In wilderness I sense the miracle of life, and behind it our scientific accomplishments fade to trivia.
~Charles A. Lindbergh~
Happy Spring, yes I do believe it's finally trying to be spring. It is nice to be able to walk out to the barn and around the yard without hearing that crunch of snow. I usually like the sound of crunching snow, but not when it's suppose to be spring.
I tried it...making 5 gallons of liquid laundry soap. It didn't take long, was super easy...and how does it work? I don't know yet. Linda K, thinks it cleans her clothes better... and at the cost of about $1.25 give or take for 5 gallons, me thinks I'll want to like it:)
I ground a center cut pork loin and used half to make homemade sausage patties and canned the other half...plain.
The patties are yummy. In the patties, I mixed natural herbs and spices (I carry in the shop), homemade bread crumbs and of course 2 of my girls eggs...the organic fennel really gives it that extra special yumminess.
I used our hand grinder to grind the pork loin instead of the electric. I think it worked better. What I liked about doing it that way, is it gave me a better appreciation of the meat itself; of where it came from. It took about 40 minutes to grind about 10 lbs of pork ,manually; the rhythm and quiet of doing this task gave me time for a meditation of sorts plus a sense of accomplishment from saving money, because now I have 12 meat portions of a meal that cost about $1.35 each:)
I learned again...If we pay attention, we never stop learning or being amazed at nature, and her's and the animals way of dealing with life. What I witnessed Wednesday, was proof too, that though sometimes in nature what we perceive happening, is not what's happening at all, and as I ‘heard’ Wednesday, “it’s nature being nature”.
I was going to the feed mill Wednesday, and had left the pickup out side, so I went out to start it to let it thaw and get the ice off before I made my trek. I was looking around a the dwindling snows, and the dogs running around playing when I saw down at the pond standing in the thawed but frigid water next to the dock, about 20 foot from the shore, a young deer, with the water halfway up it’s sides. I'd say a yearling or young 2 year old.
I thought how odd is that…it must be sick, first to go in there like that, and then stand so still in the cold water. It looks like it's dying.
My mind working over time, wondering, Now what am I going to do…I can't get it out of there alone. No one is around, I won't be able to do a thing...sometimes it seems nature is so cruel. My heart ached for this little deer in the cold waters.
I felt worse when I saw it’s head drop down, and it’s nose was just above the water…I thought soon it will be over and distraught there was nothing I could do, but worst, knew I probably should do nothing. It's one of the laws of nature...right?
Still Thinking I should do something but what, I walked down near the pond. Not wanting to push the deer closer to the center of the pond with my approach I walked an arc to the front of the deer through the pasture. I noticed tracks going back and forth at the ponds entrance, like the deer had been contemplating and pacing for a while before making up it's mind to go in or not. I was wondering why would it chose to walk in the water like that…that’s so odd, did it get hit and was bleeding and went in to stop the bleeding? Is it thirsty but can't drink. Does it have chronic wasting disease and delirious? Why would it do such a thing? I'd never seen anything like this. There was no ice on the pond, so it hadn't fallen through. It walked out there intentionally.
Then oddly too, the deer didn't take notice of me at all, no perking of the ears or eyes moving towards me..in fact it's eyes were black and unmoving... I clapped my hands together to get it to maybe perk up, instead it’s head went lower in the water. It was then I noticed it’s whole body was wet, so at one time it was all the way in the water.
Again, I thought how cruel nature is, what an awful way to die. So I walked away, with a heavy heart. I knew if I tried to help it would just drive the deer farther into the waters.
A few minutes later...to see if anything else came to mind to help or if I could get a 'reading' from the deer...I walked to the pond again, this time getting a little closer, as I got closer, something did happen and my heart sank that I had made things worse by interfering, for as I approached and got around to look the deer in the eye again... it dropped down in the water, with just it’s head and nostrils and part of it’s back emerged barely visible above the waters. It was finally going down.
I asked what could I do?
The answer...“Kellie, it’s nature being nature, leave it alone, it’s the way Nature is.”
My human thoughts of Why did I have to see this when there is nothing I can do. I told the little deer I was sorry and walked back to the truck and turned to look one more time and the deer stood up...my heart broke..I thought such a little fighter, and I left to go to the feed mill, hoping that if the little deer were going to die such a cold and painful death to please let it be over by time I got back.
Again I heard, “It’s nature being nature Kellie, don't feel bad...nature knows what it is doing.”
About half way to the feed mill, with my mind on the cold wet little deer, it was as if a flash of light shot though through my mind…and warmth filled my heart....
“It was hiding, not dying.”
As soon as this thought came to me, happiness filled my body and I smiled, because I knew without a doubt that’s exactly what was going on. No wonder I kept getting, "leave it alone, nature knows best…it knows what it’s doing."
The whole picture of the surrounding came together; the tracks at the edge of the pond were not that of the deer, but I knew they weren't, but some how because only the deer was there in the waters and I thought it was dying, I made those track his... but when I looked in my minds eye...I realized exactly what I saw, they weren't deer track but paw tracks. That smart little deer knew that if it went in to the cold waters with it’s insulated coat, and played dead, the predator would not follow. My being lightened with hope, happiness and awe at that brave little deer...How smart.
Thankfully when I got home, the little deer was gone. I search and scoured the edges of the pond, and no sign of him.
So what did I learn from this?
Many messages came that day...helpful hints I can apply to my life
One...nature does know what it is doing, and by following it’s instincts that deer survived.
Second...patience is a good thing...that sometimes even though it's not comfortable, you just have to wait it out for the bad to pass. You must be still and quiet..
Third…Nature does know best...that sometimes what we ‘see’ isn't really what is. What my mind perceived as death, really was all about preservation of life and if I had interfered with Deer’s plans to stay alive with my human plans of wanting to 'help' for it to live, I may have caused it’s death; maybe the predator was hiding in the bushes still waiting, but Deer instinctively knew when it was safe to come out.
It's ok to follow my instincts, such as with the stocking up thing that is persistent.
Fourth...to never ever stop being amazed at Natures ability to survive, teach and inspire us... lessons we can all learn from 'Her' and the 'Animals'.
