Redwood Retro

My backyard in Southwestern Ontario is now home to a family of Northern Flying Squirrels. Now they could be Southern or a hybrid of the two species and from what I have read so far, the two kinds are almost impossible to tell apart without a DNA test. This is my first time experiencing them in the wild. I have only seen a flying squirrel in a zoo.  We have a fire pit in the back of our yard and occasionally a raccoon will come down and say hello but it has been months since I've seen one. We also have a good-sized bat population and when I first saw the squirrels spread out on the bark I mistook them for a strange fuzzy bat. They didn't appear too afraid of us and seemed more annoyed than frightened at the cell phone shining in their wee faces.  They have been coming down the tree every night for a while now eating the bird feeder leftovers including the handful of blueberries left specifically for them :) Staking out the feeder at night is becoming a new hobby! ...

I've recently discovered the Schleich brand of toys and now I am obsessed.  For plastic animal figures, they are very well detailed and pretty close to 1:12 inch scale. The company was founded in Germany in 1935 and is one of the largest manufacturers of toy figurines.  I'm sooo bummed that it took me this long to discover them. The main reason I collect figures is for photography.  I photograph the miniatures I make myself on a daily basis (for selling online ) but taking photos of toys is just for fun.  Schleich Cow photographed with a Google Pixel and edited in Snapseed - Redwood Retro I like to use other toy brands as well.  When I found this lovely creature in the garden, I couldn't resist posing it on a Hot Wheels car  (yes, I collect those too lol).