Bait Sitting and Black Bear Hunting

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I am likely to attract an entirely new group of readers with this post and I suspect that many of them will not be fans.  But I have to ask, what is the sport in setting out bait for black bears to draw them to a spot where a hunter can wait and shoot the bear coming to feed?

Recently a large black bear was shot near Hudson, Wisconsin, and it made the news with all sorts of excitement about the hunter’s skill and good fortune.  Really?  I don’t want to take anything away from the hunter.  He seems genuinely grateful for his success, but I have a hard time understanding the sport of setting up a hunt this way.

There are many bears in the woods.  We have property in northwestern Wisconsin and bears have always been in the area, but in recent years the numbers seem higher.  A game registration station down the road from us always records many large bears taken by hunters each fall, including some near-records.

It never occurred to me, however, that hunters would spend months training bears to come to a location so they could then be shot when hunting season opened.

Several years ago country music entertainer Troy Gentry caused an uproar when it was disclosed that he killed a “tame” bear at an enclosed game farm in Minnesota.  Apparently that sort of hunt is illegal, at least in Minnesota.  I’m not sure there’s much difference between Gentry’s hunt and what happens in the woods legally every fall.  What is the difference?  Isn’t training a bear to expect food to be provided for it in essence taming the bear?

Related articles

• Hiker mistakenly slain by bear hunter, officials say (bendbulletin.com)
• Hunter may have shot bear made famous by Internet (seattletimes.nwsource.com)

Look at Vikings Stadium Proposals This Way

One Minneapolis Stadium Concept

Does it make sense to start from scratch when people have already invested in businesses in places like Minneapolis and St. Paul?  Why not support a plan that would benefit existing local business rather than roll the dice on a proposal that will dilute demand for office, retail, and entertainment real estate?

Personally I think a development anchored by a football stadium in Arden Hills will flop.  I can’t imagine gathering a group of people mid-summer and suggest heading to a sprawling expanse of stadium and office complexes for a fun night out at theme restaurants.  But that’s just me.

But let’s presume enough people find that sort of thing attractive.  Let’s play make believe.  Let’s say people will eagerly want to locate their business offices at the Vikings’ complex and entertain their families there year around.

Right now there are local businesses struggling to survive in our existing down towns and existing office space sits vacant.  If public dollars are going to support a private business like the National Football League and the Vikings, shouldn’t it be done in a way that will best support local business that has already invested its own money in our economy?

The big question that is not being asked is why Zygi Wilf is so eager to have a site in Arden Hills rather than a comparable one in a place like Minneapolis.  Don’t forget that Zygi Wilf is a developer.  Right now is not the best time for developers.  If you could get a state of taxpayers to help underwrite your costs, wouldn’t you be more willing to take a risk on development?

It is bad enough that a successful industry like the NFL expects tax payers fund part of its development.  In essence it is a bidding war among cities for the privilege to let that business operate in a city.  I get that.  If we’re going to pay these franchise fees to the NFL, shouldn’t we fight for deal that is best for us?  It is hard to see how the Arden Hills site is the best for Minnesota.

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• Vikings Stadium: If We’re Going to Do it… (alittletourinyellow.wordpress.com)
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Vikings Stadium: If We’re Going to Do it…

In Minnesota we’re in the midst of what is being called a “Stadium Blitz” as state leaders and the Minnesota Vikings rally to complete a deal for a new football stadium for the team.  As momentum builds toward some sort of action, it feels like the Vikings are gaining control.  That’s bad.  If Minnesota is going to give the Vikings money to help them build a stadium, does the stadium have to be entirely on the team’s terms?

If we are going to do this, let’s do this right.  Minnesota has already invested hundreds of millions in other sport facilities and the infrastructure to support it.

Two years ago everyone was falling over himself to praise the smart and efficient new stadium the Minnesota Twins now have.  Even stadium doubters admitted it seemed to work.

A couple things to keep in mind.  First, the new Twins stadium was new, it was trendy, and the Twins were winning that first season.  The stadium attracted a pack house night after night throughout the season.  Tens of thousands of fans came into the already-dense downtown Minneapolis area without many complaints.  Traffic and parking caused few issues.

Old Arden Hills Army Ammunition Plant

Restaurants, hotels, and bars obviously enjoyed the benefit of this activity.  Instead of pouring out of the city as quickly as their cars would take them away from the dome, more people stayed downtown.  Many people opted to use our new light rail and commuter rail lines.  Smart urban planning served the businesses around the new stadium well.

