Thursday, November 5, 2009

Day 192

(A reminder at the outset that clicking on the pictures makes them bigger so you can see them better!)

Sunday morning I woke up to sunshine, deep blue skies, and the unbearable need to be outdoors in the midst of it all. Behind my library is a little woodsy area that separates the parking lot from the wealthy homes behind it. It's not terribly big...maybe two or three acres or so.

I spent a half hour or so just at the outskirts of the trees taking pictures, turning my face to the sun periodically, leaning over to inhale the heady depth of the loamy leaf groundcover.

And I started mentally composing a blog post. It was all about how one of the things I love about being in the woods is how there are always fascinating surprises. Little hidden wonders. Sometimes you have to really seek them out and sometimes...sometimes they just reveal themselves to you without any warning, filling your eyes with the unexpected.

At this point, I was skirting the front of the woodsy bit. Half my brain was on the joy of surprises and half on going back to my car. "Just a little farther," I thought. Five steps later, I heard a noise and turned. And in this tiny, urban forest, not a hundred feet away from me, was a flock of turkeys.



Eight or nine wild turkeys strolling unconcernedly through the trees.



I gasped, staring in amazement for a full thirty seconds before I remembered that I had a camera in my hands.



I know they're just stupid turkeys. I plan to eat one of their relatives in less than a month. But it was so perfect. Here I was, reveling in the little surprises nature offers when this huge surprise wanders up. There was even one beautiful white bird!



I know that only a few of you truly understand my need for nature. Fewer still understand the communion with God that I find there. So the fact that these wild turkeys moved me to giddy, grateful tears may make no sense to you. You may think I'm crazy. And you may be right.

Still, I wouldn't give up that rush of utter joy for anything.

4 comments:

  1. You are not crazy, I get that way too!

    But one must be careful because wild turkey's are mean!

    Amy M.

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  2. That is sooo cool! I've never seen live turkeys before. I'm just in awe. How can you not get excited about these types of things?

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  3. Neat! Turkeys out of nowhere! I find it amusing, frankly.

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  4. turkeys! from nowhere! heeee...

    yes, i still remember the voice mail i got about the turkeys. i should have saved it; you were quite excited.

    i get it. ;)

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