What I Know

I got on my bike this evening after work. It was the first time in several weeks due to my little lungs suffering through a bit of pneumonia.

As I drove home part of me wanted to bike, but most of me just wanted to crash in the living room and watch a movie. But something moved me along once I got home, and the next thing I knew I was slowly making my way along the dirt road from my house to the asphalt. This post was initially going to be me lamenting over the slow pace at which I had to ride over said dirt road, and the advantage the no-seeums took of that. And while I will be incorporating a head net into my bike accessories, the focus of this post changed while I was biking.

I realized I was no longer tired, but rather quite full of life and energy...and peace.

There are so many things in life over which we have zero or little control. The future and what that holds is one of those things. The future has been on my mind quite a bit lately. The future, and trying to figure out what it will look like, and what I need to do to get there, and how it will all work out. I have no doubt we all do that from time to time. But despite all our efforts and planning and scheming, the future is never quite what we expect.

I thought about this as I biked along the road, watching the incredible sunset that is so much a part of Great Salt Lake. And it occurred to me - I really have no idea what the future holds for me. None. There are too many unknowns. Too many variables. But what I do know is that it will include this...

Great Salt Lake Sunset

And this...

Biking

And this...

Antelope Island

My next thought goes right along with that - I have no idea who will be a part of my future. I have hopes, and wishes, and desires, but I really don't know. What I do know, and what was made very clear to me is that it will include them...

Thousands of birds

 

and Him...

The Lord

and yours truly.

Me enjoying birds, the sunset and biking

 That is what I know. This is what I felt quite clearly as I let the peace of the evening wash over me and settle into my heart and soul.

And so of course my future will also include moments like this...

Bison in a cabana

A Neighborly Visit

I am sitting in my living room with the blinds open to the "front yard". The air is perfectly pleasant, and I just replaced some of the damaged screens, so I had the window opened a crack to let the air and the sounds in.

Do you know the sound of a Western Meadowlark? If not you really should click on that link back there, because I can't mimic them, especially in writing. But they have a wonderful song. It's most cheerful in the morning and the evening. So their voices filled the room and brought a smile to my heart.

As I was thinking about writing about them, I heard a crunching noise outside just behind where my chair sits. As I craned my neck around, this is who I saw:

Pictures don't really do justice to how massive this guy is. And I wish the detail on his face was visible (this pic was with my phone and through the window, but still). It certainly increases the intimidation level to see that black face, and those dark, round eyes staring you down.

He watched me for a few moments, then continued on his way, past two large boulders and an apple tree. I hoped these might help you visualize his size. I'm still not sure it really does it. I bet he weighed upwards of 1700 lbs (maybe more).

Now the clouds are rolling in. A few drops of rain have fallen. It promises to be a very windy, worry about your satellite dishes blowing off the roof, night.

And the Meadowlarks are still singing.

What's Wrong With This Picture?

Can you tell me?

Yeah, those are 1500 + pound bison that this photographer continues to approach.

Don't worry. I called this individual back to the road, and then gave a reminder of how dangerous that was.

Remember, they can move 30 + miles per hour. You can't.

Just Because

Yeah, it's pretty awesome out here.

The Big Boys

Weighing in at up to 2000 lbs, the American Bison (Bison bison) is the largest land mammal in North America, and certainly the biggest thing out here on Antelope Island.

Brought to the Island in the early 1890s as a way to help maintain the then nearly extinct species (and as a money making endeavor), the Antelope Island herd is one of the largest publicly owned herds in the nation.

And they often hang out just outside my front door.

Despite their large size and seemingly lazy attitude, Bison can run up to 30 mph! And they can get annoyed rather easily.

Here's a video I found on Youtube of some boneheads getting too close.

Look at the head on that bad boy. It's pretty large for its size and is held up by large muscles attached to an enlarged scapula, and several upper thoracic ribs. Those muscles not only hold that head up, but is what allows such short legs to move so quickly.

There are nearly 700 Bison on the Island right now. The carrying capacity is about 550 to allow enough food to support the other herbivores out here (mule deer, bighorn sheep, pronghorn). Generally, large predators would help keep their numbers in check, but unfortunately, the largest predators on Antelope Island are coyotes, and they are no where near big enough to take down a Bison. So the Park has to help in that regard.

Every year, at the end of October/first of November the herd is rounded up and corralled for a few weeks while wildlife managers check their health, give vaccinations, check for pregnancy and select about 200 animals to be auctioned off.

Now this whole time I've been calling them Bison. Surely you've also heard them called Buffalo. So what's the difference?

Well, here's a Buffalo:

This is a Cape Buffalo from Africa. Technically, we don't have Buffalo in the US (not naturally occurring, anyway).

The term Buffalo has been used to describe our Bison since the arrival of the Anglos in North America. So it's a term that's just kind of there and used interchangeably with Bison. But if you want to be technical, what we have living here in North American are American Bison.

And they are currently my closest neighbors.