Friday, October 30, 2009

Walking down Big Creek Road

Having owned this piece of property here on the banks of Big Creek for over 35 years, I often wonder just how many miles I have walked going up and down this chert/dirt road. It must be in the thousands and yet I have not tired of the short walk in any way. Each time I walk it there is something different, often astonishing and always interesting. Occasionally there is a Copperhead, or a Rattle snake, perhaps this is the day you sight a purple Closed Gentian blooming on Ruby's bank. Maybe if it's in the Spring you might run across a Showy Orchid or a Pink Lady's Slipper. Recently we found a dead Coyote on the side of the road hidden in the camping area that is a part of the Chattahoochee National Forest. Later that same day the Coyote had lost his tail. Why would anyone want the tail of a dead animal, much less a Coyote? Today the beautiful yellow leaves were falling like snow. Due to a pretty brisk wind, as I passed through them an occasional small vortex of wind would swirl them around me. The fall has always been one of my favorite times of the year and this one has really been special despite the extreme draught of 07 and 08 and the huge surplus of rain we have had this year. Last Thursday I drove up to Bryson City and the leaves there, although mostly finished, were still beautiful. Their mountains are more dramatic than ours and quite beautiful. While I was in Murphy I drove by the John C. Campbell Folk School and found a couple of things and bought them. One was a book and I am reading it. It is called, Bird by Bird". It's about writing and is really a fun and interesting read, also short.

Jesse, Moose and J.D. always go with me on my walks and frequently Linda. Today Linda was down in Marietta for a quilt lecture being offered by one of her favorite teachers. The dogs were wild on our walk, insistently running directly into the path of every car and truck coming towards us. There is nothing I can say or do to prevent their racing ahead or behind to attack the vehicle head on. They are going to get killed, I have no doubt but getting them to behave is totally beyond my capacity. All my dogs before(there have been many) have been trained to stay out of harm's way, to speak, to sit, to lay down, to shake hands and all the other little dogie tricks but not these three. Jesse and Moose are the worst and J.D. is not much better. They seem determined to stop each vehicle that comes our way, no matter how big or fast the vehicles approach. If the car or truck has pups inside, my dogs seem Hell bent to tip the car over and release them. To what end, I have no idea and really do not want to think about it too much. Their days are numbered but I guess mine are as well. Every time they accost the passing people, I feel so incompetent as the three of them act like idiots in front of strangers out there on the road and the people look as though they agree with me. In fairness to the dogs, they are wonderful in many ways(not Jesse) but Moose and J.D. are great dogs. Especially if you don't count the all night barking, the physical destruction of most of the yard furniture, the pooping in the driveway and.....oh, never mind! They all suck as pets but they, so far have not bitten me very often.

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