22 shooting victims in Nova Scotia, nearly 29,000 confirmed cases of Covid 19 in Canada. The virus ravishing assisted care facilities. The news is beyond grim and there is nothing an ordinary individual can do. Some of us have begun to avoid the updates that seem to come every minute.
This morning I was “invited”, along with the dogs on a shed hunt. We drove into the boonies, literally the sticks, to look for deer (whitetail or mule), elk, and moose antlers. Before we got to our destination, we drove up on a pair of Sandhill Cranes. They are big birds and I rued not bringing the ‘better’ lens for my camera. Despite my “sneak” along side the truck, I didn’t get close and soon they flew off, squawking in protest.
Parts of the walk through the bush were pleasant, we were sheltered from the ever-present wind and the ground was clear of underbrush. That was until we left for the wilder part of the woods where antlers were waiting to be found. We tramped through the trees, stumbling over fallen logs, avoiding branches swishing back from the lead walker, and avoiding piles of moose scat. Taz ran and ran; Scruff picked his way. The humans did not find any shed antlers.
We made one more stop on the way home. The dugout. Gary claims to have found a number of small moose paddles here before. Again no shed antlers but Gary did spy a ruffed grouse down in the bush. I tried for a picture but was too late. Taz beat me to it. It doesn’t matter because there were too many branches to get a clear shot. So the shot was a Jack Russell bum.
Now we are home and both dogs are sound asleep on the loveseat beside me. I have checked social media and I could cry for Nova Scotia, for the oil and gas workers, the small business owners, all those who have lost jobs. I could cry for all the victims of this virus and for the frontline workers who struggle through exhaustion to provide them with care. There isn’t much I can do. Stay home and wash my hands. I am doing that and tramping through the bush is a way to deal with the overwhelming, horrifying news. Stay well.
A little update…technical difficulties mean I lost today’s pictures. 😦 The pictures used are stock from the internet or those from another day. Note to self…remove camera card before battery pack than needs recharging. I looked at data recovery apps- I don’t feel like paying for a few pictures that were in need of a good photoshopping (not something in my skill set,) anyway.
themildsidelinda 