We see that a newbie city person has moved in when these signs show up : ‘ Has anyone seen my little dog muffin ?’
‘ Has anyone seen my little dog muffin ?’
LOL.
Those beautiful “forces of nature,” coyotes, are causing real problems in the outlying areas of Nashville TN right now, I’ve been chuckling reading about it in statewide newspapers. Lots of expensive little “designer” dogs are becoming the buffet of choice.
Problem is, coyotes are not native here, but when they thrive on the plentiful deer herds (and designer dogs), they sure do expand their territories.
In addition, we now have alligators in west TN, and they are certainly not natives (Reelfoot, Memphis).
And those wild European/feral hogs in the Smokies.
Here is the intro from the county primer where I live:
Expectations are a key to successful living in the Gilpin part of paradise. If a
newcomer’s expectations are urban, disappointment and grief will follow. The rural mountain
setting is neither better nor worse than rural flatland, suburban or urban settings. But the high
country is different and requires one to want to live here. The elevation ranges from 1 1/3 up to
2 1/2 miles and the 13 days of summer are followed by a long, long winter...forget the three
days of spring or fall. It takes effort, tenacity, a sense of humor and some preparation to enjoy
living in rural Gilpin County. Folks who like it up here often consider city conveniences and
amenities to be nuisances or worse. Some new residents only see a wonderful, idyllic, rural,
summer mountain setting. So, they may be shocked a bit later when a bear destroys the BBQ
grill on the deck, deer munch the marigolds, a coyote lunches on the cat, and the driveway
disappears under 52 inches of snow...then, they become disenchanted and expect someone else
to “do something” about it. Thus, the Primer is intended to touch on some key notions to help
prospective or new residents match Gilpin County Reality with Expectations.