Where will these benefits go if a stadium is built in Arden Hills for the Vikings?

For all the people who think a new Arden Hills stadium will spur growth, there are some facts to consider.  First, where was the growth around the Metrodome when it was built?  I can think of only one restaurant/bar that survived near the stadium.  One cannot point to much commercial or residential development around the dome either.

Second, we have a glut of office space in the Twin Cities now.  Is a fresh development going to change that?  We do stubbornly hang on to our supply-side myths, don’t we?  For most people Arden Hills is not convenient, building a stadium complex won’t change that.  Moreover, people look for amenities — things that already exist in our downtowns — when looking for an attractive place to work.  Developing in the shadow of a giant stadium and its apron of asphalt parking hardly seems attractive.

Think of the children.

Third, we are being asked to repeat infrastructure investments we have already made for our downtowns.  Parking, freeways, and public transportation investments have been made and continue to grow to serve Minneapolis and St. Paul.  There is not a good argument, especially in this era of austerity, for redundancy.

Vikings owner Zygi Wilf is a developer.  The Arden Hills munitions site is a large open space in a large urban area.  Is anyone surprised that the Arden Hills is Wilf’s first choice?  Is anyone surprised that it is increasingly sounding like it is Wilf’s only choice?  Who’s best interest is served by choosing this site?

It increasingly feels like Wilf and the Vikings have won the battle for public funding.  Something will get done.  Now they are fine-tuning their victory so they get the site that they want.  The extra costs — both direct and indirect — of using this prime space for a single private interest is being missed by politicians and supporters eager to see a stadium built.

It is true that we have had years to resolve this issue, but issues like this don’t get attention on a timely and prudent schedule.  But never forget, haste makes waste, and right now we don’t seem to be moving toward our best long-term interests with the direction stadium plans are going now.

 

Ben Ong, Minnesota Daily, 12/13/2010

If we are going to pump public dollars into this stadium project — which we almost certainly will do — shouldn’t we optimize our existing investments?  Shouldn’t we build something that will focus the future economic benefits on business and communities that currently serve our region?  In short…shouldn’t we do this right?

Related articles

• Governor to push Vikings stadium in Arden Hills (espn.go.com)
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• Why Arden Hills is a Bad Idea for a Vikings Stadium (alittletourinyellow.wordpress.com)

What I Wore Today

Versatile Neckties

Today I wore a dark olive Joseph Abboud three-button suit I picked up at Saks Fifth Avenue about ten years ago when both Joseph Abboud and Saks Fifth Avenue were more hip than either are today.

Unlike Abboud’s overly-constructed suits the ex-NFL athletes wear on Fox NFL Sunday, mine is of a more European styled look; subtle dark olive crows feet weave, tailored with soft shoulders on a trim, easily-draped jacket paired with pleated pants that I’m told are outdated, but I like them.

Neither my size nor my style has changed much in ten years.

Regular readers … yes, regular readers … might recall an earlier post when I mused about adding a necktie to my rustic outdoors style.  It seems it was the thing to do back in the early part of the last century, at least for some people, and I cannot imagine Siegfried Farnon not going out and about in the woods without a proper cravat, so I went looking for the proper woodsman’s tie.  And I found it; found two, actually.

They were not cheap, unfortunately, but I think they will fit the bill nicely.  I wore one of them today with my ten-year-old suit and it brought the suit from uptown to small town perfectly.

As a result, I feel better now about the splurge on the ties.  I can wear them while stalking deer and raccoons with my camera phone or stalking clients with my book of orders.

I like things with multiple utility; it makes my recklessness seem more practical somehow.

(About the ties, one tie is a hefty wool twill rep tie in dark blue with muted gold and red stripes; perfect for the woods.  The other is a wool/cashmere tie, grey herringbone…will dress up any chore whether that be chopping up wood or chatting up the cute woman at the bar.)

Overall my look was, as usual, understated and subdued.  I like that.  So I wore simple grey oxford shirt from Brooks Brothers Black Fleece collection.  I suggest that every man have several Black Fleece oxfords.  They wear like iron.  And they offer multiple utility.  You can wear them anywhere.  And if they ever do wear out — which isn’t likely – you’ll have a great shirt to wear while staining the deck or changing the oil.

Shell cordovan belt and shoes to hold everything together today and that’s it.

