Puma Ghostwalker
The Adventures of……..Puma Ghostwalker……….
It was early June and I was having a follow-up visit by a New York Times reporter Ava Chin PhD..
Two weeks prior, around May 30th Dr. Chin wrote a story for the times about a Honey Bee Swarm I rescued and relocated.
As we walked around the newly formed hive located in the woods where I live, I entertained Ava with the notion of catching a huge trapped Snapping Turtle…
The snapper was stuck in a series of man made motes, a concrete structure that was built in the sixties and never used. The whole mote was in a series of about six 100 meter sections, the Snapper was in one of them.
Five decades later we were going to fish out a trapped snapping Turtle.
Now I have Experience with…… …. the notion of catching Snapping Turtles, and
As I convinced the reporter to assist in such an adventure, we were quick to run to a store and
Buy chicken legs and twine to lure it in.
We were walking to the mote section where I spotted the Snapper. I was actually looking for one of my missing cats, Cole when I stumbled upon
Said Snapper……
Unpacking chicken legs and tying twine and tossing the delectable into the mote I expected a huge and very hungry Snapper to move in quickly.
With no sudden rush I suggested to Ava I will move further down the mote to place more chicken legs to lure the beast.
Looking out in the distance I saw movement, not believing my eyes at first, a deer was hunkered down in the muck.
She didn’t look well at all……..and ……I called to Ava…….”There is a deer stuck down in the swamp…. You should come quickly”
Ava stood with astonishment as my mind started analyzing the situation and developing a plan.
She was about a year old and weak looking; I estimated she was down in this for a week or two.
I thought it best to start sliding down into the swampy mote at some distance from the doe.
30 meters will do. Empting my pockets, cell phone, wallet, I slowly drifted down into the pit….
Did I mention the huge snapper ……..Oh yes…….Well that was out the window……
Moving very slowly through the algae infested swamp and no telling what was at my feet, I headed toward the deer.
I thought to talk to the deer and move my arms and hands slowly to my sides and forward to get her used to the motion.
I knew I would have to physically catch her and I had to get close. Talking in a soft voice I would tell her…. “I know how scared she was and
She should trust me……I was going to get her out of this place and that she would be so very happy”
I got to one and a half meters away and she lunged to the wall and corner that separated the motes.
Her hooves like roller skates created no traction on the concrete walls jetting out at 45% s
I could see the wounds as she bent her front legs to get traction from flesh at the knees…..
I thought how she suffered, how tired for standing so many days. The thirst and hunger…..
And now……Fear of me…..
A half a meter away and my hands extended very slowly now………I touch her….
My left hand touched and petted her head softly…my right hand touched down her back….slowly….all the way….
The plan was to cradle her , under her neck and haunches.
She could bite me but not kick me…….well that was the plan…..
Just as I moved in she ………lunged over my shoulder and called out like a calf……Moooo…
I bear hugged her and we went down……..But I have her and I wasn’t letting go…..and all I could hear was our hearts beating and Ava’s camera
Clicking away…….and time stood still for a moment, like it has for me many times before.
God is good Msabu………(Out of Africa)
My heart was racing as I tried to maneuver the doe for a good and safe hold for the two of us……
At that moment I totally handled her she gave up and went limp……..
Like a sack of potatoes…..
I was so worried she would have a heart attack and die in my care.
I went to a corner of the mote to use as leverage to hoist the doe up and over the top….
To freedom…….
I stood at the base and pushed her over my head to the edge…….
She could see safety……Freedom…….Home…..
The doe just didn’t have it in her, she didn’t try to go…..to get up….
To help me help her and I could not get her any higher…..
I shouted……..Ava….
I need you to help me….
She replied…”Do I have to put the camera down?”
Yes!!! Dear I said…
What shall I do asked Ava…….
Grabbing the doe’s ears, Ava was able to hold the deer so I could relocate to get better leverage.
A heave and a push the deer was over the top and I collapsed on top of her.
After a brief rest I carried her off to a meadow next to where I live, a travel trailer totally off the grid in the woods.
Getting some water I washed out her mouth with my fingers, washed her tongue and let her rest…….
I was a mess…….so swampy smelling……..Shall I Go On….
I’m getting naked outside and going into my camper to take a hot shower…..or Two…..
I had to shower my shower…..what a mess…….
Returning to Ava and the Doe we had a friend come to join us…….
Cole my Black Cat……
He plopped down right between all of us……
We sat for a bit, reflecting what all just happened…….
Moments passed and I invited Ava in for tea…….
As we talked……this was the third encounter we had in a very short time.
The second was the Honey Bee rescue…..
And the first was…
Well I invited her to go to my secret place to hunt for the……Elusive Morel Mushrooms…..
I picked over six hundred this year…..
Ava picked 100 morels with me, the day before she was with the New York City Mycology Society……
And was skunked out…I think the group as a whole found twenty….
I was a Morel mushroom god……
As time passed I excused myself to check on the team……
Walking up I could see Cole cuddling with the doe……..
That’s my boy……
The doe jumped…startled…..stumbled……fell………
Cole ….startled of all this went the other way…….
The doe……..jumped over a shrubbery….
I turned to go back home a job well done……
Here are some related post pertaining to the stories
www.flickr.com/photos/28771820@N03/4656138822/
www.flickr.com/photos/28771820@N03/4693435602/
Snapper story
www.flickr.com/photos/28771820@N03/3709904362/in/set-7215...
