Out Where the Wild Things Grow

March 14, 2015

The first time I ventured out here was well over 40 years ago...sometimes it seems as if it were only a few days ago. 
Having been born and raised in southeast Texas, where the pine trees loomed higher in feet than I could ever imagine counting, the virgin hardwoods were thicker around than mine and my brothers hands laced together could reach, and where rivers, creeks and even rice field canals held water year round, this place was a whole other world!
Rocks and thorny things took up every inch of space; tall rocky hills and deep thorny canyons were everywhere. The Mexican mountains could be seen in the distance and the sky was endless, glorious and the biggest thing my eyes had ever seen. A person could see for miles upon miles without anything obstructing the view. The air was fresh and filled with the sounds of nothing more than the wind and perhaps a bird or hawk. Deer, both whitetail and mule, could be seen just about anywhere you wanted to look, and if you trained your eyes to find them. Rio Grande turkey, while not easily seen and not always prevalent, were a thrill to watch whenever you did spot them. A variety of raptors and a few owl could be seen, as well as land roaming predators such as mountain lion, bobcat, coyote and fox. There were also javelina, jackrabbit, desert cottontail, raccoon, badger, porcupine, skunk, as well as ground squirrel, rats, mice, horned toad, Texas Spiny Lizards, rattle snakes, red snakes (aka coach whips), bull snakes and garter snakes. Scorpion, tarantula, black widow... these are just a few of the hundreds of different spiders, reptiles, birds and mammals that call this area home.
The first time I ever saw a white skunk was out here, and it was also the first time I had ever seen a skunk that large. It probably weighed a solid thirty pounds! All these years later, I've never forgotten that skunk!
Two evenings ago I watched two gray fox feed on corn in my front yard. That morning I had watched deer, both whitetail and muley, jackrabbit, desert cottontail and 13 lined ground squirrel feeding on that same corn and in that same front yard. It dawned on me, as I watched the fox feed...This is 'out where the wild things grow'. 
This is my home now.
Out here, where the wild things grow!