Hi Bernie,
OFF Topic:
Your comment makes me believe your have read the Sand County Alamanac by Aldo Leopold.
His chapter about killing a wolf in Arizona had a big impact on me.
I had just retuned from halibut fishing in Prince William Sound. While there I also had a deer hunt on Hinchinbrook island and a black bear hunt on the mainland, but far out in the Sound.
I had shot a black bear, and skinned it for a rug (which I cherish,yet still feel bad about. I was raised to eat and respect everything you shoot and kill. So I had shot this black bear and skinned it out for a full body rug to hang on the wall or keep on the floor. After skinning it, we walked away from the carcass. I ralized I had taken this wonderful beasts life for a mere possession.
I vowed to never kill another beast unless I prepped the meat and ate it.
Soon after I had made that vow, I bought and read "Sand County Almanac" by Aldo Leoplold. As Aldo looked into that wolf's eyes and saw the green fade as it died, I knew I would never shoot anything for the sake of shooting it. A recap on the chapter:
Here is a recap of Aldo's chapter on killing that wolf. I still surprise people when I take the position that shooting wolves should be made illegal. There now is a season to hunt wolves i Wisconsin as there population has come back. I think it is so sad, because I know so many wolves are shot off season by ignorant uncaring killers. Much like I had been.
Thinking Like a MountainA "deep chesty bawl" of "wild defiant sorrow" echoes from the mountain and is heard. All wildlife pays attention to this wolf howl, but only the mountain knows what it means. Leopold's opinion on this matter is shaped by having seen a wolf die after being shot. Previously, he'd imagined fewer wolves would mean better hunting, and so killing wolves was a positive act. As he saw the green fire die in the wolf's eyes, however, he realized this might not be true.
Yet state after state got rid of their wolves, to the gratitude of hunters and cattle farmers. And as the wolves disappeared, the deer flourished, which eventually wreaked havoc on ecosystems as the deer ate every plant in sight: "I have seen every edible bush and seedling browsed, first to anemic desuetude, and then to death. I have seen every edible tree defoliated to the height of a saddlehorn."
If one thinks like a mountain, in Leopold's term, rather than like a farmer or hunter, one can see that wolves fulfill an important role in keeping both deer and cow populations to sustainable numbers. But humans have not yet learned to think like mountains, so we "have dustbowls, and rivers washing the future into the sea." Some measure of peace, Leopold concludes, is a good thing, but too much peace will only mean future dangers.
I have made that mistake in my life and I still feel guilt over it. It was not how I was raised, and I had made a bad mistake.
Its good to evolve and develop a holistic view on all of god's creatures.
My orchard has really taken to its planting. Five lappin cheeries, 4 honeycrisp apples, one clapp pear and one bartlett pear, and an Italian plum tree.
The garden is booming with tomatoes, peppers cauliflower, broccoli, egg plant, cucumbers, char, lettuce, and a new entry tomatillo.
Jan and I have tilled in three new huge mulch beds with perennial flowers and we have so much color as we walk around our home.
We've really worked hard, but it is very satisfying.
I just got my drip irrigation system installed and am fine tuning the watering time for each raised bed.
Next project is building a grape arbor for a concord grape plant my dad planted over 50 years ago. The original trellis has fallen and the grape vines have been overwhelmed by honeysuckle.
The honeysuckle was destroyed yesterday and I'm going to build a 6x6 cedar post arbor with cattle fence creating a curved grape trellis. We make concord grape jelly and grape pie annually. All fun and part of self sufficiency.
Hoping your projects are advancing well!
Bob |
