Our house has a greenway of live-oaks and pines that connect to a ravine, which in turn, connects to other wildlife corridors that run throughout Tallahassee. I have seen foxes on numerous occasions, the ubiquitious racoon, and even deer right in town, especialy since I have a habit of getting up pretty early, like 3:30 or 4 am. Sometimes to mountain bike, sometime to go to work, sometimes, just to be up in cool and early and look at the stars. Saturday night, near 3am I was awakened by the hooting of owls. There must have been one just outside as he was really loud.Every so often I could hear another one much farther off, and then the the near one would answer. They were barred owls and their calls were familiar, yet as always, haunting. After a while, I drifted back to sleep and dreamed somthing aboutwalking along a beach with my dog, Kida, watching a sliver of moon set into the ocean, and hearing owls hooting in the distance.
Saturday afternoon, Sayre and Z-boy and I went out to the farm her parents own right at the Ga. state line, just south of Calvary. Sayre's dad lets me grow a few vegetables on a little patch and I discovered that I was the proud daddy of several beautiful purple ichibans;eggplants. (Got a killer teryaki-eggplant recipe.) Z-boy and I harvested the last of the blue-berries as well.
Usually I take my bike and ride back to town, its a nice ride through the country and I can use canopy roads and power-lines most of the way. There was a bit of a downburst with much lightning but by the time we had finished lunch I decided to go for it. It was pretty wet going, but cool for a june day. I had a very pleasant ride (27+miles) and the endorphins were just kicking in.
I was within a mile of home when I saw a pile of feathers next to the road. I rode past, then had to turn around. I thought it was a red tailed hawk, but no, it was a barred owl. I knelt down next to him and realized he wasn't dead yet. There was no blood, must have been internal injuries. His breathing was a sort of quick pulsing. How long had he been laying there? It was weird that he had not gone into shock and died already. I was about to get my cell phone out and call St Francis wildlife and ask them what I should do, but his breathing had stopped. I petted his head and smoothed the feathers on his chest, what a beautiful creature! It felt like he had been waiting for me, like he didn't want to die alone or like he had something to tell me before he left - what was it? I carried him into the woods next to the road and did my best to give him a proper burial. I feel so much loss over this creature who was a stranger to me until this moment. Was this one of last nights singers? I know the universe is beaming a message to me, please let me understand it.
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