If our legacy is what we leave to our children and grandchildren, then what will be our legacy?
I am thinking American society here, not individually.
And how can the sum of the parts, ................?
Reading Troutbirder's latest entry inspired me to go through some pictures taken this spring while on a Oyster mushroom hunt and write about nature's wonderful engineer. Native American people held the beaver in high regard for his wisdom and work ethic. Duh! Oh, yeah, most native people did not differentiate between people and animals. They are all part of the whole and have their importance in the Big Picture. Some how our people have not comprehended such a basic concept of survival.
You can visit Troutbirder at (http://baron-troutbirder.blogspot.com/)
This is some of the damage done by our local beaver or beavers. I have yet to see them at work. They have placed a dam on the slough that runs near our house. These poplar trees that have been chopped down are up to sixteen inches in diameter. A few winters ago I was exploring through this area and realized that there were several trees partially chewed through. Evidently, a beaver has to spend a few days cutting down a tree. I had recently read a book about a fly fishermen who was attacked by a beaver and suffered some life threatening cuts to the leg by the beaver's razor-sharp teeth so I was a bit edgy thinking of a sudden attack by the local beaver whose territory I was sloshing through. Then I hear a rustle that increased in loudness. Geez! I thought I was under attack. But, it was only one of those partially cut through trees falling. The branches brushed against me as the tree crashed to the ground. Wow. That was close. So when prowling through a beaver's territory on a windy day, BEWARE!
Mari Sandoz in her book about the history of the beaver trapping and trading industry tells of a beaver dam reported in Canada to have been over 2500 feet long. Now, that is some serious engineering and a lot of steady work. Maybe even teamwork. They are a marvel.
Incidently, if anyone is interested in Mari Sandoz' book on this subject see (http://www.amazon.com/Beaver-Men-Spearheads-Empire-Bison/dp/0803258844/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1277051506&sr=1-10). I have to say that she is not the very best of writers so reading through the book can be a bit of a struggle sometimes, but the information is well worth the effort.
Hope all you fathers have a wonderful day. Enjoy your families. My wife cooked a wonderful breakfast. The day is starting well.
Yeeeeoooooowww,
Papa Coyote loves you all
No comments:
Post a Comment