Forest Find

in animals •  7 years ago  (edited)

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It is amazing to me to walk through this forest for years only to stumble upon this tonight...

Hiding beneath a decaying stump... one antler poking out from beneath the duff.

The spine is still attached, tendons hardened and coiling.

How could I have missed it all this time? How many times have I walked by this find?

The deer antler represents strength. The deer gentleness.

The stag is the king of the forest, the protector o all other creatures. For the native tribes of North America, the deer was a messenger, an animal of power, and a totem representing sensitivity, intuition and gentleness.

(source)

I crossed many deer on my path tonight. Walking the exposed mountain ridges at sunset, I feel still and reflect on my life. I watch as the deer spook and jump and run past me. My dog chases them for a time and then runs back to my side.

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It was a beautiful day today and I spent much of it outside. I talked to my mom while sitting in the sun. While on my walk, an old fence post caught my eye. Oh the stories they tell! How gnarled and worn. Burn. Once a tree. Now a fence.

Everything tells a story. Each of us are moments piled on top of moments.

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Finding this incredible rack- the largest I’ve ever found- shows me that it isn’t what is around us that determines what we see, but how we look.

I’m always looking at the forest floor, a habit I gained while learning how to hunt for wild mushrooms. In years, my eyes have never spotted this slightly exposed rack.

Tonight was the night...

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(Night Bringer)

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The Husband would be green with envy that you found that rack without having to hunt for it every deer season! This is what he dreams of! :-)

hahah!!! lol too too funny. we have a good friend who has racks upon racks stacked in his house. he goes out and shed hunts every year. I think i may have been channeling him... :) and while i was hunting this year, i saw a big guy with a rack this big.. of course he was very alert and ran away before i could even get a good sight, but it was beautiful to see...

Powerful medicine. Thank you for the walk.

<3 glad you enjoyed. thanks for coming along! powerful medicine indeed and just at the right time :)

No doubt 💜

Nice picture .@mountainjewel. And very charming......

thank you @yagoub <3 it was such a beautiful evening stroll!

This is really a very wonderful tour. I see you enjoyed it a lot. I am honored to share it. It is a beautiful picture. I wish to see more amazing images.
I hope you enjoy it more. Do not forget to come back again. This is really a nice and comfortable thing for the body. Especially seeing deer and chasing them.
I wish you with all my heart my dear brother @mountainjewel more success and brilliance

thank you @walid.larbi for this great reply. yes it is such a great thing for the body (and mind and spirit) to go on walks in nature.

i'm actually a dear sister ;) and thank you for the well-wishes <3 thanks for coming along. best to you as well.

Welcome dear freind @mountainjewel.I always have the honor

Deer appears to be 1 most likely 2 years from being in the prime of it's life. I wonder how it died...thanks for sharing

i wonder as well.. a local friend seemed to think maybe it died of old age... what is so curious to me is that there are no rodent chew marks or other marks on any of the bone. some of the dehydrated and peeling skin is still left as well.. wonder how long it has been there. pretty cool find right on our land, a spot i walk by semi frequently lol!

Love your photos. In nature, so much to see, in the blink of a grateful eye...

in the blink of a grateful eye...

so well put... like a sunset there for a short while, it so quickly passes.... <3 thanks.

Thank you for your beautiful words and images. It is always astounding what can be revealed with time. Layer by layer new mysteries are unfolding around us.... I look forward to more of your posts!

mmmm well said @craigpaterson... with words like that, i'm going to go check out your posts :)

In case you missed it, I just wanted to let you know that I nominated you for the #sevendaybnwchallenge. No pressure though :).

thanks for thinking of me, @idyllwild! I'll participate. haven't been nominated for this one yet, I think it will be fun. :)

Ok, the rack is very cool, but I love that you noticed the fence post!

"Oh the stories they tell! How gnarled and worn. Burn. Once a tree. Now a fence.

Everything tells a story. Each of us are moments piled on top of moments."

I was just thinking about how much slower my kids' lives are compared to most. (We're very eclectic--we homeschool in an unschool-y way with a Waldorf-ish flair). They do play rec league soccer in the spring & fall (5 weeks at a time) but otherwise, we chill here on the homestead. We enjoy our moments. Shared moments are treasures that shape us and if we're lucky stay with us to cherish. If we look at life this way, then it makes even tedious chores almost enjoyable! I was cleaning out the chicken coop last week and my 2 year old decided he wanted to help with the wheelbarrow. I was about to have my 11yr old play with him so I could finish faster, but then caught myself. He came over and giggled as we pushed our stinky load through mud to the compost pile. It took 10 minutes longer, but we connected. We laughed. We shared a moment.

Thanks for sharing with us.

I was just thinking about how much slower my kids' lives are compared to most.

way to go mama! I think that's one of the greatest ways to raise children! #slowkidsmovement LOL and i love how you allowed yourself to go with the flow of being with the kids as they took the goofier, more fun path... that is soooo good for us to remember as adults with our drive schedules lol! thanks for sharing and stopping by with your awesome comment :)

A good omen. I have been getting the stag in my oracle cards a lot recently too. Bonus 💯🐒

Bonus! lol yeah that's what it felt like <3

Great to hear 💯🐒