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["Jeanne Driese" <jeanne13 AT earthlink.net>]

James,
Beautiful story, and I was watching the same sliver of moon go across the 
little area of night sky I can see through the leaves.  There have been lots 
of bear sightings around these parts, in the towns.  Trying to bulk up for 
the winter I think and the continued drought makes for slim eating. Good luck 
with the bear, can you keep the goats up?
In checking the drought map I see our area is still in a serious drought.  
Only other area in red was a spot in TX.  Since October is our lowest rain 
month I am concentrating on November to send us some rain.
Jeanne
tnhillwoman
North East TN zone 6
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Clansgian AT wmconnect.com 
  To: homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org 
  Sent: Sunday, October 05, 2008 10:00 AM
  Subject: Re: [Homestead] Draft Animals




  > >I started to get 'back to the land' in the 70's. But didn't follow 
  > through,  
  > much to my regret. 
  > 

  Last night I had occasion to breathe a bit in rhythm with the land here.

  We've lost several goats over the past few weeks and finally I fingered the 
  culprit as being bears or a bear.  The small weather that disappeared two 
days 
  go was found in the creek, ripped open, and the liver missing.  Bear, and 
no 
  mistake.  It is their MO to return after a day or two, after the rest of 
the 
  carcass has ripened, and have left-overs.   So at dusk, I took down the 
Long Tom 
  and loaded it enough to sharply discourage the bear from hanging about 
these 
  climes.

  I seated myself behind a tree and on top the bluff over the creek where the 
  caprine remains lay.  The sliver of waxing moon was up and the sky still 
light. 
   I marked a star just at the tip of the craigy maple tree and estimated 
what 
  time it would be when the star reached the bole down the trunk (I don't own 
a 
  watch).

  The toasty warmth left over from the October afternoon was being washed 
away 
  by a dewy chill.  Tree frogs were giving one last encore and the woods 
around 
  was ringing with screech owls.  There was an occasional 'ploip' of 
something 
  dropping into the creek, the gods only know what that was.  Off in the 
  distance, way up on the ridge, the milking was finishing up and there was 
the 
  occasional flash of light from the milker's flashlight and the deep 'toing' 
of the 
  cowbell.  The horse and donkey were on the knoll beginning their nightly 
feast.  
  Equines only sleep an hour or two a day and generally graze all night if 
they 
  can.

  The sky darkened.  The stars came out in stark relief.  There are no 
  artificial lights for miles.  The drought has reduced the normally 20' wide 
creek to  
  a trickle and in the lulls between the tree frog/screech owl symphony, 
there 
  was the light tinkle of creek water over the stones.

  Like Sandy, I too had thoughts about 'back to the land'.  There are 
  iconoclastic moments about the twenty years we've been in this very spot.  
I used to 
  have an old F250 with an oaken bed that served as farm truck.  A neighbor 
up the 
  hollow had 40 white rock chickens he had tried to sell me and, silver 
tongued 
  Devil that I am, in the end he gave them to me.  I had loaded up all the 
  cages I had and soon we had the entire truck laden with clucking, squawking 
  chickens.  On the way home I had to pass by George's and I stopped to talk 
for a 
  while.  A couple of hours later, having done onhands research on the 
phenomenon 
  of untaxed spirits, I thought I'd better head back.  So in the milky 
moonlight 
  filtering through huge grandfather hemlock trees, and exercising due 
caution 
  on the twisty narrow road down the hollow, in a disreputable old truck 
loaded 
  high with indignant chickens ... I knew I was right where the cosmos 
intended 
  for me to be.

  Last night was another night like that.  I sat on the ground cross-legged 
  with the shootin' iron on my lap intently listening across the flat for 
bear sign 
  while the October mountian night unfolded.

  Finally the star passed the bole in the tree and I knew it was later than 
  bear are usually about.  But I was glad to be remined why I moved my living 
out 
  to this mountainside.

  By the bye, this morning when I checked the carcass, one haunch was 
missing.  
  OK, the bear wins that round.  October is still full of nights, though.


  James   </HTML>
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