Return To The Mist

I did not give much thought this past week about my plans for the week ahead.  A cool front had moved through last Thursday, offering a reprieve from the unseasonably warm weather we had been having and a chance for rain.  A ten-day forecast cited temperatures would not drop enough to end the miserable battle with mosquitoes and buffalo gnats though. That meant I would work primarily in the house, only stepping outside to do deer chores.  I knew I had plenty of indoor tasks to choose from, since I tended to let housework and cleaning slide over the summer months. Rainy weather was always a good time to do some baking and cozy up the house. Perhaps I would manage to create some rustic interior decor with a few of the woodland and river bottom treasures I had acquired on recent hikes. It would not matter what I decided to do. This was the time of  year I could relax a little more and indulge in whatever pleased me for the moment.

I love the feathery look of this dandelion cloaked in mist.

I had observed Miss Garden Orb all through September and October.

On Monday morning I found Miss Garden Orb hanging lifeless in her bedraggled web. Perhaps the rain and the first cold night took her life.

We were quite fortunate to have nearly an inch of rain fall since the weekend, leaving the landscape drenched in nourishment. It was a beautiful and calm atmosphere, and despite my plans to work inside, I couldn’t resist sneaking outside in the damp and chill.  Each day I escaped just long enough to fetch eats for the deer, and have a quick drive through the orchard in the electric buggy.  And while I generally did not take my camera with me on rainy days, I wished I had on Saturday when I spotted a large buck in a clearing not far from me. I had stopped the buggy to cross the electric fence, and felt the presence of something. There he was, observing me, triangulating his head. We stared at each other, and then ever so quietly he disappeared over a hill.  It was good to know deer were returning to the area, and perhaps the rut (mating season for deer) had begun.

So Sunday morning I had my camera with me when I spotted the familiar, large male coyote at the old river dike. I had not seen him in a while, but apparently he was still interested in something in the area. He took off running as soon as he saw me emerge from the line of pecan trees. I snapped a few photos as he ran off. I hoped that my daily presence would keep the coyotes from frequenting the orchard. It was my hope that Emma and Ronnie deer would have the best possible chance at survival when we released them in January.

Rain and moisture brings out the real beauty of lichen on Hackberry tree bark.

I was able to photograph this chandelier-looking web for the last week or so. Sadly, on Monday it was gone. The downpour of heavy rain on Sunday may have done it in.

In Autumn these (what I call) basket webs can be found everywhere in the woodlands. The mist really shows off the spider’s workmanship!

This is the male coyote I have photographed before. I’m just sure he’s waiting for one of the pecan orchard cows to calve so it can snag dinner.

Monday and Tuesday were quiet and wet in the woodlands. Nearly an inch of rain had fallen on Sunday, leaving the bottom land in the pecan orchard quite soggy.  I saw nothing but a few birds  in the foggy mist as I did my usual check of property lines. It seemed as if nature was contented in the reprieve from the last weeks of heat and dry conditions.  Mist and fog blanketed the landscape. I imagined the mammals and birds were holed up from the damp and chill. They were resting, and perhaps enjoying the peace and tranquility of the woodlands.

This Cardinal looked striking in the morning gloom.

 

And then Wednesday emerged. Nature presented sunshine and a gentle breeze. The landscape twinkled with shimmering dewdrops drying in the sun. Little spiders emerged from their homes and birds chirped happily while feeding on giant weed seeds on the west end of the orchard. A barred owl called from high up in a tree as I headed home from my trip to fetch deer browse. This is where I belonged – where I felt good. Just an hour earlier my heart had been broken and my spirit shattered. Vicious words of anger over the results of the presidential election were plastered on social media by someone I had called friend for several years. I found myself deeply hurt by the viciousness. Like a wild animal, I had fled to the woods. And despite the warmth of the sun and the sparkling landscape, I felt a longing to return to the mist of the days before.  Being enveloped in a thick blanket of comfort and quiet appealed to me. Being drenched in the cool of the gentle mist had temporarily soothed my soul. Finding my little niche in the woodlands to escape, and resting my injured spirit made perfect sense. I needed to be alone. I would come out in the sun when I was ready. But not today.

Ronnie and Emma deer flourish in the cooler temps. Ronnie loves the rain! I found him playing and stomping in a mud hole in the deer pen.

© 2016 Day by Day the Farm Girl Way…