PARADISE REVEALED

Mike's move to the wide open spaces of Washington County has been both an opportunity and a challenge for him. New ground opened up for discovery and Mike has been doing his homework. He is "on point" for game trails, discovering deer sign, observing habitat, filling feeders, etc. The weather has made these hikes glorious and he has already shot a hog and taken some great game-camera pics of a black bear.

This morning Mike was up and out at 5:30 and had covered a big square of ground in an area that the owners/friends call "Thar Woods". He had already seen three bucks and lots of squirrels (they are cutting nuts like crazy this

week) and he happened to look down at the ground and was about to put his foot on a 4.5 foot velvet-tailed timber rattler. The snake was not curled up and rattling, but was stretched out in the morning sun. (Note: pic to the left is not the actual snake.) The rattler's circumference was bulging behind his head...it was so large that it would have taken both of Mike's hands to go around it. Perhaps the critter had just swallowed a squirrel for breakfast and was just resting and making a mental "to do" list for the day as the lump in his throat passed. Maybe he was thinking how well the morning had gone. But then my husband crossed his path and the pain began.

Mike's morning hike was more a "Lewis and Clark" exploration rather than a hunt. So he was not packing heat. Well now...THAT raised the stakes at this standoff. But Mike's adrenaline snapped in and with a primal urge, he picked up rocks and stoned the reptile. Of course, the man's intensity matched his desire to do mortal damage to the rattlesnake. The rocks found their mark, but the man's rotator cuff was worse for wear. I guess that made the score 1-1. The snake died, but Mike carries a nagging reminder of the conflict. Thankfully, there will be one less velvet-tail with 12 rattles to stumble upon in the early morning darkness.

Some men are made to be satisfied in the outdoors and Mike Cruse is such a man. He finds quietness for his soul and a kinship with his Maker there. Mike moves through the woods as easily as I move through a cluttered antique store. He could narrate most of the NatGeo nature specials because he "knows things" about the habits of so many wild creatures. This week PBS is running a Ken Burns special on the National Parks and that has been such a treat for us to watch. Mike has identified with John Muir (assuming Muir worshipped the Creator and not the creation). Although I used to think "the woods" were my competition, I've come to appreciate the symbiotic relationship that they share. I love my nature-loving man!

"The basic reality of God is plain enough. Open your eyes and there it is! By taking a long and thoughtful look at what God has created, people have always been able to see what their eyes as such can't see: eternal power, for instance, and the mystery of his divine being. So nobody has a good excuse." Romans 1:19, 20 The Message