You see…I didn’t have a decision about what to write today.   Ideas on my post-it note include the ethics of bear baiting for the hunt, the absurd idea of building a Vikings stadium in Arden Hills regardless of who pays for it, or — as a last resort — what I wore today.

Actually, I have had the idea to write “What I Wore Today” for a long time.  Perhaps I really didn’t want to write about anything else.

So now scroll down through my blog and find something better to read — you’ve earned it! — and tell all your friends.

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What Herman Cain’s Rise in Popularity Tells Us

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Regardless of what you think of the Republican choices for a presidential nominee, they have to pick someone and increasingly Herman Cain looks like he could have a shot at it.  Ultimately I think this will be a Romney (and Pawlenty) ticket for the GOP, but Cain’s popularity cannot be ignored.  In fact, studying Cain’s rally tells us plenty about GOP voters.

Cain’s popularity appears to hinge on his 9-9-9 tax plan.  We all know what this is.  Cain proposes a national nine percent tax on personal income, corporate profits, and sales.  Sounds good.  Maybe.  Dig into it, however, and most people can expect to see their tax bills rise, not fall.  Critics and supporters alike acknowledge this fact.  Even Cain admitted that some people would pay higher taxes.  (He simply didn’t point out that the increase would fall on the shoulders of most of us, including the poorest among us.)

According to at least one study, families earning $150,000 annually or less will see their taxes rise under Cain’s plan.  In fact the lower the income, the higher the percentage of real tax increase.

When you consider that less than 5% of American households earn more than $150,000 annually things literally don’t to add up.   If people act in their rational self-interest, as free-market conservatives argue people do, where do supporters for ideas like Cain’s come from?

In CNN’s poll Romney enjoys an edge over Cain among voters earning less $50,000 annually, but you have to wonder why any Republican would enjoy any support whatsoever from a middle- or working-class voter.  Enthusiasm for Cain simply points out a fact about GOP voters:  They don’t seem to understand their own best interest.

Moreover, most of the people supporting Cain’s tax plan also subscribe to an anti-tax ideology.  Raising taxes is verboten.  (“Nein, nein, nein!” is more compatible to this way of thought.)  But here are voters who would be, in essence and fact, raising taxes…their own taxes, and they are seemingly excited about the man who will do it.

The winners again would be the wealthiest among us which is fairly consistent with GOP politics in recent years.  Still the populist everyman identity that the GOP fosters appears to work.  When even the candidate himself can admit that his plan will raise taxes on some people and still gain in popularity, you have a clear example of what’s wrong with conservative politics today.  It is the voter.

So this brings me to a depressing dilemma.  How can we ask conservative voters to understand more sophisticated policy topics that will benefit our society if they cannot understand their own best interest when the pros and cons are neatly laid out before them?

Herman Cain’s popularity tells us that our problems begin with us, the people…the voter.  Until we have a better-informed and more sophisticated citizenry, we’re in trouble.

Related articles

• The 4 Most Worrisome Things Herman Cain Said This Weekend (businessinsider.com)
• BREAKING: GOP frontrunner Herman Cain admits 9-9-9 raises taxes for some. Republicans shrug. (dailykos.com)
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Weekend Review

The Cast of All Creatures Great and Small

With a gusty cold wind still blowing steadily outside, it feels like a perfect night for hot chocolate, toast, and an episode or two of All Creatures Great and Small.  It has been a while since I looked to Siegfried Farnon for tips on smart and prosperous living and I’m guessing I am overdue.  And Sunday nights are good nights for taking stock in such things.

Frankly, that’s about all that I have for you anyway.  Uneventful weekends doesn’t make good blog content.

This was a quiet weekend.  Lovely, cold weather though.  And I did get for an early evening walk into the Roberts Bird Sanctuary where I heard and then eventually I spotted the Great Horned Owl that has been lurking there.  He was high in one of the cottonwoods.  Dusk was settling in so he wasn’t very easy to see, but when he called his body puffed and moved with each hoot.  It was fun to watch, but as I have mentioned in earlier posts, the bird sanctuary starts to get a bit spooky with druids, elves, and creepy men roaming about the woods.  So I moved on.

I guess I did get out for a short time with coworkers Friday night and then went to a party Saturday afternoon.  But that’s about it.  Of course I treated myself to lunch and a beer in Uptown today before going grocery shopping.  (Don’t shop on an empty stomach.)  But who wants to read about that?  I don’t even want to write about it.

