL MOOSE...IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD!
We arrived home from skiing on Saturday and I took Bella on a walk while Barry & Derek went on a beer & propane run - gotta fuel the family (grill not covered in snow, so it was a good grilling night and everyone knows that grilling = beer). When Bella and I were near the end of our walk on the path behind our neighbors house (across the street) I looked up and saw two moose only two houses away! I was not only extremely surprised, but also a bit leery since I was not yet sure what Bella thought of wildlife (her only encounter so far has been with a dead elk). So we used my newly gained stamina from Mountain Athlete and hauled !%$# the opposite direction down the path, through my neighbor's snowy yard and into the safety of our garage. I am sure that if my neighbors saw me, they knew that I was not out getting Bella some exercise. Barry & Derek arrived home a few moments later and I pointed down the street to where the Moose were. They took Bella in the car, and the camera to get a closer look.
I stayed back in the garage to change out the car mats - it is officially winter, time for the heavy duty all weather stuff. As I finished vacuuming the car and was adjusting the mats, I heard a strange "munching" noise in our driveway. I looked up and the two moose were in our front yard, right next to the drive way eating our bushes - AAAHHHHHHHH! I threw the mats, tried to shut the garage door (no luck I pushed the light switch in my panic) and ran inside. I have never been so close to a moose in my life - and would be happy to not encounter them at that range again. I called Barry & Derek, they were out in the neighborhood looking for the moose that were now in our front yard! By the time they came home the moose had been startled by a few cars and had moved to our next door neighbor's front porch to continue dinner!

Moose eating dinner on my neighbor's front porch!

Momma Moose and calf eating the bushes in our backyard!



That is our backyard fence - moose on the loose!


 

 So our resident Mom & Calf Moose have moved into the neighborhood for the winter. According to neighbors this is quite common. The rule is to never get between the Mom & Calf and all will be good. Barry was out with Bella again yesterday after skiing and came upon the moose very unexpectedly on their walk too. It is something to now always be on the lookout for. AMAZING! The excitement never ends here!

We had a great weekend skiing with Derek. Barry & Derek went out on Friday, the weather was not perfect...call me a fair weather skier! I actually had lots to do around the house and also wanted to attend my neighbor's book signing. She has been published as the illustrator for the children's Christmas book, The Christmas Crown, by Maria Martin and illustrated by Kay Stratman (Kay is our neighbor, friend, and Bella's foster "mom"). If you have anyone to purchase a children's book for - it is beautiful!

We had a glorious day skiing on Saturday - sunshine, beautiful day, a bit cool, but the crispness felt great when we were skiing down our groomed blue runs!  Sunday was a different day; warmer temperatures brought a rain/snow mix and lots of fog. The weather here was warmer than in Kansas City and Chicago - we could  have used a bit more cold & snow! Never the less, a good day though - we are realizing that any day on the slopes is a good day. We are really enjoying the skiing out here and the restaurants on the mountain are fabulous as well (to me that is equally as important as good runs and no lift lines)! Having Derek home for an extended time has been fun for us - we can't wait to get Ashley home on Saturday (Good Luck on final exams in the meantime)!

How did he get so tall, or am I shrinking?

 

Hope everyone is having fun preparing  the holidays!