Closer to the Outside
Part of my move to Moose Lodge was to experience a different point of view and a different way of life. I’ve wanted to live in a rural setting as far back as I can remember, and I’m glad I finally did it. I’ve written many times that the experience is changing me, and it’s broadening my thinking about a range of subjects.
I always thought I had a good handle on nature when I lived in Kirkland, WA. The truth is, I didn’t give it a lot of thought. I took it for granted. We had “Kevin” the crow who came by every day for his peanuts and to hang out with my dog while he hunted for worms.
We once had a cougar come over the fence. We never saw anything but the tracks. The paw prints in the mud made my dogs feet look like a small cat by comparison. We frequently had raccoons, opossum, squirrels, eagles, and various common birds, but nothing was like it is here in the Ozark Hills. Not even close! Even then, when you saw a wild critter in Kirkland, it was only in passing. I never gave what I saw all that much thought. Yes, I fed the squirrels.
The master bedroom of this house has floor to ceiling windows on three sides and I’m facing a yard that’s wooded in all directions that I can see from the room. I don’t just get to see animals, I get to observe them going about their day as I do my work. Often they will remain in the yard or within site for hours, and some critters hang around the neighborhood for days. A few live very close by.
Since I’ve been here, it’s been almost daily visits from deer. We’ve had nomadic wild boar trot through, a bobcat stroll by the office window like it owned the place. We have an armadillo who’s a regular, wild turkey standing around, fox, coyote, a who-knows-what, something that was the size of a giant rabbit, squirrels, actual rabbits, turtles, very interesting yet harmless snakes, and countless colorful birds passing through the property. We don’t just see them trot by, we get to observe them interacting with the environment, especially as the weather changes.
I had no idea a box turtle is as fast as it is! They always look grumpy. There is one in particular that will sit in the lawn with its head sticking out as far as possible as it watches me. It seems to have no fear either. I can imagine it thinking, “get off my lawn!”
Last night there was a mule deer bedding down on the lawn. It’s the first time I’ve seen one in the area.
I always wondered where the birds went in severe thunderstorms. I learned from the experience, that they tuck in under leaves close to the tree trunk here in the woods. The harder the wind, the closer they are to the tree’s core. Turkeys sit out the rain under a thick tree canopy and wait it out. The white tail deer don’t spook if the birds are around, they pay little attention to their surroundings if there are enough other critters. The deer don’t look up if the rabbits are nearby. It’s all sort of interrelated. At times the yard looks like a scene from a Disney film. All I need is the cheesy cheerful music.
We have one large rat snake that patrols the front yard and we see that same snake every few days working the front yard. It doesn’t seem to care much about what we’re doing and it’s always hunting for that next rodent, frog or toad. It’s completely docile, as if it was raised by someone.
I never gave these animals and reptiles all that much thought when I lived in Kirkland, but somehow seeing them out here changes my appreciation for the world around me and how much is going on at any one time. In a way, I’m humbled by the whole thing. I never paid attention to what critters did in a thunder storm or if it scared them and now I’m curious. The answer is, nope, they don’t seem to care all that much. They don’t even flinch with the loudest thunder clap.
We just had a chipmunk show up. It’s the first I’ve seen since I moved here and that little guy is always in the same spot in the yard. It has attitude too and doesn’t spook when I’m out loading the bird feeder.
The overarching experience is that once again, I don’t know what I don’t know. It’s the constant reminder I live with every day as I do my professional work. The move has heightened my awareness of what has been around me the whole time. Now I wonder what else I’m missing.