Friday, April 21, 2006

I see dead ... um ... things

Living here in the middle of nowhere brings me in almost daily contact with a wide variety of wildlife. Birds of every color – bright gold, fiery scarlet, cobalt blue – swoop through the air. The scent of a skunk wandering through our property greeted me this morning when I let the dogs out.

On my walks I'm frequently surprised by deer bounding across the road in front of me. Wild turkey flocks roam the hills and there's also been a black bear seen on our road. Not by me, but I did see a mountain lion once.

But mostly, I see deadlife, not wildlife.

Two days ago, after a day of rain, I noticed three smashed baby turtles, each a little larger than a half dollar [anyone remember those?], about a foot apart. No mother in sight. A bit farther along I found one of those neon orange lizards, also smashed.

Yesterday it was a deer leg, in two parts. I can't imagine where the rest of the deer was, but there was a bone from the upper portion of a leg, picked clean by the turkey buzzards, and nearby was the lower portion, fur and hoof intact.

Totally gross.

But I guess when you live in the Middle of Nowhere, and you walk outside for exercise, you gotta take the gross with the good. I am, after all, trying to prolong my wild life as long as I can.

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