So I’ll wrap up the weekend with All Creatures, a book or two (One Man’s Meat, E B White, I think), and that toast I mentioned.  You should scroll down this blog and find something better to read.

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National Park Service Hosting Arcola Mills Open House in October

Arcola Mills

What a great find.  The National Park Service is hosting an open house at the historic Arcola Mills site on the St. Croix River north of Stillwater through October 30.

Driving south from Marine back toward Stillwater I noticed a new sign pointing to a scenic view of the river on the Arcola Trail.  I often take that route when heading south to Stillwater anyway, so I turned in to check it out.  I had no idea what to expect.  As far as I knew there is no place along the Arcola Trail that could have been turned into a place for a public river view.

But I didn’t know about the Arcola Mills Historic Foundation.

I have been driving by the site for years and never paid enough attention to even wonder what was down the road.  Many years ago — before my time, in fact — my family had river property here and I have poked around some hoping to find some lost sign from the past.  So it isn’t as if I haven’t been looking around.

And I know the Arcola Mills site from the river, but have only seen it a few times that way.  Out of site and out of mind.  Perhaps until now it really hasn’t been marked well.  I don’t know.  Whatever the case, I’m grateful for the cooperation between the park service and the foundation.  Go check it out.

St. Croix Boom Site Junk Dump

My visit today was a welcomed break in an ok day.  Earlier I stopped at the St. Croix Boom Site just north of Stillwater to make some calls and finish some paper work.  I like to get out the lawn chair and take in some fresh air for those tasks.  I noticed someone had decided to dump some of his junk there since I was last there yesterday.  I’m sure it all looked just as nice in his front yard or wherever it was being stored.  I’m not sure why it had to be moved.  But there it is.

I drove north then to see a client or two.  This also gives me an excuse for stopping at the general store in Marine for a sandwich.  I also loiter a bit.  I like the town and hope maybe I’ll end up there if I if I give the place enough chances to claim me.

The sky was growing very dark and stormy; brief bursts of gusty winds signaled an early October storm rolling in so I loitered a bit longer.  My phone was in the car so I missed the chance to share pictures of the sky, but it was that very deep slate blue kind of sky that always means business.

When I got back in the car and headed south I drove slowly, much like old men do, watching the leaves fall in dense waves on the highway.  In fact I think I took extra notice of the new sign because I was puttering along a bit more slowly than my usual leisurely pace.  Needless to say — I’ve already told you — the sign caught my eye.  A new view of the river isn’t something to be missed.  I had to check it out.

I pulled in and parked in the wrong spot first, but this wasn’t without its thrills.  The wind was kicking up more and thunder added more to the wonderful weather.  I managed to work myself up a little, too.  Recall the opening scene of Night of the Living Dead when Johnnie and Barbara are leaving flowers in a remote cemetery…a storm rises up and a zombie appears.

River View from Arcola Mills.

The weather today felt precisely that way.  I was certain zombies were in the woods.  (I won’t say anything about the legend of the ghostly woman seeking her lover on the bridge a mile down the road.)  So I headed for the big white house (naturally) for both its historic significance and safety.

(Of course I am referring to the 1968 Romero original Night of the Living Dead…It felt like that today.  I don’t care for the remakes…the last remake I tried was Willy Wonka.  My fault.  I should have known…)

So about that big white house.  It is indeed historically significant and would be awfully cool even if it were not.  I snapped a few quick photos before the storm arrived and I’m afraid I did not frame them well.  Plus…as I like to point out…I’m only using a camera phone.    The people at the Arcola Mills Historic Foundation have some good photos on their site.  Take a look at those.

In fact, check out the links I have posted here.  If you enjoy the history of the St. Croix River Valley — as you should — then you should really take advantage of this free public access t0 the site.  Good people there will guide you through some of the area’s history, too.

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Is David Brooks Sincere?

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Reading David Brook’s column today in the New York Times, I wonder if he is sincere or not.  Brooks calls the Occupy Wall Street protesters — the left generally — “milquetoast” and seems to reinforce his argument on an overly-simplified reading of the world where the protesters divide Americans into either the 99% good Americans or the 1% bad Americans.  I’m not so sure the the protesters are that simple or naive.

Brooks boils it down to an economic issue, one in which he sees the protesters demanding that their problems be resolved on backs of wealthy American elites.  But that isn’t the issue.  If you listen to people the problem is perceived to be one where policy favors opportunities for the economic “elite.”  Taxes are only one part of the overall complaint, not the complaint as Brooks seems to make it out to be.

