Mowing has become a big problem because with all the late snow and the biblical rainstorms that followed the grass grew crazily and rain upon rain didn't allow a moment for mowing. Now it's incredibly tall and clogging up the tractor.
I'm doing my best, carving off small portions and not trying to take a wide swath. As I reach the west side of our property I notice something out of the corner of my eye. Remember, I studied anthropology and archaeology so I can spot a bone from 50 yards.
Bones! Big bones. Where's Temperance Brennan when you need her? Those of you who don't understand the reference - Temperance is the lead character inn a number of books and a TV show. She's a forensic anthropogist but she wouldn't be called in on this case because these are large animal bones and not human. Phew!
It's a hind quarter or fore quarter of a deer. I'm not much wanting to find the rest of the carcass on my property because I don't want to dispose of something that large. This I can deal with..... uh, er... actually I can get the Farmer to deal with it.
I bang on the window and let him know his presence is required in the yard. He's not much wanting to be interrupted because he's working on some indoor projects and he's crabby.
We both gaze upon the remains and say a prayer for Bambi's mom.
This was a full grown deer but probably wounded or ill, allowing the coyotes to take it down.
The Farmer picks up the remains using a large pair of pruners, a multi-tasking tool.
At the recent blog get-together one of the women talked about the romanticization of country living. The romantic notion never takes into account the fact that your chickens will be killed by foxes or that coyotes will drag the remains of their evening meal into your yard. It's the natural order of things. Life and death. Food chain.
The only creatures with no excuse for living are tarantulas. Oh, and Boxelder bugs.
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Or the ants that came pouring out of Brenda's laptop the other day, but that's another story. Now this fine speciman is something that my artist niece would keep and draw many times over. She just loves stuff like this. Is Bambi's mom's leg getting a burial or a garbage bag? Ha! No, no, you really don't have to answer that. Happy mowing!
I haven't been keeping up with my blog reading lately, but, with a title like that, I had to come check out this post. Dh and I are both Bones fans, and I just finished reading the 6th Temperance Brennan novel and am anxious to get my hands on #7. In the books, Temperance is often called in to consult on bones that turn out to be from animals. People find bones in their yards or while hiking and aren't sure what they are, so they call them in. Kathy Reichs, the author of the Temperance Brennan series and a real-life forensic anthropologist, says that she also gets such cases. In book #6, bear bones are mingled with a few human bones in one find, and the animal bones actually have a lot to do with the case.
We live in the country and we find a lot of bones around here--mostly prey of coyotes and bobcats. I'm weird though. I find all the unromantic realities of country living absolutely fascinating, even box elder bugs. Their annual infestation can be annoying, but they are more interesting to look at than the flies. Of all the creatures in existence, flies and cockroaches are my least favorite.
Isn't there a spray you can use on box elder bugs? I'm plagued with Japanese beetles... the grey tank bugs that eat into my light colored roses. (Isn't if funny that they don't bother the reds right next to the yellow and white?) I looked Jbs up, and picking them off is the only way to keep the population down. Yuck! Talk about romantic country life!
Oh my. Country Living is still somthing I'd love to be able to do again someday...bugs, bones and all.
Hugs,
Robin
First of all, I'm jealous of your green grass - mine won't be green and growing for quite a long while yet :)
We live in the country, and I'm checking for bones almost every time I mow. We raise our own beef and chickens, and hunt moose and elk in the fall, and it all gets butchered here at home. So between the bones we've given the dogs, to the ones they drag home on their own, there's always a few around. One year my father-in-law didn't dispose of the buffalo hide far enough from the yard and our dog thought that was the greatest thing ever to drag around.
Love Temperance! She has absolutely no social skills and makes us laugh. We watch all of the old ones on Netflix. Such a hoot.
Di
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