Thoughts On the Prairie

‘Brought from the prairie’ to be placed here–I suppose is a more appropriate way to make a title.
I’m relating here to the Oklahoma panhandle type prairie that is along the Kansas border prairie.
It is vast and from a certain situated prominence, the views afford a remarkable vista and variety of things to pleasure the eyes and give rise to expressions of awe as the soul takes in the cornucopia of both stark and subtle bands of hues stretching 360 degrees to the horizon and upward to the heavens. It seems remarkable to this neophyte that human eyes can facilitate so huge an expanse without sending dizzy signals to the brain; such magnificence and such subtlety in variety without overwhelming and shorting out the facilitating organs by the entirety of the experience.

Its huge.

As the light changes, the bands of ambers, grays, greens and tans seem to move like waves fairly dancing around the shadows. Shadows brought into ever changing being by the rise and falling topography. One can imagine a thing alive is being observed. A huge living breathing organism.

Many critters live there and I am not knowledgable enough to list but a few. Prairie dogs and their own towns, rats, snakes–the ever present cousins to our own bird dogs and deer abound there–both white tail and mule deer. And always the raptors. This is their home and I wonder to what level some can appreciate how the walls of their home is papered–a mural such that no man can have in his domicile.

A walk on the prairie is not measured in hundreds of yards, but in miles. Its too far from this spot to that. A man that walks the prairie had better have good solid boots and strong legs with a sturdy heart to beat. The dogs that hunt the prairie are not average dogs as the ground covered is great and the next covey may be over there and as mentioned “there” is always a fair distance. How these dogs can run as they do with heads and noses in the air and not fall into or at least break a leg in one of the many critter holes is quite a thing.

Parking the truck on a hill is a prudent idea and dog and man will always get to climb that hill back to the truck, just about the time the legs say enough. Is that the truck? That wee speck over yonder? Still–there will be rest and maybe more food and water there…a place to sit and recount the walk. A small home of sorts in a large place.

There are quail in the prairie. Those wee tasty avians that are in part what brings us there.

It is profoundly beautiful and may just transport you for a time away from the mundane.

Unfortunately, photos taken by the author don’t do it justice.

~ by John McGranaghan on December 4, 2018.