Coyotes in Our Community Oh My!

As I shuffled through the more than usual mail for the day, I came upon an envelope from our Home Owners Association. You must know that I had a lot of trepidation about opening this envelope as the last letter I received from the HOA told me I had a lawn violation for bare spots!! Oh my! Bare spots in my lawn ... which were of my own doing. I had not liked the crabgrass that was waving at me in said front lawn, so I pulled it. And, the grass was taking a bit of time to come back in ... yes, I had bare spots!

Funny thing, we have a large circular area in the cul-de-sac turnaround that is a complete "bare spot" with dead grass and probably lots of ant mounds. I wonder who gets that lawn violation letter for bare spots? It's looked like that for months!

Well, I already had bad news earlier today, learning that my Squidoo royalty monthly payment was in the toilet literally! About 1/3 of the normal average amount that I have to get to pay my bills. What could get worse? Another HOA violation letter perhaps.

What a surprise! This letter addresses a variety of issues for October. First of all ... "three coyotes have been seen in our community." Googling "Jacksonville Florida coyote," I found an article from St. Pete. They say that coyotes have been in the State of Florida since the 1970s. "Coyotes usually hunt alone, sometimes as a pair." Hmmm, that third coyote might be a juvenile?

Coyote in Florida! Photo Credit: chapstickaddict on Flickr
This photo was taken on November 7, 2006.
The Zoo in Northwest Florida, Santa Rosa County.

"Coyotes are most active at dawn and/or dusk but have been seen anytime of the day. Home ranges typically average 10 square miles." I wonder if this means we will have coyotes for some time or will they wonder off into another of the 10 square miles? Is it possible these are somebody's pets? Would an Irish Wolfhound actually "go after" a coyote? You know, I wrote a recent blog post, Irish Wolfhound in Ten Pensive Photos, as a neighbor has this dog as a pet.

I wonder if any coyotes broke out of the Zoo in Northwest Florida? How would you recognize the sound of a coyote howling? Holy Smokes! Listen to this YouTube video on coyotes howling.

So, what else did that HOA letter warn us about? Nope! The HOA neglected to tell the homeowners about the 2 ninja crooks or burglars who were seen at 3:30am one morning sneaking down the street looking for unlocked cars and who knows what else! Dressed in dark pants and dark hooded jackets, they seriously were up to no good.

• The Jacksonville Sheriff's office is patrolling our community for speeders and those drivers who are entering on the wrong side of the entry way. Street parking is an issue -- don't I know about that one! You should see my front yard -- I think it is a Nissan dealership with all the overflow parking. You know, that neighbor who has an oven in their garage and barbecues in their driveway??
• Our retention pond is extremely low. Some homeowners have piped into that pond to irrigate their lawns? Good grief! People stealing pond water!!
• Homeowners are ignoring HOA violation notices. Hey, not me seriously!! Have you seen my lawn lately? I laid all that sod -- to cover the bare spots and then some! And, how about my side yard garden and the other front side yard?
• Trash cans in front of the home -- hey, you should see what I see on my side yard behind that fence which is in disrepair.
• Lastly, a warning: "You may not be aware that the Homeowner's Association may penalize homeowners for unauthorized violations of our Covenants & Restrictions."

There are the obvious positives and sometimes the negatives to living in a community with an HOA. I've been asked by a neighbor if I want to get on that HOA board. Hmmm, maybe. What I've always yearned for in life and online, is a fairness ... an impartiality. No playing favorites or cronyism. No loopholes which allow for cheaters.

By the way! What about those 3 coyotes? I might want to read up on coyotes so that I can be prepared should they wonder into my yard. After all, there are a couple of cats who like to hang around the place!

Have you seen coyotes around your community? How about ninjas? Seen any ninjas sneaking through your neighborhood lately? Are YOU a ninja perhaps?