Walk Through The Woods

This is a hard time of the year to get through, there is no doubt about that. It is dark till quite late in the morning. When it is 9:30 before it gets light (on a sunny day) and dark again by 5 p.m., you have a tendency to want to sit by the fire and read or just veg. Yesterday was a day for vegging out by our fireplace. The forecast has been calling for warm temperatures all week and while warm temps are generally good this time of year, it sucks since it doesn't come in the form of a chinook wind with glorious sun to perk you up.... no, this warm is coming and carrying with it, freezing rain. My poor sheep are looking bedraggled and sad. Yesterday I sat and read and looked out at my sheep and listened to the radio news coming out of Haiti... and then around late afternoon I couldn't take it anymore, I felt I would sink into mid winter blues, so out the door I went for a walk.

Usually this time of the year, I stick to road walking but yesterday, the bush was calling to me and so after checking to see if the trails were packed with snowmobiles running over them, I felt I could handle a short walk through the bush. I entered the woods where thick pines and spruce border the trails in quiet solitude. I instantly noticed the peace and tranquility of the forest silence. All around me the pines and spruce brooded in their dark green garb. The only noise I heard was the sound of Duff galloping past in pure joy of getting out to sniff new scents, and Tootsie yapping after Duff in an effort to keep up. Shortly they disappeared into the bush ahead and all went silent again.

It was only after about 5 minutes of walking that I had this weird sensation that something was watching me.... I looked up to the right and I am not sure why, but there in all it's wild silent beauty, was a Great Grey Owl. He flew through the tops of the pines seeking a new branch from which to get a better view of me. I of course, stopped dead in my tracks as I watched him/her beat her wings and slip between the trees like a ghost. The thing that amazed me was the quiet of its flight. I could not hear a sound. The wings were beating but it was amazing how silent the beat of its wings were..... and it was huge. I would have to say that if it stood on the ground next to me it would have been about 25 inches tall. Awesome!!!!

I quickly found a fallen tree trunk to sit on, and there I sat watching that owl while the owl watched me too. In the back of my mind I hoped that Tootsie (the Shi-tzu) would stay away for a while and stay with Duff as that owl would easily pick up wee Tootsie and fly away with it's daily meal. The owl watched me and I watched it for a while... I'm not sure how long... but probably no more than ten minutes. Then silently, and with more dignity than I would have thought possible, it spread its wings and jumped off the branch and carried on it's silent way winging through the branches of the pine and spruce.

Such moments renew your pleasure in just being alive. (And Tootsie didn't get eaten....)

Wow I'm glad I went for a walk.