Hello All,
I spent five hours and covered 10.6 km’s in the woods today. As always, plenty to see – including five deer, nine turkey, numerous ducks, and a red-tailed hawk.
My time in the fresh air and expansive land aroused some thoughts. Many of us, excluding hunters, have grown accustomed to photographs, calendars, books, and magazines showcasing nature in it’s finest – and mostly live – sense. Most don’t show the other side. The struggles that take place each and every day. The side of death.
I came across many scenes of death in the woods today. Skeletal remains, bleached by the sun, and strewn haphazardly about. Turkey feathers piled high after being ravaged by a predator. With each animal I came across I pondered how they met their fate. Were they unable to endure the cold temperature and deep snow of winter? Old age? Coyote ambush?
I counted four separate remains of deer today. Two turkey piles were also discovered. I’m sure the woods held many more. But with death comes life…and in some ways, a simple and peaceful beauty lies in it all.
The good thing is that in the woods, all remains eventually return to nurture the earth. I don’t know if you get the nature channel OASIS, but for someone like me who has spent much of my time hiking and canoeing in the wilderness, that channel makes TV worthwhile. Guess I’ll live out my time in Ottawa, but with a 2 1/2 year old grandson I’m not entirely bereft of wildlife!!
(Incidentally, the word is ravages, not ravishes). I was an editor/proofreader all my life!!
Cheers, Ruth
Hi Ruth,
Sadly, I don’t receive the OASIS channel, although my folks do, and it is quite incredible. Not sure if Rogers offers it to be honest.
Good point about nurturing the earth. And thanks for picking up on my grammar mistake. It was past midnight and the brain wasn’t working entirely right
Thanks again for reading..