[book id='13'/]
A Little Bit Of Wild
Nature’s creatures are so amazing. Some are so strong and powerful. Others appear to be so vulnerable and small. Yet all are territorial and have the knowledge of survival just as you and I. When you spend time in nature, out walking the trails in the mountains or even better, getting off the beaten path, you will learn to appreciate the different habits that you observe. Sometimes, it is a bald eagle, waiting for her mate to fly into the nest to relieve her. With just a slight raising of her head, long before you or I can hear him, she will let you know he is about to arrive, but only if you spend time watching and learning.
It may be a bull elk that is circling his herd, making sure that other bulls do not interfere with the family that he has collected. He may not be the biggest bull or the strongest, just the most determined.
We can learn many lessons on a wilderness walk through the woods but only if, first, we learn respect.
[book id='14' /]
In Boone County, Arkansas, which is right on the Missouri border, we have had a very unusual winter so far with lots of snowfall. I moved into my new studio this year. We have 18 acres on top of a hill where the wind blows most of the time or so it seemed to me. Back in the summer, I decided that I couldn’t possibly have any birds on top of the hill because the wind would fight them so hard and carry them down the hill to my neighbor’s place where the winds were much calmer. However, as the winter months arrived, with much snow, so did the birds. I placed bird feeders outside my window so I could keep an eye on the little creatures. I found that they can be pretty aggressive when it comes to their food. You know, I have heard so many people including myself, complaining about the weather this year, even though the white blanket of snow covers all the mud and ugliness of winter. The stillness of the heavy snowstorms has calmed the winds and the sunrises over the white snow, tinting it a beautiful shade of pink is absolutely astounding. Through it all, more and more birds come to visit. They don’t complain, they flutter, fly around, and even continue to sing. Another lesson…perhaps??