The Adventures of……..Puma Ghostwalker……….
It was early June and I was having a follow-up visit by a New York Times reporter Ava Chin PhD..
Two weeks prior, around May 30th Dr. Chin wrote a story for the times about a Honey Bee Swarm I rescued and relocated.
As we walked around the newly formed hive located in the woods where I live, I entertained Ava with the notion of catching a huge trapped Snapping Turtle…
The snapper was stuck in a series of man made motes, a concrete structure that was built in the sixties and never used. The whole mote was in a series of about six 100 meter sections, the Snapper was in one of them.
Five decades later we were going to fish out a trapped snapping Turtle.
Now I have Experience with…… …. the notion of catching Snapping Turtles, and
As I convinced the reporter to assist in such an adventure, we were quick to run to a store and
Buy chicken legs and twine to lure it in.
We were walking to the mote section where I spotted the Snapper. I was actually looking for one of my missing cats, Cole when I stumbled upon
Said Snapper……
Unpacking chicken legs and tying twine and tossing the delectable into the mote I expected a huge and very hungry Snapper to move in quickly.
With no sudden rush I suggested to Ava I will move further down the mote to place more chicken legs to lure the beast.
Looking out in the distance I saw movement, not believing my eyes at first, a deer was hunkered down in the muck.
She didn’t look well at all……..and ……I called to Ava…….”There is a deer stuck down in the swamp…. You should come quickly”
Ava stood with astonishment as my mind started analyzing the situation and developing a plan.
She was about a year old and weak looking; I estimated she was down in this for a week or two.
I thought it best to start sliding down into the swampy mote at some distance from the doe.
30 meters will do. Empting my pockets, cell phone, wallet, I slowly drifted down into the pit….
Did I mention the huge snapper ……..Oh yes…….Well that was out the window……
Moving very slowly through the algae infested swamp and no telling what was at my feet, I headed toward the deer.
I thought to talk to the deer and move my arms and hands slowly to my sides and forward to get her used to the motion.
I knew I would have to physically catch her and I had to get close. Talking in a soft voice I would tell her…. “I know how scared she was and
She should trust me……I was going to get her out of this place and that she would be so very happy”
I got to one and a half meters away and she lunged to the wall and corner that separated the motes.
Her hooves like roller skates created no traction on the concrete walls jetting out at 45% s
I could see the wounds as she bent her front legs to get traction from flesh at the knees…..
I thought how she suffered, how tired for standing so many days. The thirst and hunger…..
And now……Fear of me…..
A half a meter away and my hands extended very slowly now………I touch her….
My left hand touched and petted her head softly…my right hand touched down her back….slowly….all the way….
The plan was to cradle her , under her neck and haunches.
She could bite me but not kick me…….well that was the plan…..
Just as I moved in she ………lunged over my shoulder and called out like a calf……Moooo…
I bear hugged her and we went down……..But I have her and I wasn’t letting go…..and all I could hear was our hearts beating and Ava’s camera
Clicking away…….and time stood still for a moment, like it has for me many times before.
God is good Msabu………(Out of Africa)
My heart was racing as I tried to maneuver the doe for a good and safe hold for the two of us……
At that moment I totally handled her she gave up and went limp……..
Like a sack of potatoes…..
I was so worried she would have a heart attack and die in my care.
I went to a corner of the mote to use as leverage to hoist the doe up and over the top….
To freedom…….
I stood at the base and pushed her over my head to the edge…….
She could see safety……Freedom…….Home…..
The doe just didn’t have it in her, she didn’t try to go…..to get up….
To help me help her and I could not get her any higher…..
I shouted……..Ava….
I need you to help me….
She replied…”Do I have to put the camera down?”
Yes!!! Dear I said…
What shall I do asked Ava…….
Grabbing the doe’s ears, Ava was able to hold the deer so I could relocate to get better leverage.
A heave and a push the deer was over the top and I collapsed on top of her.
After a brief rest I carried her off to a meadow next to where I live, a travel trailer totally off the grid in the woods.
Getting some water I washed out her mouth with my fingers, washed her tongue and let her rest…….
I was a mess…….so swampy smelling……..Shall I Go On….
I’m getting naked outside and going into my camper to take a hot shower…..or Two…..
I had to shower my shower…..what a mess…….
Returning to Ava and the Doe we had a friend come to join us…….
Cole my Black Cat……
He plopped down right between all of us……
We sat for a bit, reflecting what all just happened…….
Moments passed and I invited Ava in for tea…….
As we talked……this was the third encounter we had in a very short time.
The second was the Honey Bee rescue…..
And the first was…
Well I invited her to go to my secret place to hunt for the……Elusive Morel Mushrooms…..
I picked over six hundred this year…..
Ava picked 100 morels with me, the day before she was with the New York City Mycology Society……
And was skunked out…I think the group as a whole found twenty….
I was a Morel mushroom god……
As time passed I excused myself to check on the team……
Walking up I could see Cole cuddling with the doe……..
That’s my boy……
The doe jumped…startled…..stumbled……fell………
Cole ….startled of all this went the other way…….
The doe……..jumped over a shrubbery….
I turned to go back home a job well done……
Here are some related post pertaining to the stories
www.flickr.com/photos/28771820@N03/4656138822/
www.flickr.com/photos/28771820@N03/4693435602/
Snapper story
www.flickr.com/photos/28771820@N03/3709904362/in/set-7215...