Protesters do indeed want tax reform, education reform, and fiscal reform and not just a punishing tax on the rich.  Moreover, Brooks makes an issue about whether taxes could pay our national debt in the first place, implying that the call for higher taxes on the rich is meaningless because it won’t solve any economic issues.  Here again, Brooks hardly seems sincere.

The issue with taxes in the short run is not about paying down trillions in debt, it is about balancing an unbalanced fiscal reality without even further reducing services and programs that benefit most Americans.  This issue is also about spending more in the short run– even if that means MORE debt — to stimulate economic growth by investing in much needed programs that will put hundreds of thousands of Americans to work again.  Brooks knows this.

Our debt will be more easily paid down if we have strong economy than otherwise.  If economic growth lags no amount of government cuts will eliminate our debts either.  Again, Brooks knows this.  You could take his argument about the futility of taxing the wealthy and turn it exactly the same way and talk about the futility of further government cuts.  It won’t clear the debt.

Instead what we need is growth and that will take work from all sides.  Democrats at least are proposing solutions that include a mix of cuts and revenue increases.  They see both short-term and long-term needs and solutions.  Brooks, on the other hand, seems to cherry pick arguments and offers scant ideas for either short or long term solutions.

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Autumn Meadow and My Shoes

If I were a painter I think the scraggly poplar at the left quarter of the frame would have been left out of this scene.  I’m not sure.  Perhaps the poplar counter-balances the rooftop on the right.  I don’t know.  Anyway, I’m not a painter — I’m a cell phone camera guy — and I think this picture turned out nicely.   

I took this photo in Lake Elmo at Sunfish Lake Park.  It is a good place for putting my head in order and I do it when I need it.  Unfortunately, that seems to be taking up a lot of time.  You can’t say with complete certainty that you won’t run into a client while wandering the trails, but I can’t lie about it…that hasn’t happened yet.

It has been a great year for wild grapes though.  I have been nibbling at these for a few days now.  They are starting the shrivel and a lot of the flavor is turning bitter, but I still like to eat them.  I’ll take a small cluster of shriveled grapes and drop them near another fence row or something similar hoping the seeds germinate elsewhere.  They are quite good, even in off years.

We had a trellis of Concord Grapes at home when I was a kid.  Those grapes were much superior to the wild grapes I find now, but the wild grapes bring back nice memories.  For the real thing there are clusters of Concord Grapes high in a trellis at Noerenberg Gardens on Lake Minnetonka.  I don’t get that way very often this time of the year anymore.  Sneaking over there early in on a crisp autumn day and grabbing a few grapes — I hope it is allowed or at least tolerated — packs a lot of nostalgia.  I liked a grape or two before leaving for school in the morning.  Was a private treat and made the idea of spending the day indoors with Mrs. Gee a bit more tolerable.

It occurred to me that I hadn’t taken a picture of my shoes in a while.  So here you go.  Sturdy Shell Cordovan leather, but not enough ankle support for spontaneous trips through woods and fields.  I’m looking for dress boots.  I’ve found some.  They are not cheap.  Shell cordovan has increased in price significantly and it wasn’t cheap to begin with.

My favorite find in shell cordovan boots come in at $795.  That might be pushing it, but shell cordovan can hardly be considered a luxury; it is too damn substantial and practical for that.  You seriously get what you pay for in this leather.  Outlasts regular old cowhide many times over.  I found a pair in regular old cowhide boots, by the way, for $340.  Boots that pull double-duty for dress and play is what I’m after.

You can’t see my socks here.  And that’s a good thing.  I’m big about socks.  In fact it is time to link to my post about the Sock Market.  These are dark days.  Politically the country is a mess and frankly too many of us are beholden to an austere ideology that really hasn’t much historical muscle behind it.  Dull times ahead.  You are invited to scroll down through my posts for more facts about this.

But back to socks.  I have been forced to ration the wearing of my better socks.  Each year I lose the use of more and more due to wear and moths.  Ah yes…there was a time when stores carried bountiful quality.  A guy could get thick, pleasing wool and cashmere socks in a rich array of patterns and practical colors.  Now?  Well, there’s the cheap crap from guys like Ralph Lauren that do the trick for a season or so…but they lack panache of really fine quality socks.  Even Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus suffer from a lack of hefty luxury in the sock department.  You can find some good ones — pricey — at Orvis and I have to put in a plug for fabulous SmartWool products (really, check out SmartWool), but otherwise…since our social and economic order began to decline, the common guy hasn’t been able to buy a decent pair of socks and no one seems to notice or care.  I do!

