Jean Dessellier took a drive through Gay recently and spotted a few of the residents showing off for the ladies. Those Toms were all fluffed up and strutting about, hoping the ladies would notice them I bet. In my experience, the hens were usually more interested in eating the corn we put out for them, when they used to visit our yard. But I guess you can’t blame those guys for trying.

That colorful head on the Toms piqued my interest. So I did a Google search and found this information: “A turkey does not have a comb on the top of it’s head, such as a chicken or a rooster. It has a fleshy growth from the base of its beak, which is the snood. That snood is longer in males and hangs down over the male turkey’s beak. Under the beak is a wattle and the fleshy growths on the head and neck are called caruncles. Both male and female wild turkeys have a wattle and a snood, but they are much more prominent in males. During mating season, extra blood rushes to the wattle, giving it that bright scarlet color.” That concludes today’s lesson on wild turkeys.

MI Playground takes us to the Soo Locks to watch the Joseph L. Block kick off the 2024 shipping season. They get the first ship honor and the exciting part is that Nick and Andy get to board the Block, too!

Cool pix! It looks like a “Check out my derriere turkey contest.”
UC… nice to see you chiming in yesterday and back in the saddle again. Hope you’re feeling better. And just in time for Spring and some UP dreaming.
I’ll have to watch the video later, got some MS business to take care of. Let me know if it’s a good one.

Well...all the years I watched and fed critters...I had several packs of turkeys....and if the male's head turned red...he was not a happy camper....Blue...all is good. Looking it up, they also mention white. AND, they don't know why. Cool birds.

Here's a link to some info about their features and functions:
Wild Turkey Anatomy Check it out...

The birds make this little "Wheat, wheat, wheat" sound while they eat. I'd throw out tons of sunflower seed...they'd stay back a little, and watch me...and I'd say "Turkey Bird, Turkey Bird, Wheat, Wheat, Wheat" and throw the scoop back in the can, come back inside, and they'd run to the seed, and you'd hear "wheat, wheat, wheat"....the Tom would stand patrol....he wouldn't let deer in, nothing bothered his girls....then they'd walk off, and I'd open the door and yell "Gobble, Gobble" and the Tom would GOBBLE back, and I'd do that till you couldn't see them anymore.
Yep, I had a life...it just didn't include many people.

These are very nice pictures. And really great information, Mary. And Donna, what a life you've had to be surrounded by so many wonderful animals. Sometimes, they're better company than humans.

UC, so happy to hear you're doing better. Covid takes it out of you, for sure. Hope you stay on this track of healing and that we'll see you this summer

Yeah Deb...I fed critters for years...and it was
the most Blessed time in my life.

UC..that Covid is nasty, and it's sure making the
rounds again..this building was infested a week or
so ago. I'm not really into much that goes on in
here...so I wasn't around the sick
folk....thankfully. I have had one trip with that
stuff tho...no fun. You def need some Yoop time!

Great looking Turkeys and the video was super cool
and I bet every one of us would have loved to have
been in Nick & Andy's shoes, how cool that must
have been.
Having called on the hospital there in the Soo for
so many years, I've got a pretty good lay of the
land and the restaurants. I know they have a
couple really good drive-in burger places. Just
wondering if Nick was showing us (like he always
does) the burger from Clyde's by the Sugar Island
ferry or was that from the place on the west side
of the bridge?
I think I am feeling better to be talking about
burgers! lol. But I still have zero sense of
taste and smell because of Covid, it is the most
bizarre loss of senses. I think I'll be in the
recovery stage for a while, it really took me
down.
Enjoy the rest of the weekend Pasty Fam!!

I just had the opportunity to view today’s video
by MI Playground and it was worth the wait.
Most of all, it brought back memories of our
family taking the Soo Locks Boat Tour. I must
have been about ten years old and I remember
the vendors trying to sell as much as they could
as the boat was being lowered out of reach.
My mom, dad and sister, who have all passed
away, were there too. Thanks for the pleasant
memories!

And BTW…”Have a Blessed and Happy Easter.”