Some of you know that Dawn and I live in a nice area between Sacramento and Lake Tahoe, much of it undeveloped and unspoiled. It’s one of the fastest growing cities in the tri-counties, yet local government and developers have managed to set aside a generous amount of land as natural habitat. For example, our home backs up to a natural creek, part of a protected strip of land that runs from high in the hills to the valley below providing refuge for a variety of wildlife. So it’s not unusual for us to see foxes, raccoons, wild turkeys, owls and an occasional coyote or deer in our yard. It’s what attracted us to the area — nice neighborhoods close to the city, yet still part of nature.
But every once in a while, nature interrupts our regular routine and last week was a perfect example. From our upstairs bedroom window, we’d been hearing “sounds” late at night and in the pre-dawn hours in our back yard, sounds we couldn’t identify. One night we thought we heard an animal attack and quickly dispose of another, not unusual in nature but something we weren’t used to hearing in our yard. Then, Saturday before last, while moving a deck chair from the garage to the back yard, Dawn heard something she hadn’t heard before — a sort of “growl”! She dropped the chair and raced into the house, but caught a glimpse of a dog-sized animal jumping from a tree near the creek at the rear edge of our property. I mistakenly assumed it had been a fox and dismissed it.
A while later, she again tried to move the lawn chair. By then I was upstairs with the window open, camera at the ready, hoping to get a glimpse and maybe a photo of the “fox” should it dare show itself. But as Dawn started up the stairs leading to our upper deck, we heard the unmistakable warning cry of a mountain lion, this time very loud and much closer! I jumped to the window in time to see Dawn literally “fly” up the stairs and back into the house!
We put in a call to Animal Control, beginning a long series of referrals (another story!) eventually leading to a wildlife biologist with the Department of Fish and Game who, at least in our area, deals with big cats. He met us Monday after work and checked out the property. Happily, the lion had apparently moved on, characteristic behavior we were told. But we found a family of gray foxes living by the creek! These little guys help keep down the squirrel and rat populations, so they were a sort of consolation prize.
Is the mountain lion gone for good? We can’t say for sure, but it was our first encounter in all the years we’ve lived here so we doubt we’ll be bothered again. Was it scary? Sure, especially for Dawn! But she went down to pick some oranges the other day without incident, and we haven’t heard any animal activity in the back yard the last few nights. I guess it’s just the natural ebb and flow of nature. And we still love living in it!
You know, with all the problems we face, we Americans have so much for which to be thankful that it makes the rest seem trivial by comparison. Next time you find yourself whining about the sad state of this or that, stop and look around at all that’s good. Put things in perspective. We may not be rich, and we may have our share of problems, but in the greater sense, we’re all “livin’ the dream”!
This is a Patriot’s Journey post. You may also enjoy visiting the other journeyers: Drumwaster, Larry at The Bastage, the folks at The Line Is Here and Shortbus from The Edge of Reason…