All God's Creatures

I have kicked up my daily exercise this summer and am walking about 3 miles each morning, beginning at about 5:25. My route is a big loop around the larger streets near home. I pass a small low-income-kind-of-scary-but-not-really mobile home park, Crossroads Church, 3 apartment complexes, a dental building, Woodlands Elementary, a big beautiful fancy mobile home park, some vacant weedy and woodsy lots, and many private homes.

Across from the entry to a newer development of homes are some fields belonging to some farmers, or property that once belonged to a farm. The past 2 mornings I have walked by and the 3 quite large (what I believe are) Angus steers have been munching their pasture snacks right up near the road. It has been a treat to see these magnificent animals up close. I think I will feel a little sad to see the field empty when they are prepared for the table. By the way, they don't moo back.

I met up with an adolescent racoon on my walk today, and the poor critter didn't know what to do when he saw me. He just froze. I crossed the street and sort of kicked a pebble his way, and he scurried up into the brush at the edge of the school. I turned around after I had passed, and he was hurrying across the street to another wooded area.

Crows were out all over, finding food and making mischief. The air was full of birdsongs, beginning with my own back yard. There were a couple of dogs out taking their stumbling owners for their morning smokes, including Siggy, my neighbor's little furball, who had Grandma out chasing the end of his leash. She wasn't smoking. I didn't see any kitties out today. Could they be sleeping off the night's high adventures?

I think this summer of walking around the 'hood has shown me more roadkill than I have ever seen in my life up close and personal. You know those cartoons where the chipmunks and squirrels are spread-eagle and flattened in the road? I have seen more of those little things than I ever really cared to see. (Did I ever care to see ANY?) They are real! And the crazy downed birds--Did they smash into speeding windshields in their aerial enthusiasm? I can only imagine....

My favorite sight of my walk today started with munching sounds. Crunch, crunch, crunch. "What could that be?" I thought. I stood still (letting my precious aerobic activity be ruined) and looked around until I figured out what was making the noise: The tiniest racoon I have ever seen, smaller than a little cat, with a wee bandit mask, was up on a squirrel feeder eating up all the squirrel treats in a private front yard. It was totally cute! However, if it had been my yard, it wouldn't have been cute, because racoons are major pests around here and will throw a party for all their friends and family in a place where they can find free snacks.

My walks aren't usually chocked full of animal encounters, but today really was remarkable. I feel blessed to live in such a beautiful place, with nature's bounty every where I look, hear, and even smell.