Slaying Monsters… and a little more.

Wanted~ quiet, secluded, cabin in the woods ~ A place to think.   A refuge to find creativity  and inspiration.  A haven beyond cell phone range.   A sanctuary surrounded by nature with no distractions or outside noise… a private retreat. A hideaway to regroup, gather your thoughts and find ~ “you”.

I live in a place that most people visualize when they dream of getting away from it all. A place that I have always chosen to be. To me this place is called home.

(Fog surrounding heart mountain)

For years I have been wanting to buy a camper, or even to just pack up my family, our horses and go to the back country and stay for the summer. Away from it all.  Amerced in nature and each other. Teaching our son and learning from our experiences in Nature.  It was a joking conversation with a friend about a month ago that inspired this change and helped  made me realize that I already have that and more. I already have the best of both worlds.

Out my back door are wide open spaces. Sage covered hills, rocks, bushes and dirt. But also elk, deer, antelope, birds and other assorted wild creatures. Clean mountain air. Room to roam and clear your head with plenty to fill your soul. I live off the beaten path in a place with no cell phone service. I live a great life and try to keep it in balance.  I am free to explore the mountains, hills and rivers. I spend as much time as I need outside in nature.  I am a wildlife photographer. I am a falconer.  I share my life with the wild creatures. But I am also a wife and a mother. I enjoy my baths and the comfort of a roof over my head on cold winter nights and a place I can come home to dry out and warm and rest. Without modern conveniences (telephones, computers ~etc) I would not be able to capture the photos that I do every day or to share  them with you.

I think there will always be that part of me that aspires to retreat a bit farther and explore what is over the next ridge.  But until you have lived that life, you can not understand the hardships that accompany living “out of reach”  I have lived, for much longer than a weekend, without modern conveniences. It was by choice, and while raising children. It isn’t about testing myself to see if I am capable. I already know that I am. I grew up using an outhouse.  I have spent winters chopping ice and packing water from frozen streams.  I have cooked our meals over fire pits, and washed cloths by hand. The idea of living off of the land is a romantic idea and there are many things that I miss about that simple life. But I also know and appreciate the gift of running water and the magic of flipping a light switch to keep you company on those long winter days when the sun seems to set before it has even risen. I learned to appreciate the convenience of every day items like a refrigerator.  I have enjoyed the good parts of living without electricity and endured the difficult.  Now I am able to chose, and enjoy the best that both life styles have to offer.

My husband and I share a love of nature. We have always lived as close to the wild as we could.  For 15 yrs we worked together, owned a company and took our children to work with us. We worked because we had to,  but we always made sure to spent as much time as we could outside and away from it all.   A few years ago the economy got tight and we closed down our company and our way of life was turned upside down. ~ My husband took a job away from home and our oldest boy ~ grown~ went to work with his dad.  Leaving me to “hold down the fort”, so to speak . Raising our youngest child was easy, taking care of the animals and things around the house, while he was away, second nature. But a part  of me mourned. I can honestly say it was the only time in my life I was truly lonely.  For the first year and a half my parents were close and I made a point to venture out to visit with them at least once a month.  But  on the stints when Hawk was gone, I had a very hard time spending time outside. Outside was a place that my husband and I had always shared.  Even if we went alone,  it was something special. For us.~ We both knew and understood the draw and healing power of the wild places, and I felt guilty enjoying time outside while my husband was stuck in places void of nature. It has taken time, but I have learned to adjust.  But, that does not mean I have given up the desire to take my family and walk away into nature for weeks or even months at a time. We still continue to do that when ever we are able ~ some of our journeys as a family  are just longer than others is all, and some are more remote, but they are all equally cherished.

While writing this entry I searched for a word to describe how I live. Misanthrope, Hermit, Recluse? No, those words don’t fit at all.. they sound like something bad. Like I have something to hide. ~ I don’t, I actually enjoy human interactions… I just enjoy nature more. Don’t get me wrong. I will forever cherish my friendships, especially with those who make time for me each day.

I have a road to my house. A path to and from town. I use it to gather supplies and access places farther “away” from it all ~ but it is now the last day of February (Leap Day)… and I  can tell you that  the last time a vehicles came up my driveway (UPS and Fedex deliveries don’t count) was Thanksgiving when I invited friends to join us for dinner. I talk to Hawk on the phone every day while he is gone, but other than that, it rarely rings. I have a television that I never turn on until the end of the day~ When I can, I still chose to spend my days outside ~ connecting with and enjoying nature.

It is here~ in the platform of this web site through photos and stories~  that I have chosen to share my life’s adventures..

My life on the fringes of  civilization~ the Periphery~ on the edge.  Solitary ~ but preferred. A life,  a passion, a longing for Nature and all  that she has to offer.

Today I tracked, stalked and slayed a monster!!

Ok~ so it wasn’t actually a monster but it was an unknown life form that had taken up residence in some dark and forgotten corner of  my refrigerator.

I finished up an article that I have been working on, cleaned up feathers and seeds from Toby the McCaw, answered emails, and edited a few photos while I enjoyed my morning coffee.

~Then I ventured outside to breathe a little fresh air.  The clouds had settled in obliterating the view and the snow was gently falling. The temperatures today were a little colder than they have been for a while, but the wind was not blowing ~ and living where I do, a windless day is always a plus.
I attempted to work Willow~ but after too much time off, the session was pretty futile and I eventually  return her to the mew with a full crop.

Tomorrow, I will take little different approach to the training.  I will need to back up a few lessons and re-establish the bond to the lure before I attempt take her out hunting again. Even with the storm, there are hints of Spring in the air and I believe that she can feel it too.

I came back inside in time to eat lunch and warm up a bit before venturing back out to check on the horses.

As always they were happy to see me and lined up along the fence. I poured  out enough grain for all of them to eat and warm them selves.  And as I sat there in the wet, falling snow watching the melting ice run down their backs, I found myself once again~ grateful that I had a home where I can escape from the cold and wet.