The Wonders Of November.

Today, while out walking in the cold and dreary forest of Parkside,  I happened upon a moment that brought back a flood of memories from my past.  The cold and shorter days have pretty much ended the mushroom foraging I have enjoyed all through my stay here in Wisconsin.   But the forest calls me  on the weekend, and I must listen and explore.   So I headed out just after noon,  hoping for an experience that I might be able to blog about.  

As I said before,  the mushrooms are pretty much gone.   Just a few dried out shelf mushrooms can be found on standing and fallen trees.   However,  I braved the chill for about an hour, until it happened.

Two deer trotted across the path just a few feet away.  This is hardly an event, as it happens quite often in the Parkside area. But today,  I felt something different.  

I waited and did not move.  Other walkers were on the bike path a few yards away, unaware of the deer that had just passed them by.   And the deer noticed them, but not me at first glance.   Something in me kicked in, and I waited and scanned the forest for additional movement. 

A few moments later, after the other walkers had moved on,  I noticed another Doe.   Larger than the first two.   She noticed me right away... but proceeded with caution.   Her tail flipped up and brightly flagging behind her.   So I waited a little longer as she passed by.... Watching me the entire time. 

And then I saw the Buck. 

A small 4-6 point...  Sneaking several dozen yards behind her.  His tail tucked down.  His head low to the ground.   Classic buck behavior during hunting season.  I had read many books and magazines over the years,;  And heard stories from other hunters about a similar scene playing out right in front of them.   But never has it happened to me in such a perfect way.  And that is when I noticed it. 

I felt nothing. 

All of those years of freezing to death in the woods during hunting season and whenever I would see a deer,  my blood pressure would spike and my heart would pound so loudly that I was afraid I would scare the deer.  But this time... With no bow or gun in my hand,  I simply watched the entire event unfold and felt nothing.  No excitement.  No Jitters or fear.   It was weird.  Even with my camera on my person, I did not bother to pull it out to take a picture.  It would never have turned out anyway. 

But later, I felt this tremendous hole in my heart as I drove back home.  Similar to anxiety or depression.  I really don't know which,  but I did know that it was being caused my that event.  Perhaps nostalgia plays as much of a factor in our happiness as our view of the future.  It is funny how something that was such a huge part of my life now no longer brings the same adrenaline rush it once did. 

I can see how that could be depressing.    But then again....

There are new things that bring a joyful rush to my soul now.  Mushrooms being one of them.   Finding a mushroom I have never found before, but can readily identify, is quite exhilarating!  And even if hunting and fishing were still in my arsenal of hobbies and past times,  I don't think I would enjoy killing the things that are so beautiful.   Dad used to say that was why he did not like going out hunting anymore in his later years.  Now I understand it a little  better. 

With all that being said,  it was still fun seeing a buck in the forest.   Being stealthy and avoiding detection as they tend to do this time of year.    And it also brings a bit of satisfaction knowing that after all those years of being skunked by all of those deer encounters,   my hunting knowledge paid off and I was able to witness something that others could not.  

The weekend will soon be over and I will be back to work tomorrow.   I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend and were able to do everything that they had planned.   Or at least, got a chance to catch up on some much needed rest.  Thanks for stopping in and