Good Advice

This letter was published today in the Courier-Journal and I thought it was worth sharing.

I found a wildlife baby – now what?

Our native wildlife are having their babies. If you find a wildlife baby that might need help, what do you do? The best thing to do is NOT care for them yourself, but call a licensed wildlife rehabilitator like Second Chances Wildlife Center or Raptor Rehabilitation of Kentucky.

Fawn and baby bunnies do not share a nest with Mom. Mom is only with her babies five to 10 minutes a day. Unless a fawn is crying for more than two consecutive hours, they do not need rescuing.

Fledgling birds flop around on the ground for days before flying. Baby birds can be placed back in nests.

Squirrels have multiple nests at a time. If you disturb one, she’ll move her babies to another one. Find squirrel or raccoon babies on the ground? Place them in a box by where the nest was and wait for Mom to come get them one at a time when there is no disturbance from humans or pets.

Opossum or skunk babies DO need help as Mom is with them at all times.

You can prevent wildlife from becoming orphaned and injured by checking your grass before mowing and watch outdoor pets. If you know there is a nest in your yard, keep your dog on a leash or inside for a week or two, so the babies have time to grow and leave your yard. Trim trees in late fall when there are no babies in nests.

Brigette Brouillard

Mount Washington, Ky. 40047

 

Photo by Pixabay

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Spring

Today I look at the flowering trees and think of you.

When we enjoyed them last spring we had no reason to think it would be our last dogwood season together. 

Now you lie in the cold ground with woods of redbud all around, but cannot see, or smell, or move to raise your eyes skyward. 

But, then I see an unexpected crane, a cardinal or a deer and I wonder if that is so. 

Sue Baugh Mattingly – April 15, 2015

 

 

Theme photo in title by Pixabay

First Snow

Poem by Sylvia Mattingly – January 10, 2016

a first kiss of snow

with a first kiss of snow on a january day 

perhaps winter at last has something to say

after patiently biding its time to alight

it has covered the earth with a blanket of white

 

it is not as though winter has come without warning

the animals sensed it on yesterday’s morning

with instinctual nature that leads them to know

when to gather and store for the coming of snow

 

as the whitetail deer hungrily forage on grass

the squirrels in my yard bury acorns en masse

and i watch them and learn from their God given ways

that teach me to ready for the hardest of days

 

now that winter has come in a vision of white

and has hung up its coat in the dark depths of night

we can rest in the peace that the snow comes with reason

and trust without doubt that we need this cold season

 

eventually the coldness of winter will wane

and the passing of time will ensure the spring rain

but for now we must live with a sky full of gray

and a first kiss of snow on a january day

 

“A snow day literally and figuratively falls from the sky, unbidden, and seems like a thing of wonder.” Susan Orlean

A.M. Walk

A rare lower humidity day brings a cute youngster out to play at Pope Lick Park. It was curious, but not a risk taker. This was as close as I came.  

A surprise on the walkway was this baby frog. It was definitely a day for juveniles. She/he was the perfect subject for photo taking, holding still and posing. 

“You will find something more in woods than in books. Trees and stones will teach you that which you can never learn from masters.” Saint Bernard

As will flowers, deer and frogs. 

Today’s Walk

Nothing exciting to report this morning, no deer, no trains, no Goatman, just the beauty and peace of nature. Here are a few random photos:

I hope you too, find time to enjoy nature today, whether it is inside with your pet(s), watching birds through the window or walking outside in the sunshine. 

Pope Lick Park 2

Goatman?

Today while walking I thought I had spotted the Pope Lick Monster, https://crookedcreek.live/2018/05/23/pope-lick-park/  but it turned out to be just another tree. I wanted to share it with you regardless. 

Friendly Deer

She wasn’t shy. I talked with her a while and didn’t want to disturb her by getting out my phone to photograph her. After a friendly conversation, I realized she wasn’t in a hurry nor was she worried about this human. Here she is for you to enjoy. 

 

SOUL 6

THE ESSENCE OF EACH PERSON 

I believe the soul is the essence of a person. It is who they are at their core. This is not original, we’ve seen this word used by others in this series.

Since “soul” is such a difficult concept for me to imagine and since that word has connotations of both good and bad from my religious upbringing, I needed a different, more neutral word and “essence” works for me. It means a person’s intrinsic nature and immutable character. It is real, everlasting and never changing. Even after the person has died it is as recognizable as their face or their voice. 

My Recent Experiences

My husband, who died in December of 2014, was a nature lover. He was wise in the ways of animals and birds. He was a master at growing beautiful things. He imparted his reverence for creatures and his appreciation for all living things to each of us who knew and loved him during his eighty-five years of life.  

When my two daughters and I visited their father’s gravesite for the first time we were driving along a country road on our return home. Suddenly, we all three, at the same time, saw a large group of cranes ahead of us flying in a V formation. In my entire life, I do not recall seeing more than one crane at a time and rarely in flight. I pulled my car to the side of the road and we watched this magnificent sight approach and then fly over our car in direct view of the sunroof and then behind us and off into the distance. 

We did not need to discuss or compare thoughts. Each of us knew that we had experienced our loved one communicating with us. Those strong birds in flight represented his essence.

We rarely go the thirty-plus miles to that quiet old cemetery without seeing a deer, a beautiful blue bird, or some other unexpected creature. One time there was even a box turtle on the road to be rescued and repositioned in the grass. It happens at other times, too. Just days ago I opened the front door to see a beautiful squirrel in front of my porch, sitting there to remind me of my husband’s nature and his love. This was the very first squirrel at our home in five years of living here and it was a gift. Let me be clear, I am not saying that any of these creatures are my deceased husband nor his soul. I’m saying they represent his essence. I believe they are there at his beckoning.

These instances happen less often now than in the first year or so after his death. I believe he knows we need them less now than early on. I believe he knows somehow that our family continues to think of him and cherish his memory, but that we have been comforted and are more at peace now with his absence. 

 

For more information I recommended this book: 

 

“Some cognitive scientists believe human response to music provides evidence that we are more than flesh and blood—— that we also have souls. “ Judy Picoult

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Theme photo in title by Pixabay