A Moose Amongst Us
Our daytime dog and porch protector, Brewskie, woke us up early this morning with his constant barking.
Ugh! What could he be barking about so early (6:30ish). Darn! Only 7.5 hours of sleep was acquired by me. I was so hoping to break my record of 9 hours of slumber, rats. Maybe the mutt was just letting us know he had arrived for his self-appointed watchdog duties. Good grief, if he makes this a habit, we’ll have to insert earplugs.
This dog rarely barks. Once I was awake enough to realize that, I went downstairs to see what the fuss was about. Right outside the window, in our yard, was a gigantic 4 legged animal. Never having seen an elk or a moose close up, I head back upstairs for the camera. I whisper, “are you up, yet?” Yay, I get to tell somebody there is a giant 4 legged creature in our yard, munching on our pine tree. I will have a witness and proof that I was not seeing things.
Lance confirms the ginormous creature in our yard as a MOOSE. Oh me, oh my. I, in my slippers, and the hubby, in his skivvies, peer out different windows to get a better look. I step outside in my jammie shorts to shoot a photo. Brewskie is thrilled to see me up and out so early. This playful pup comes leaping over snow piles to get to me. Not wanting to be branded by his paw claws, I slip back inside. I had to settle for ‘through the window’ photos.
Lance pointed out that once Brewskie felt his barking was acknowledged, he ceased his chatter. Is this junkyard dog that smart? Brewskie stayed a good 10 feet away from Mr. Moose (or was it Mrs. Moose?). He/she continued to munch on pine needles for quite some time. It was a pretty cool creature to watch.
In my excitement to capture an unobstructed photo, I hurry out the back door (away from the porch where Brewskie could see me). The minute I open the screen door, BAM, icicles were knocked loose from the overhang and nailed me in the noggin. Thankfully these were thin and short. No blood was drawn with these mini daggers. Just that feeling of stupidity. You know, like when you fall down and you immediately look around to see if anyone witnessed your wipe out. More concerned with appearing like a dufus than wondering if you broke anything or have drawn blood.
Mr. Moose trotted off through the vacant lot behind us. Brewskie went back to his welcome mat on the porch and I went inside to finish waking up with some coffee. After much googling, I know more about the moose than I use to (which isn’t saying much). According to a neighbor, this hunch back horselike creature hangs out around here often. I’m thrilled we got to see him. Thank you Brewskie.
Later this morning as my guard dog and I were hiking to the mail box, I searched for the moose up in the hills, along the roadside. I’m thankful it’s not baby birthing time or rutting season. He/she shouldn’t have a reason to attack me, but just in case, I had one hand on my walkie-talkie (so I could call Lance to help him locate my body) and an eye out for the nearest neighbor to run to. Did you know moose are responsible for more deaths in Canada than any other animal? Yipes.
The trip to the mailbox was uneventful. I think Brewskie was tired from his morning excitement.
When we arrived at the steps to our porch I saw something that shouldn’t surprise me- our very own pile of moose poop! Yeah folks, it’s come to that, I’m so excited about finding a pile of moose poop by our cabin, that I take a picture of it. You can’t really tell (thanks to Brewskie packing it down in ice) but it looks like coffee beans, Columbian dark blend ;-). Did you know a moose can eat as much as 60-70lbs a day. Due to their lush warm weather diet in the summer, their poop is more like a cow pile. Rabbit pellets in the winter.
And there you have it folks, now you know a little more about one of nature’s oddly beautiful creatures. I hope you think about me next time you grind up your coffee beans or get beamed in head with icicles.
