May 22, 2024

Tomorrow

I lied in bed, trying to wake from a dream. Axel had been outside with me when I spotted a small bird’s nest full of chicks. In one bite, he picked up the nest and walked off. I told him to drop the nest, and he did, but he still had a chick in his mouth. When I told him to drop it again, a tiny bird fell out dead on the ground. I was happy it was just a dream. Maybe the wrens were on my mind.

My wife called me on FaceTime and we chatted for a bit, both of us sporting sleepy faces. It made me happy to see her green eyes. After our call, I got busy with the normal morning chores of putting a load of laundry to wash, doing the dishes, feeding the dogs, and then making coffee.

Once I finished, I sat down to write at the dining room table, which I had completely taken over during my wife’s absence. The table, usually empty except for a small ceramic salt and pepper shaker set, was now covered with my things. I had a small camera bag, two cameras, and an assortment of lenses. There were also two camera straps, two SSD drives, a card reader, an iPad, and my laptop computer.

I skipped my walk this morning in order to get caught up on writing. After, I jumped in the shower and got dressed. I had to conduct more interviews today, and give a presentation to our agency's head. This meant wearing a shirt, tie, and jacket for the second day in a row. It felt strange to live in the woods and dress up in formal attire, as if I was working in some highrise downtown office building. Managing this dichotomy was a part of life in the woods too, I supposed.

Between the meetings, phone calls, and prepping for my presentation, the day passed quickly. I made a quick run into Bailey for groceries during lunch, and before I knew it, the workday was over. It was always nice to get the quarterly presentations completed. When I turned off my computer, I was ready to move outdoors and let work go.

The trails were finally dry, and I could hear the dirt scrunch with each step. The sun was heading toward the horizon and the light inside the woods was soft. I moved to the eastern side of the pine grove so I could check a field where I saw a deer yesterday. When I arrived at the tree line, I saw a lone doe standing in the middle of the field. I stopped and took a few pictures from afar. The doe stared at me, trying to gauge whether I was an approaching threat. She postured and stamped her front foot, spitting in the air, warning me not to approach. I wondered if she had a fawn nearby that she was protecting. Maybe she just didn’t like my face.

The doe allowed me to take a few photographs and then she moved to the opposite tree line, looking odd. First, she walked, then moved into a near trot, looking like a dressage horse, lifting her legs high in the air. Then she galloped, but abruptly slowed back to a trot. It all looked awkward for such a swift and graceful animal.

In the tree line where the doe had run, several other deer heads popped up with perked ears, watching me curiously as I moved back into the forest and headed north along the trails. The herd stood still, chewing their food, watching my departure.

At the creek, some frogs had already started their evening songs. More frogs joined in for a few seconds and then went quiet, sounding like a car engine that wouldn’t start. I walked up an incline and saw several marks in the ground, probably made by a deer herd moving through the area. Yesterday, I noticed a small red capped mushroom growing here, but today something had stepped on it and smashed the mushroom into several pieces.

As I moved through the central area of the property, I kept a close eye out for fawns. I noticed a lot of deer tracks in the area, and the secluded place made it an ideal spot for a doe to bed her fawn while she searched for food. Birthing season was now upon us, and I expected to see fawns on the trail cameras anytime now. I checked a camera that was posted in the grove, and it showed a lone pregnant doe feeding in the area.

As I walked, I saw a lone deer near the tree line concealed by the tall grasses and thick brush. She was feeding, but stopped to watch me. I bowed my head, saying hello, and kept moving toward my house. While I walked, I thought the deer must have thought I was a really unusual creature. As I stepped out of the pine grove into my front yard, a large cottontail rabbit shot across the trail, startling me.

I continued walking toward my house and when I got near the door; I spotted a deer herd feeding in the pasture, just behind the barn. It was already too dark to take pictures or videos, but I stopped to watch them for a few minutes. They continued to graze, periodically looking up in my direction. Then, I bid them farewell and went inside my house.

My wife and I talked for a while on FaceTime, catching up on our days. She said goodnight and then headed off to bed while I sat down to write. After finishing, I felt sleepy and was ready for bed. As I drifted off to sleep, I was happy that when I woke up, I could say that my wife would be home tomorrow.