Gratitude Monday - Still Fuzzy

One of more than 20 different types of willow in the province.


We went for a drive yesterday. That alone is something to be grateful for as it was a nice late fall day and good for driving.
It was good to get out of the house, too, as I hadn't ventured around much locally in the past few months. It was good to see the farms, and the wetland such as they are these days, and to see the mountains rise against the edge of the forest again.
Along with a few cows and some small birds we saw a very large cat, probably a housecat gone wild, hunt for food, and we saw a coyote. It was a good day.
We also saw some pussy willows in full fuzz and I made sure to get pictures.
Stepping outside has many rewards and I am grateful for each of them.

How Dry I Am

Whenever I think about the rain and the snow and think there's been too much, I think of this sight. It's Little Fish Lake Provincial Park just east of Drumheller, Ab.

It's a lovely spot on the open prairie. It's surrounded by farmland and you're just as likely to hear a coyote howl as a steer low, and often they sing together in glorious praise to the westering sun.

But as you can see there's not much left of the lake. That's the boat launch in the foreground, I suppose there was a time when the water came right to it. I wish it still did.

So now when I shovel snow or go check the basement to see if water has seeped in I think of this lake and I hope it is getting the benefit of the storm.

Gratitude Monday - Wild Memories

Coyote and buffalo. Please click to enlarge.

Our Christmas drive yielded many great sights including coyotes. We see them from time to time. It's a treat, though not really a rare one.

We sometime hear their mournful howls in the night here in town. I've grown to enjoy their singing as it reminds me the wilderness is just a short walk outside my door.

Back when I was growing up we had forest all around us and it was filled with all the critters one would expect. We heard and occasionally saw coyotes, timberwolves, moose, deer, lynx, and bear. The sad longing song of the coyote filled many a night and punctuated cold clear winter days. It scared me then.

Today it simply reminds me of a former wild abundance.

I'm grateful to have been surrounded by the creatures of the wood, and today I am grateful when I see them again.

Gratitude Monday: The Wild Dogs Are With Me

The forest on the western edge of town.



I saw a fox yesterday when I went out for a mid-afternoon walk. A red fox lives in the forest at the edge of town and I've seen it from time to time, usually in the evenings.
I thought it was unusual to see it out and about in the day like that, but I don’t know much vulpine lore. It may have been out for its afternoon constitutional, just like me.

It saw me as I saw it. We were both headed southbound so it turned its head to me. For about two full seconds I had a wonderful full side view. I saw its red coat and its dark bushy tail.
I knew better than to move. Sudden movements scare forest critters away. That’s the last thing I wished to do.
It gave me a casual, if guarded, look and went on its way.

I was grateful for our moment together. It reminded me that I live on the edge of a town cut out of bush. Around me I have trees and muskeg, even some fields. A river borders the west.

I’m thankful for the convenience of town and the closeness of the wild. Some mornings, when I am out early enough, I hear the coyotes singing to the moon.

I grew up with this sound. Howls can be eerie and they made me shiver. It scared me then, but I miss it now. I’m glad I get to hear it now and again, and I’m grateful the wild dogs are still with me.