Feeding from natures table at night
Jun 20, 2009 19:57:23 GMT -5
Post by ozark on Jun 20, 2009 19:57:23 GMT -5
Alone enjoying being fed by nature:
My excuse for this visit with nature during the hours of darkness was to coon hunt with my dog I called Windy. That was what I had told my wife. She was used to me doing this but she suspected that Nature was my mistress. I wasn’t really aware that it was the beauty of nature at night that lured me away from a warm home and a loving wife.
I put the dog in her box in the back of my pickup, got headlamp ready and buckled my .22 Caliber pistol to my side. Thirty minutes later I pulled off the old road near the river crossing. I let Windy out of her box and started her upstream. She knew it was our night out and that her job was to find the scent of a raccoon and follow it giving voice until it had to climb a tree. She would sit at the base of the tree and tree bark until I got to her. But I am getting ahead of myself here.
I was slightly uneasy leaving my truck and the road. They were my last handhold to civilization. I would be on my own now and was aware that if something happened it would take search parties a long time to locate me. This wasn’t alarming for me because I knew to be careful and had no fear of getting lost. I was healthy and young enough to trust my own abilities. A fine mist began to fall but I was snug and warm. Within a short distance from the truck I lost the uneasy feeling and felt a part of the night and just another element of nature. Windy was somewhere upstream. If she failed to discover scent she would check in with me before hunting in a different direction. I began to climb the hillside winding my way through a thicket of red cedar. The beam of my light caused the moisture on spider webs to sparkle like jewels. The webs were amazing shapes of beauty made by this insect. In the center of some webs I could see the reflection of spider’s eyes shining like diamonds. I knew it was waiting for something to touch the web so that it could rush to the spot and maybe find its dinner. I moved close to a rather large web and tossed a twig about the size of a fly into the web. Instantly the spider rushed to the spot the twig landed and found disappointment that it wasn’t food. It removed the twig and repaired the web as I watched. I then lost interest and moved on up the hillside.
I moved along slow to a level about half way up the slope and found a large oak tree and seated myself at its base facing toward the river. I could no longer hear the river noise going over rocks and rapids but should Windy bark I would be able to hear her. She was quiet and I relaxed. The mist turned into a sprinkle and then to a pretty good shower. I was comfortable and dry so it was welcome. The shower ended. I could see the outline of the country across the river. I could see the outline of Fox Mountain, The hills surrounding the Cotton place and the Trace ridge. I knew where all the abandoned homesteads were in the area. I knew several of the people who had once lived in these places. But now, it was all turned back to nature. It was just me, Windy and the night. I felt completely content and experienced a peace that few ever experience alone on a rainy night. I had switched the light off and may have dosed off for a few moments. Failing to locate interesting scent Windy had checked in. I felt her nose touch my arm. I patted her head and she headed up hill checking for scent in that direction. I switched the light on and moved around the hills side perhaps a quarter mile and found anther good seat. In about an hour Windy checked in again and I decided to drop off to the river and head back to the truck. I just moved slowly enjoying life at night. We didn’t have any luck with coon but It was a great night for me. Some say they go to church to be fed spiritually. I was fed well this night and with Windy back in her box I started the truck and headed for home. I was now back living the life that you are all familiar with. My life is great but a good meal of nature is something I learned to love as a youth and this love affair has never faded. Ozark