Interesting Visitors

It is interesting living in a small village (population in the 400 range) located in a remote area because you never know exactly what you are going to see right in your own yard.  I've mentioned deer before and we saw a doe again this morning, that is becoming a pretty common occurrence.  I've seen many rabbits too, and I've seen and heard owls and other birds, including doves, robins, nut hatches, jays, cardinals, sparrows, starlings, and even a hawk every once in a while, just to name a few.  Fortunately I've never seen any of the skunks I've smelled but I do know they are in town because occasionally I will hear a gun shot and the sheriff has given people permission to shoot them inside village limits because of the potential for rabies.  I've been told to also be on the look out for the occasional porcupine which kind of surprised me, I've seen them many times on the road side as I've been driving from one destination to another but never knew they'd been seen in town.  Another thing I was cautioned against are coyotes, which is another thing that surprised me.  It shouldn't because coyotes are very adaptable to any environment and aren't as shy as we would like to think - if they can find an easy meal they will take advantage of that.  If people leave food out for their pets, or put scraps in their trash that is an automatic draw, and coyotes have also preyed upon small pets.  I know I've heard coyotes very close to town from time to time, but I haven't spotted one in town yet and hope I don't, but I do have my .22 and the shells close at hand if I should ever need to shoot a skunk or coyote.  Something that I wouldn't seek to do for sport, but would most definitely do for protection if necessary.  I guess all those shooting sessions with my dad might have been necessary after all, just in case I encounter some interesting visitors from the animal kingdom.  My first response though is usually to wait and see what the animal is going to do and I ask my Heavenly Father for protection.  When I do have to be out in my yard in the dark or even at dawn/dusk, I say a prayer before even leaving the house or car and most often anything I "scare up" scampers off to the wooded acreage behind my house.  I've discovered that if I just wait, usually they will leave and I can get to the house or out to the car in safety.  If I do encounter one of those animals that are a potential threat I will pray and continue to trust God to care for me and try with all my being to leave the care of His creatures to Him as well. 

Night Vision

It is a well known fact that there are certain animals that move around and hunt at night, they are nocturnal in their habits.  Owls are one species for example that hunts at dusk, throughout the night and at dawn.  I've had many an owl swoop down in front of me when I've traveled at night to catch the tasty field mouse that is running across the road.  I hit an owl a few years ago near Ogallala, NE.  That wasn't a great feeling because I knew there was no way the owl survived, not to mention the fact that it was a big owl and it took out my headlight.  I've also seen many coyotes in my headlights and we all know that deer love to be out at night because we've had to stop for them when they are either running across the road or stopped in the middle of it.  A few additional things I have seen recently on the road at night are:  skunks, jackrabbits, a fox or two, an elk, and a couple mountain lions.   After last night I can add bobcat to that list.  A large bobcat ran across the road in front of me last night.  Not only was he in my headlights, there was also a full moon and no clouds so I got a very clear view of this magnificent animal.  I love photography and would love to get a picture someday of a mountain lion or bobcat.  I know these animals also grace the daylight from time to time and so maybe someday I'll capture the shot I want if I have enough time to sit in one spot and wait for it.  One of the things I always pray for when I'm driving, especially at night, is clear vision.  I honestly don't have as clear a vision as I used to when I was younger and it has gotten harder for me to drive at night.  Part of that comes form the fact that I'm highly light sensitive and any more the headlights on cars almost blind me.  Another part of that comes from the fact that driving at night has become more of a necessity for me to get from one meeting to the next or to make it home after a long day of classes.  Although I am not by nature designed to have the night vision of an owl I will continue to ask for clear vision at night and will trust that God will help me make it safely to my destinations.    

We sometimes run

Late last night as I drove up the street to my house I startled 4 deer.  I could see them in my headlights, heads popped up with wide eyes, white tails immediately flagged in the air and their legs started to spring into action  It was almost comical to watch them try and make the decision about which direction to run.  A couple of them started toward the back of the yard where there is a wooded area, one of them was headed to my right which is where my driveway is and one of them just stood there kind of looking back and forth at the ones that had already moved trying to decide where to go.  I carefully and slowly pulled into my driveway and the one that had decided to go that direction put on the brakes, did a 180 and started back toward the middle of the yard joining the one who didn't know where to go.  As I continued to pull up to the garage those two finally decided they better high tail it to the back of the yard to join the first two and it was a 50 yard dash to see which one could get there first.  Now I have to admit I hadn't seen any deer for a long time so they startled me just as much as I did them.  It was raining and that may have added to their confusion of the moment.  I sat in the car for a moment longer looking back toward the crab apple tree where all this commotion had started just to make sure there weren't any more deer that needed to run across my yard before I got out of the car to walk to the house.  Sure enough there was one straggler - not sure where she came from, maybe she even came from across the street in the neighbor's yard, but she went running through the yard and joined the other four.  Because is was raining I didn't exactly see where they went, but I'm sure they found a place to hide in the bushes or wooded area behind my house.  Later when I was safe and dry in the house I thought about that moment when the deer were trying to decide where to run and it made me realize we are just like them.  Sometimes we run too - from heartache, from fear, from decisions or responsibilities - the reasons we run are numerous and just like those deer we try to decide where to run to.  Are we going to take the quickest route to where we think it's safe and yet find that something is coming straight at us like the one who headed into the driveway only to have me maneuver the car there and present an obstacle.  Are we going to just stand their wide eyed looking at where others are going, not quite sure what to do and then finally realize we need to make a decision for our own good.  Are we like the straggler who came out of no where and we're not even sure what we're running from or where we're running to; we're just running because we saw the others running.  Or do we do what the first two did, we go straight to the safe place, the place where there is shelter.  God can be that safe place for us, that shelter.  Instead of running into obstacles, instead of standing there wide eyed and not knowing what to do, instead of running just because others are running, we can go straight to God and find shelter, because our Heavenly Father loves us and cares for us.

Beautiful Vacation

My husband and I just spent 5 incredible days in Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park.  We had a lovely cabin with a small fireplace that was perfect for curly up and taking a nap.  We hiked in seven different areas and spent time sitting on one of our favorite rocks in one of our favorite valleys.  We were fortunate to make the trek up Old Fall River Road (not always open this time of year) to the Alpine Visitors center and trek back down via Trail Ridge Road.  The color was at peak and so I was able to get a ton of great photographs.  It always amazes me how one tree can have so many different colors within it's leaves.  The Aspens varied from green, to yellow, to orange, to red, it was an amazing sea of color.  We always go out into the park super early (before daylight)  to see what we can find at least one day of the trip.  This time was no exception; on Wednesday morning we were up and moving by 5:00 am and in the park before sun-up.  When the sun did start to make it's appearance the alpine glow on the mountains was spectacular.  We were also privileged to see a bull elk getting his morning drink in the middle of Big Thompson River as we listed to the other bulls in the valley bugling back and forth.  If you have never heard a bull elk bugle echo off the mountainside you are missing an incredible sound.  One of the areas we decided to hike was new to us.  It's called the Lumpy Ridge Trail and it takes you to the foot of a rock formation called the Twin Owls, although it was a little more up and down that we expected it was a great hike and we thoroughly enjoyed getting to see a new area of the park with some spectacular views.  One of the other things we enjoyed was watching the way Long's Peak (the hightest peak in RMNP) creates it's own weather.  We would watch the clouds come rolling in and hover for awhile and then move on or they would settle in and the bottoms would get heavier and darker.  We woke up Friday morning to discover all the mountains had been covered in a new layer of snow so we had to take one last drive into the park for more photos.  Everyday was filled with many awe inspiring moments and we considered each a gift from God.  We feel truly blessed!