babcia, ravens, & wolves

Here's my grandmother, my Babcia, in a picture I took in March when I visited. She's doing much better, sounds stronger, and is more her usual funny self. I am relieved, although she will still be in the hospital for at least three more days. It's been fun talking to her. SHe's had several visitors in the past days, and apparently is awash in flowers.

I took a walk by Junction Creek today, which is a really beautiful, fast-flowing, clean stream that runs down a steep, narrow canyon that is lined with trees and squirrels and chipmunks and birds and hikers and very happy dogs leaping in and out of the water. I passed by one woman walking a beautiful St. Bernard named Honeybear (she had gorgeous amber markings) and a contented-looking Persian-type cat in a pet-carrier on the woman's chest. Kind of cool. I wonder if my little feline terror, Bella, would ever consent to such treatment? Hm.

I also observed a shiny black raven flying to its nest high in a rocky crag above the river. It did so several times, and it was either feeding little ones, eating something up there, or plumping up the home base with more twigs or whatever makes prime raven nesting material these days. Seems the right time of year for chicks (hatchlings? ravelings?), but I didn't have my binocs and I was a bit too far away to get a good look. It was still darn cool to see, though, even if I wasn't sure exactly what I was looking at.

Just thinking about wolves. Did a little reading up on how their lives are doing lately in the good ole contiguous United States, and it seems they're mostly doing well, but there's concern about them. Concern about them coming back too strong. Concern about them being shot to extinction again. Concern because, well, they're wolves. Wolves have freaked people out, historically.

I must admit I've never seen one. I know people who swear they're in southern Utah, swear they've heard them howl or even seen them there. These people may also have been under the influence of self-grandiosity at the moment, however. Hard to tell. Regardless, wolves have already been found in northern Utah, and they will be down south again someday too.

It would be kind of cool to hear one howl, I must admit, while out in the wild. I might feel differently if I have had my horse or dog or small child or gimpy friend with me at the time--but right now, sitting securely in my little home amidst many people and no wolves (none that I know of around Durango, that is), I just think, Wow. How cool would it be to hear a wolf howl in the Utah wilderness someday?

babcia, ravens, & wolves