Cascading Waters can be found at 135 Olean Street on the eastern edge of Worcester's northwest parklands, the Cascades. The Cascades are 350 acres of park and conservation lands along the borders of Worcester, Paxton, and Holden, Massachusetts. Home to countless species of plants and animals, the Cascades are open to passive recreation year-round.

Sunday, June 08, 2008

Hot & Humid (and bunny!)

The Weather Conditions at 6:09 p.m. were:
Temperature at 78.1 degrees F and falling;
Humidity at 82% and rising;
Barometric Pressure at 29.77" Mercury and steady.
Forest Fire Danger is NONE (big surprise!)

Yesterday's late evening/night deluge registered 0.20" of rain.
Tonight's passing shower did not register an amount.
That had this morning with a really high humidity (90's at breakfast).

There have been hikers.

And then there is our "pet" bunny.
There is a rabbit that has decided that the 'low maintenance' 'meadow' here at the lodge is a salad bar.
We have had him appearing fairly consistently for the past week or so.
Largely he is interested in Dandelion flowers and greens, and clover.
This is great, as I was feeling pretty delinquent to have so many dandelions all over.
No problem, this guy just eats them all up.

The squirrels, chipmunks, birds and butterflies, rabbit, skunk, raccoon, and porcupine are all enthused with the meadow.
We don't treat it with anything, and we don't water it.
Not interested in the chemical cocktail that produces the botanical monoculture known as the modern lawn.
'The meadow' is full of all sorts of wild flowers, grasses, and bugs.
(Funny aside: if you treat your lawn for grubs you will also kill off fireflies as well as they go through a grub stage. We have fireflies! (Also of interest, the skunk loves to snack on the grubs (really late late at night no worries) so they aren't a huge problem.))

Funny part about the rabbit is just how chilled out he is with people around, walking, talking, push mower, cat in the window, etc.
He is cautious, but largely unfaised.

I accidentally put that to the test Wednesday.
I pulled a tire that was thrown into Cascades Brook by Cataract Street and was walking it back to the Lodge.
When I got to the tree line I was on the wrong side of the stone wall and tossed the tire so that it would clear the wall and roll across the lawn to where I wanted it.
Trick was that at that moment the rabbit was hunched down and I didn't see him.
I throw the tire, he pops his head up and I watch as the tire tracks down on the rabbit as if it had a missile guidance system.
No surprise that he took off.
Very impressed that he came back, a lot, since then.

Rabbit spends a fair amount of time next to the rear screen door watching us.

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