I’m still looking for my passion, by the way…and I just don’t think socks will be the right fit.

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A Walk Away From the Order of Things

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Darkness sets in early now and this is especially so in the cover of thick woods.  At almost the moment I stepped into the woods I saw a deer quietly pulling at some remaining green leaves on the path’s edge.  She looked up and stared, only 20 yards apart.  The deer waited motionless — frozen but seemingly unconcerned – and so I took a couple steps toward the animal.

I expected the deer to move quickly off the path, but instead she resumed eating.  I got a few feet closer and she looked up again, her ears pricked up high and straight.  This time she appeared more alert, with her neck taught and chin firmly pushing upward; she seemed to almost be standing on toe-tips, ready to to spring away.  Instead the deer took a half hop into the woods and was gone.

I kept walking slowly, trying to be quiet and casual.  I’m certain I must have seen this same deer many times.  I looked around for some of the others but found none of them.  When I reached the point where the deer had been feeding I looked into the woods and she was there, maybe 20 feet away.  She didn’t seem alarmed at all.  In fact she turned her gaze away from me to rub an itch on her flank, then slowly looked up again at me.

I thought of taking a step toward the wood, but didn’t really see the point.  I realized I would have been disappointed if the deer let me get any closer.  I’m worried enough as it is.  She seems too tame.  And as I am fretting about this the deer took a half step toward me, stretching her head in my direction.

I had ever been so close to a deer before and so I don’t know what deer do, but she seemed to be lifting and lowing her lip; I presume taking in my scent.  She didn’t seem at all stressed otherwise and so I worried more.

I know I am not the only person this deer sees.  We are in a city, after all, and even if the places she haunts are less known, certainly other people share my path often enough to see the deer.  It likely is a daily experience for her.  But I feel responsible…or responsibility, perhaps.  And so I worry.

This poor deer has grown so accustomed to people that she lingers easily when people are near.  What will happen when someone decides the city needs to cull the deer?

In a way I feel like my friendship with the deer in this park is a betrayal.  I give them no reason to fear me and I never spend more than a minute watching them.  By stopping, looking, and moving on I sense that I am telling them I am not a threat.  But I am a threat.  Not me specifically, but people like me.  And maybe my actions train the deer to misjudge people.  They don’t see us as a threat.  They don’t hide when they sense us approaching.  I don’t like to think about it.

(It was dark and getting darker fast.  That’s for sure.)

So I continued my walk.  The cemetery looked especially nice tonight.  My camera phone doesn’t handle low light very well.  But I did get a decent picture of the changing maples.  Cemeteries looks rather nice in the fall season.  I wonder if there’s something archetypical about that.

I’ve mentioned before that I find it ironic on these evening walks through the woods that the cemetery shines brightest, like a refuge of some sort.

Is this another of my silly posts?

No raccoons tonight, but I did stop and hope one would appear.  You have to stop in the woods.  Stop, stand still, and listen.  Tonight was a breezy and sounds were hard to pick up.  Nevertheless when you let your ears survey what is happening around you, you do pick up a lot.  Tonight I wasn’t disappointed.

I heard an owl calling from high up in one of the very tall, very old cottownwoods.  It was a great horned owl, I think…well, I’m pretty certain.  It called out on an interval spaced by a minute or two.

A tip for finding an owl — they are not easy to spot, especially in the dark — is to use a kind of triangulation.  Listen and get a general bearing.  Then move a short distance keeping your eyes fixed on a point in the direction from where you heard the owl.  Stop and wait.  Hear again and look again, adjusting your reference point.  Naturally your perceptions will start to home in on the owl.  At first I thought tonight’s owl was near the cemetery fence, but it turned out to be nearly on top of me!

Finding owls when you hear one in the woods can be a difficult task because their call is so throaty, soft, and muffled.  I gave up on actually seeing my owl tonight.  It was getting spooky dark.

In fact through the brush I saw moving figures heading toward another corner of the woods.  Druids, I suspect.  So I figured my time to linger had likely run out.  The night shift has things to do and who am I to get in the way.

I still worry about those deer though…

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