Tag: Turkeys

Turkeys…can you ever get enough of them?

This video is from a little over two months back. Just getting to it now.

It is late April as I write this. Turkeys haven’t been around for a bit.

We suspect they’re on their eggs. The nights have been uncharacteristically cool the past few weeks.

We’re expecting late Winter, early Spring temperatures next week.

All of which translates into abundance for predators.

The hens will stay on their eggs to protect them and become prey to coyote, wolf, bear, and wildcat. If they fly off, their eggs are eaten. When they stay, unless the predator isn’t very hungry or the size difference isn’t great enough, they’ll be prey and then the eggs will be eaten.

It is the way of The Wild.

Some say Nature is a cruel mother. Perhaps, by human standards.

Not by those who live in The Wild, who understand its ways.

Our ancestors demonstrated recognizable burial rituals up to 450,000 years ago, basically before we were humans.

Was that the point in time when Nature became a cruel mother?

And is she only cruel when we remember someone’s passing?

The rest of the time, our ancestors – and us to a degree – focused on their own survival, in the moment. Remembering those who’d passed could only be done in moments of rest, of peace, of comfort.

Our ancestors had precious few of those.

At some point burial rituals transformed from making sure those who’d passed would do well wherever they went to hoping we’ll do well when our time comes.

Punishment and Reward became the focus.

Our rituals became ones of control; if I do this, I’ll get that.

Pity.

We created deities to ameliorate our fear of the unknown, all the while refusing to explore the unknown.

Except some did.

Originally, spiritual, eventually, scientific. And both spiritual and scientific serve the same purpose: to provide answers.

Meanwhile, the turkeys sit on their eggs, waiting for them to hatch.

Nature. Patience. Waitful. Watchful.

Enjoy.

 

We continue to be blessed with a preponderance of Turkeys.

We don’t mind. Most aboriginal cultures recognizing turkeys consider them signs of abundance. Not quite success but close to.

We’re experiencing much abundance even though the world (as I write this) is concerned with the corona virus.

In the early part of the outbreak, people googled seeking a connection between Corona beer and the corona virus.

Made me wonder if the virus could target stupidity. Ignorance I don’t mind. Sometimes ignorant people recognize they’re ignorant and take steps to educate themselves. They read a book, watch a documentary, take a class, talk with neighbors, …

But then you get the folks who know they’re ignorant and chose to remain so.

I’ve never understood that; the willful choice to remain in the dark when one step away is so much light.

But I also understand knowledge can be fearful. Discovering you were in error on something? Especially if it’s something you hold dear, close to heart, sacred? Something you’ve based your life on?

Such happens all too often in science, sorry to say.

I’d like to think people with scientific training are immune to such ego based ideals, are able to recognize truth as truth and promote it.

Nah…what am I thinking?

Scientists are people, too.

Some of them are just stupid ones.

Meanwhile, the Turkeys congregate and convocate and discuss what they’ll do when we’ve long past.

 

It’s wonderful when you discover someone with similar tastes to yours.

There’s that wonderful moment when you realize they’re into something you’re into.

You start sharing experiences, memories, anecdotes.

It’s wonderful.

So it was for me when I realized our visiting Turkeys are Frampton fans.

I’ve been a Frampton fan since before people knew who he was. Met him once in a very out of the way place. It was glorious.

I doubt our Turkeys know this.

But that’s okay. They still do a Frampton Strut.

I’m good with that.

 

What do you do with a backyard of glorious birds?

You wish them well in the New Year.

It’s a human-decreed new year, not a natural one.

Then again, most human-decreed western cultural holidays for the past 2,000+ years have not followed nature’s timelines.

All things in cycles, all things in circles.

Wise ones – usually taught by Old Ones – know how to rise above the cycles while still riding them.

Like thermals. Seagulls. Hawks. Eagles. Most raptors and quite a few others. Stay aloft without effort.

Letting the rising air lift them above events on the ground. Above near troubles to see more. See better.

Pay attention to what’s going on around you but only when you’re in it. Otherwise, leave tomorrow’s troubles for tomorrow.

There’s enough to do today.

 

Who would have thought Turkeys would enjoy listening to NPR in the morning, or sharing a wake-up cup of coffee with an old friend?

This video is from almost two months back. We have more recent Turkeyings. Probably get to them about two months hence.

Often a few turkey will come to our windows, peer in, look back and forth as Susan and I sharing a morning croissant.

“Is that a ham and cheese?” one gobbles. Another gobbles, “Is that a blueberry?” and another “Is that a cherry?”

Well, first thing, if it were any of those we wouldn’t share.

Okay, we would, but only because the Turkey guard our backwoods furiously and we appreciate their diligence.

You haven’t lived until you’ve ducked from a wild turkey flying overhead.

Enjoy.