February 10, 2024
I woke up before the sun was out and made a hot cappuccino. For those who work weekdays, there’s nothing quite like waking up on a Saturday morning, knowing you have the entire weekend ahead.
This morning, I went out into the woods for several hours. During the week, I’m always on a schedule, so this morning, it was nice to have nothing tugging me to come back home. I went out with my camera and a small folding chair. When I arrived at the north end of the pine grove, there was a boisterous flock of American Robins in the trees about forty yards in front of me. I sat down and took a few photos. After a few minutes, I moved my seat a little closer, inching up towards the birds, until I was within twenty feet.
While shooting photos and videos of the beautiful, orange breasted birds, I noticed a small Dryobates Woodpecker above me. The small patch of red feathers on the back of its head was being hit by a sunbeam penetrating the forest, making it look orange. I snapped a photo of the little guy as he diligently chipped away at a branch. I caught something flying out of the corner of my eye, and near the flock of robins was a large Pileated Woodpecker. The bird was illusive and I haven’t seen one in this area in almost a year. The area was full of downed, rotting logs, a habitat favored by these large crested birds. I snapped two photographs, and the woodpecker was gone.
There was lots of activity this morning. Last night it rained and today was clear and sunny. I’ve noticed that under these conditions, the birds are always plentiful, probably hungry after bedding down during the rain. The morning after an evening shower offers ideal conditions for picking out worms and other insects. The weather was warmer, and it felt good to be outdoors, getting a little sunshine in my eyes and on my skin.
I moved north to two different locations, sitting on large rocks that seem to be posted at the corners of the property. They overlook a creek bed and a small ravine used to catch overflow during downpours or flooding. This area seems ripe for wildlife, since it is in a remote area near a water source. This morning, however, I saw nothing. A trail camera near one rock caught a large coyote sniffing around, but in the daylight, the area seemed empty. I walked down through the growing briars and made my way to the muddy creek bed. There were deer tracks everywhere.
On my way back home, I stopped by a small area just north of my house that was full of windswept trees covered in bright green moss. The area reminds me of a Japanese garden with its curved, gnarled trees and rocks. This spring, I would like to clear a little trail in this area and plant flowers. It would make a really nice sitting place that is close to the house. When I arrived back home, I felt relaxed and excited to see the photos I took. What a perfect start to the weekend.
It was already noon; I felt famished. I still had an hour before eating, though, so I drank a coffee to help settle my stomach. Every day, I eat between the hours of 1 PM and 9 PM. This has been my practice for the past few years, even though I will break my morning fast if my wife wants to eat breakfast on a weekend. Those days feel like a treat, and give me an excuse for sitting across from my best friend and staring at her perfect face.
At lunch time, I had a large cucumber, sliced, doused with lime juice, salt, pepper, red chili flakes, and smoked paprika with a side of hummus. It was delicious. After, I took a quick shower and got ready to go into town for supplies. I felt like spending a little money.
My first stop was at the feed store where I stocked up on deer corn. They moved it from its normal location and didn’t have a vast supply, probably because deer season ended. I loaded six forty pound bags onto my cart and headed to the register. Next stop, the sporting goods store. I figured I would walk through the store and get some outdoor things, something to augment my experience of living in nature. I even grabbed a large shopping cart to carry everything I would buy. About thirty minutes later, I was walking out, my cart still empty, as I realized I didn’t really need anything. And while I’m sure the things in the store are useful to some, most of it seemed like useless junk. While I walked out empty-handed, my wallet was still full.
I made a stop at the local grocery store to grab some groceries and headed home with food and beverages for me and new toys and treats for the dogs. In the evening, I ate BBQ pork ribs and sat out by the fire, enjoying the warmer weather. I spent most of my day outdoors, and that, my friends, is what living in the country is all about. Today was a good day.