......wild things

Yogis,

My home backs up to a strip of woods filled with mature trees, a creek, ferns and an old stone quarry.  So…. I have a good sampling of the animal kingdom to keep me company.

Deer, fox, squirrels, chipmunks, woodpeckers, snakes, owls, bats, raccoons and turtles all live behind me and therefore share my space.  I love that!  Yes, the deer nibble my plants, the raccoons make a ruckus some nights and at least once a year a bat ends up in the house (with me screaming and running for cover). The squirrels each spring check every plant I try to put in a pot at least 10 times to see if perhaps they stored a nut there last fall, and the large woodpeckers have the ability to create a massive hole in my deck supports in a matter of seconds as they drill for carpenter bees.  But I wouldn’t have it any other way. 

The outdoors is ‘home’ to them all. I just happened to have placed a large box structure in the center of it all that I call ‘home’. I am the guest. But we as humans seem to have forgotten this…..

In the last few weeks there has been a lot of on line conversation in my area around ‘wildlife’. In particular, how to get rid of it. 

One thread dealt with a fox that may have attacked a cat.  Fox will rarely attack house pets, although it does happen.  The outdoor cats and the fox know each other and have established a truce, giving each other space.  My dog Phoebe is in the woods daily so I know that she is very attune to where they are and I am sure they have come across each other, with no harm done.  But the fear of the untamed has everyone bringing all animals inside and wondering if the fox is rabid. The night time mating screams are not helping their case. 

Another discussion was on a big fat black snake seen in someone’s yard that sent them and the kids all hiding in the house. Exterminators and trappers were called, but finally someone convinced them that they are harmless and will most certainly keep the rodent population in check. 

Chipmunks were yet another topic of concern. Talk of trapping them, baiting them and moving them elsewhere so they wouldn’t be in the front plant beds. I can tell you that a family of chipmunks has lived under my front porch for years and my plants have not suffered in the least. The digging and burrowing of chipmunks and squirrels is nature's aeration!

My sister even spotted a truck recently for a company that deals with sparrow issues. Really?  Sparrows? I guess you never know what a gang of sparrows may do…..

Mosquitoes are another target with everyone’s yards now being sprayed. The list goes on and on and companies are making a killing on our fear of ‘wild things’. I am visualizing that eventually you will be able to order a huge plastic see through bubble that you can place over your entire yard!  Controlled environment. Nothing ‘wild’ here, thank you very much. 

Nature has a consciousness. A rhythm that each animal, bug and plant play a part in.  Together we are whole. Start drawing us apart and unintended consequences arrive. Our role as humans is not to conquer nature, but instead to embrace and learn from it. In fact, I don’t know about you, but I feel we could all probably benefit from a little more wildness in our lives. Mmmmmmm…………….

Allowing the ‘wilderness’ to be just that.   

As I write this a few ducks are flying overhead heading back to the river. I love living here…..

SARAH