Beaver Two!

At dusk this evening one of North America's largest species of rodent swam the muddy waters of the Little Kanawha River to sneak up on the Mister and me (according to me) or because we startled him/her (according to the Mister). After several minutes hiding under the bank below us (plotting to eat us, I'm sure) the beaver (Castor canadensis) lost interest in us and swam back across the muddy river. He/she was kind enough to scramble onto the base of a tree, revealing an awkward gait, a hefty body and a broad flat tail, and grab a branch. Standing in mud in the fading light watching a beaver on the far side of a river strip a small branch is not breathtaking excitement, but it did make my weekend.

The Mister is looking up beaver facts as I type, including the decision of the Catholic Church that beaver are fish and thus permissible on Fridays during Lent. That's a great segue into shameless self promotion; I know a fabulous book, A Taste of Heritage by Alma Hogan Snell, which includes some top notch recipes for beaver and beaver tail.