Posted on 01/18/2008 6:56:44 AM PST by Congressman Billybob
It is not just in people and places that cultural divisions raise their ugly heads. It also happens in weather.
In my first fifty years, spent largely in Maryland and D.C., there were maybe five times that the weather was so bad I was trapped in my home. Now that I live on the top of a mountain in the Blue Ridge, being trapped at home by the weather is an ordinary circumstance that happens several times a year, and we prepare for it, routinely.
People in most parts of the nation may consider the Weather Channel as not particularly useful. But here in the mountains, we watch that channel closely. So, we knew in advance that last night and today we were going to be hit hard, first by snow, and then freezing rain. It was not the sort of day when anyone would like to go out, and we didn’t.
The timing was particularly bad because there was a dinner tonight at which I was the guest of honor. Ah well, it will be rescheduled.
We keep lots of food on hand. And split wood for the fireplaces, in case the electricity fails because the storm takes down part of the transmission wires – maybe a dozen times a year the Haywood Electrical Coop goes south, and takes a few hours to a few days to come back on line. We prepare for that, too.
That’s why, 14 years ago, when I reconstructed this house, I threw out the electric stove and switched over to a propane one. Nothing stops that puppy, and the freezer on the back porch will hold the food indefinitely. It barely runs in the wintertime.
But this story is about Lame Tom, and the rest of his family. We have two large families of wild turkeys here on the mountain. The sexual habits of turkeys are somewhat similar to humans. The toms are there for the reproduction, but they go off to a sports bar with the other toms right after that. From there on, for the next year, we would see the hens foraging on the lawn for acorns and grubs, followed by the survivors of their clutch of eggs.
Our turkeys were fortunate. One had six poults, the other had seven. Late last summer, all fifteen of them paraded past the porch. And we stayed ever so still to watch them, and not spook them away. Turkeys have excellent hearing and are very wary animals. Their survival depends on those two qualities.
Well, this year the poults are grown and on their own. The yearlings sometimes associate with each other. Sometimes not. And that brings us to Lame Tom.
Turkeys fight with the spur on the back of their claws. Sometimes they fight for real, especially when they are attacked by predators. When they fight for dominance they go until the one that loses, backs away and gives up. Lame Tom has been in a fight. He survived, but with an injury.
He stays close to the house. He’s alone. And he has a pronounced limp as he walks along. Earlier this week, we bought some corn cobs and cracked corn for Lame Tom. The cobs he can find, even in the snow. We’ll put out the cracked corn when the snow and ice are gone.
Supposedly, wild turkeys can get along with humans, and even like to be stroked. We’ll see if Lame Tom gets that friendly. He and his family are safe on this mountain because none of us allow any hunting. We do, however, have to keep and eye out for some of the good ol’ boys who are constructing a house at the end of Kettle Rock Road.
We found one of them just three weeks ago. He’d stopped on the side of our road and was looking into our woods. He said, “I just saw a large tom over there.” It wasn’t Lame Tom. He’s not that large, and his wattle is not that pronounced. Still, we escorted the gentleman out to the main road, making it clear that he wasn’t welcome to come back with a dog and a gun.
Oh, and there was one more treat this morning beside Lame Tom. On just a few mornings in the winter, rain falls just as the temperature drops below freezing and the trees are all frosted in a thin coat of clear ice. Then the rising sun makes the forest explode with light, like a tray full of diamonds under a spotlight. Yes, it is a cultural divide, and it pays great dividends to the soul.
- 30 -
About the Author: John Armor practiced in the US Supreme Court for 33 years. John_Armor@aya.yale.edu He lives in the 11th District of North Carolina.
- 30 -
John / Billybob
Neat story!
Thanks
Carolyn
Thanks for the story - it’s a nice break from the relentless political “discussions”... /grin
Good luck also with your Congressional race!
Thank you very much I do love your essays. I much enjoyed the one about the stray yellow cat and hope he is warm and well.
Great story. I dislike squirrels in general as bushy-tailed rats, but one year I had a black-tiled squirrel hanging around that was missing most of its tail. I fed it corn all winter because I thought he needed all the help he could get.
Go Tom ! :)
John / Billybob
John / Billybob
Thanks Congressman BB...the birds know when heavy weather is coming....the deer do too....my feeder holds 25 pounds of shelled corn and they have eaten it all in less than 48 hours....I’m going to feed another 25# before the coming front on Saturday....we had a real good crop of white oak acorns this fall despite the drought; so both deer and turkey went into the winter in good shape....we live at the end of the road in a 24 acre hollow we own and like the quiet....much better than the 23 acre place we had in Howard County Maryland(traffic,noise,taxes)...I’m wishing you well from Ashe County NC...up on the VA-Tenn line.
I didn’t get snowed in (Mt. Airy, MD), but my mailbox did, courtesy of the snowplow. I had to dig out around it so the mail truck can reach it today.
I enjoyed the story. Thanks bunch.
Yeh, it's all fun and games till the ice is 1 1/2 inches thick and the biggest limb on the tree lets go with a sound like a muzzle loader and drops on the roof of your house.
It IS pretty though. ;^)
No offense to Lame Tom, but don't turkeys give old meaning to "Bird Brain?"... Emus aren't members of Mensa, I'm told.
As for ice and falling trees, I did have a 7-ton tree fall on the house while I was sitting in the living room. But that was due to rain, not ice. There was 30 inches of rain in nine days, three years ago. So, the ground softened, and an ancient tree toppled over. Thank God the porch roof was built so strongly that no serious damage occurred.
Now, there are no trees left except a very sturdy (and short) maple is within falling distance of the house.
Congressman Billybob
We had a pine tree on our house when hurricane Rita came thru. Luckily six other uprooted pines missed the house. They were huge trees. We have a lot left standing and hope that was a once in a lifetime storm.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.