Mother Nature's Presence

See, the river ice is melting.
Swimming geese call to me,
Voices singing, "Spring!"
Wonders flow in feeling new life,
Giving my hope more meaning.
This is understanding love.

<:AtomicElement>

Bear in the Woods

In the Fall of 1966 my brother David and I hooked school to go deer hunting, (I should say pouching). It was something we did, not because we loved hunting, it was a necessity.

David and I split-up, he going one way and I another, as we did later in life. I wanted to check out a little meadow that had a creek flowing through it, but to get there I had to walk through a thicket of buck brush. Bear people scare me, always have scared, scare me to this day. I have never had the desire to shoot one, but I would if I had to.

Walking through thick buck brush is looking for trouble. The side of the mountain where I stood was thickly covered, and to walk around was to far. At the time I had a small M1 carbine, and ahead of there were many deer trails, so the going wasn't to rough, just the same my heart was pounding with fear.

Holding the carbine high over my head I waded in. Half-way through the buck brush thinned, and I could see the deep green meadow. The wind must have shifted, because I caught a whiff of scat. Growing up as I did, and having the daddy that I had, hunting and tracking by then was second nature.

I would walk several yards then do a 360 degree turn-around, just to be safe. If you've ever been hunting and had a big doe follow close behind, only to bellow at the back of your neck...well, you learn to turn around once in awhile. I circled around while walking, looking for a good spot to view the meadow. Woo! There in the middle of the path, a big fresh pile of bear scat. Oh god, just my luck. It was late mourning, this stuff was steaming it was so fresh. My knees were shaking as I stooped for a better look, a natural thing to do. I saw David out the corner of my eye on the far side of the meadow, and waved him over.

"Damn! David, look at this bear shit, he's been eating corn." David gave the most disconcerted, disagreeable, disgusted look I ever saw, and walked away cussing me under his breath. I stood there a while before I could put two-and-two together in my head. Then rolled on the ground laughing.

Of course I'll never let him live it down...more ammunition for laughs. I no longer have to carry a gun to hunt food, or to protect myself from man, nor beast. That's a blessing. Now I just carry a big stick, it's called a dictionary; I have a big one, and it's growing. OHooo!

Coyote's Instinct

Miles of broken white-line ribbon snakes across the Nevada flat land as if somehow alive. Dropping down from the foothills, the black-top road ahead shimmers. Earth and sky undulate in unison, making preparation for the hottest day of the year. Rust coloured dirt devils twist along sunbleached fence posts, as a jack rabbit squats in the dirt.

"This will take a minute."

"Hurry up honey. This place gives me the creeps."

Several grasshoppers take flight from an alligator loafer that steps down to the hot pavement.

Without warning, the slamming of the car door, sends the rabbit zigzagging for cover under sagebrush beside a shallow arroyo. In the distance a coyote stops, turning his head towards a high-pitched piercing sound.

"Sweet Jesus, if it isn't Mr. Nixson, you old son of a gun. How long has it been, three, maybe four years? You must be doing real good. Holly Cow! Just look at those fancy shoes." The sidewalk and glass doors in front of the casino glitter in pulsing red and yellow cold neon. Roy Massy's blue eyes sparkled past deep wrinkled leather above an unkempt handlebar mustache. His wide brim Stetson matching his smile.

"Hello Roy! You still working on that ostrich ranch on the other side of Panther Valley?" Nixson looked over the jockey-sized cowboy who stood in front of him; his eyes catching his own reflection in the glass as he adjusted his sun glasses.

"Real sorry to hear about your wife Mr. Nixson. Did they catch who did it?"

Looking Foward To Spring

It's a grey overcast day, I do love the snow tho. Maybe it will snow today. Spring can't be that far away...the smell of new green grass. Of course there will be the weeks of nothing but mud to contend with first. Mic and Sarah's muddy feet to clean before they come back into the cabin, hopefully the water pipes will unfreeze by then...that would be nice. Now I have a deeper meaning to the term "Spring Cleaning".

I like to clean, and after all these months of not having hot and cold running water, I'm going to clean up a storm, then soak in the tub for hours. The simple joy of a shower and clean cloths can be a blessing to look foward to.

How far away is the life I use to know, only memories now, the taste of time past is bittersweet. I was blessed then, and even if at times it's painful to look back, I know that I am blessed today with a most precious gift, this day. May I always remember what my daddy use to tell me when I was a little girl, "Pay attention chickadee, or you'll miss what's really important in life." I may be nothing more than an frowsy frog in a deep well, but my spirit kindles kindly with love and hope. What more of a blessing could my family have given me?