Contact us at: whispernthunder1@gmail.comDusk to Dawn
~ Orannhawk
There are moments in time that fall into a
mystical space for me. The darkness holds
mysteries of the unseen to most, and for
many a duration of unease. As a child, I
spent the winters sitting in occasional
relentless cold, bundled up against the
driving wind or sleet; surrounded by
mesquites and prickly pear.
I watched the stars, knowing Papaw or my
dad would quiz me on what I saw before the
first break of light and how they compared to
the darkness after sunset. The majority of
the time, I was cold, despite feeling like a small
ball of thermals, sweaters, coats, with an
oversized towel cut with a slit that fit over my head. It did cut some of the wind, though.
The first glow was subtle, a shimmer of hope, far enough away it was obvious that the sunrise was an hour away. Nonetheless, it was an alert. It was what I knew, and despite
the hardships of it, I loved it. In those moments, I waited for the tiny tweet of a cardinal and the soft snuffling of a cottontail in the sandy road stretched out in front of me.
I know they would both be shocked that the number of deer and other wildlife on my land, as well as fascinated by the size of the deer and the thick velvet covering bucks horns.
The velvet appears so thick, some of the larger bucks look top heavy. My kids feed them well, supplementing their diet year-round. Game cameras allow us to track them and
they all have nicknames. Despite telling us not to name what you plan to eat, my Daddy did the same thing. It's fascinating to see them on the camera feed, along with a
plethora of crows, cardinals, hawks, owls and the less than welcome feral hogs.
It's been twenty years since my Dad made his way back to the stars, and without a doubt, the cameras there and the ones at my home would give him pause.
I live in town with an oversized backyard, with an alley way that briefly proved to be a hiding place for a shiny new car. The local P.D. was quite appreciative of my call, but alas no finder's fee. The logistics of the security system would be confusing to them both, especially with the feed coming up on my phone.
Over the past number of months, my backyard evolved into a wildlife refuge. Before the Texas heat set in, a yearling began spending most of the day sleeping under the pecan tree or the Crape Myrtles.
Her timeline changed soon after and she shows up after dark now, along with foxes, possums, armadillos, raccoons who come in threes, owls who roost on my roof, an occasional house cat, and so many birds it's hard to keep up with them.
I added bird fountains as well as containers on the ground for the short, kegged critters and literally set up a charcuterie tray. I stick with deer corn, unsalted peanuts, celery ends, carrots, acorns and apples I removed the seeds from. Dry dog from time to time is a welcome treat too, One or more of them ate their way through my first season of pomegranates, but there is always next year.
My dad would likely pitch a fit if he realized my meager grocery allotment includes food now for all my menagerie.