>More deer, more beavers

>Starting with the beavers: it’s a little hard to see the dam in this picture, but it’s there, cutting across the middle of the creek. With some heavy rain on Saturday, and ongoing expansion efforts, the pond behind the dam has gotten wider and deeper. I’m no longer able to walk along the south bank of the creek and am looking for an alternative path through the woods so that I can survey the effects of the pond upstream.

And then the deer: last night, Bhikku and I came out to the porch while dinner was cooking (er, warming), and there were four deer in the yard. Bhikku barked once, which made the visitors look up, but they didn’t take action. I felt guilty about the deer I killed last week, so I apologized to these young ladies. They grazed.

While we’re on the subject of wildlife, we were also visited this weekend by red-headed woodpeckers. One of them seemed to think the drain spout (which is metal, not wood, of course) might be a promising source of food. Noisy!

About the author

I am the author of three novels--THE LAST BIRD OF PARADISE, OLIVER'S TRAVELS, and THE SHAMAN OF TURTLE VALLEY--and three story collections--IN AN UNCHARTED COUNTRY, HOUSE OF THE ANCIENTS AND OTHER STORIES, and WHAT THE ZHANG BOYS KNOW, winner of the Library of Virginia Literary Award for Fiction. I am also the co-founder and former editor of Prime Number Magazine and the editor of the award-winning anthology series EVERYWHERE STORIES: SHORT FICTION FROM A SMALL PLANET.

Comments

  1. >I enjoy reading your blog, Clifford (not sure if I should call you Cliff yet, haven’t known you long) … love your New Yorker story responses and other lit reviews. And your stories about the beaver damn. Sorry about the deer-death experience. That can be haunting.

    I’d like to link to your blog from mine, if that’s alright…I tend to write about the natural world, too, though lately, the whole Obama (yes!) thing captured my attention
    Lakin

  2. >Oh, I think it’s okay if you call me Cliff.

    I like “deer-death experience”; I’ve been calling it “vehicular deer-slaughter”

    By all means, please do link, and I’ll do the same.

    And, yes, the election has had me completely distracted. I feel myself emerging, slowly.

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