A smile truly is a powerful tool. I have a sticker on my door. "A smile can start a conversation without saying a word." I've always been a smiley person. It's one of my defining characteristics. In this area, it seems to be noticed more. I'm used to people ignoring my smile and looking the other way. Maybe they're uncomfortable making such a powerful form of contact with a stranger. When I smile here, everyone tries to find a reason for it. They look for the cause of my smile, like a game. When they can't find the answer, they ask me. They seem puzzled though, when I say there is no reason to my smile.
It's my day off, but I'm in the office. On my walk over, I decided to walk the exhibit trail (half of it at least) instead of take my short cut. The deer were taking an afternoon snooze on the far side of the exhibit. The mountain lions were in their usual spots; one on the heavily vegetated rock wall and the other in the dimly lit den. The bobcats were more active then I've ever seen. We finally have all three of them on exhibit. A few days ago, the male took a seat in the tree and watched all the happenings for a good while. Must have been a nice view. The coyote was being coyote. Three small children planted themselves in front of him and they took turns running from one side of the exhibit front to the other. Coyote, because he's like a young dog, chased them tirelessly back and forth. You could see his face drop when they began to continue down the exhibit trail. From there, I moved on to the office.
I was in the deer exhibit the other day. We were cutting stinging nettle. These plants grow tall and the deer can hide behind them. Do you want to know the fun part? Those of you who have experienced stinging nettle already know. This plant has small spines on them that, when brushed against, stick in the skin of an unsuspecting passerby. The spines don't hurt as much as they itch. Don't scratch it though, for the second you do the bulbs on the end of the spines burst and you'll be itching for days. You can imagine the humor when my supervisor hit himself in the face with a piece. He should have controlled his swing. :p
We had 16 headless geese come in. Fish and Game killed them because they were problem geese and the heads were taken for research. We wanted to see if the animals would eat the geese. Of course, step one was to pull the feathers out. Tom and I were going to do it the hard way, trying to pull all the feathers out individually. My supervisor came up with another idea (leave it to him). He told us to just skin them. Skinning a goose in a fast and efficient way is not as easy as you would think. We made a cut along the belly and pulled the skin off of the legs and opened the bottom half of the skin. Then, I grabbed the feet and Tom grabbed the skin. A game of tug-of-war ensued. It was successful until our fourth adult goose. The legs came right off when I pulled. It was actually a little traumatizing. Then we had to do the younger geese. We didn't have to tag team these ones. Their skin was fragile enough that we could pull it off on our own. So, there we were pulling skin off the geese. The looks we got aren't something you can describe. Dani, Tom and I pulled the skin off 12 young geese. Talk about entertaining. My pants, boots, hands and arms were covered with blood and feathers. I had some blood in my hair too. After all the skin was off the geese, I took scissors and cut the wings off. A normal day here at the science center. :)
I've been here for a month, and away from Tampa for almost two. I've never been the biggest fan of Florida, but my heart longs to return. Wherever you go, you can always find something your heart can connect to. Here, it's the passion the staff have for the animals and educating the rest of the world on their importance. It's the amazing views of nature I find myself surrounded by. I live in a cabin that some would find not suitable for their "precious lifestyles," but I love being surrounded by an environment I know little about. It's an adventure every time I step foot out the door. My senses are constantly challenged. There are sounds, sights, and smells I am still unable to define. There are also things I am able to define.
When you look out into a forest or a field, all you see is the mix of brown and green plant life. When you take the time to learn the differences between all that plant life, you no longer see just one unit. It is thousands of units coming together to form a community.
Every time I find myself surrounded by this type of nature, I feel like I'm falling in love again. I challenge you to learn about the natural community you live in. Take the time to look up into the trees, and to identify what you see. Know how your actions affect everything that surrounds you. Think about the things you do before you do them. Consider why that groundhog is eating from your garden and find a peaceful approach to correct that. Realize that your bird feeder isn't only going to feed birds. The squirrels don't know the difference between a food source and a feeder meant solely for birds. Those plants are trying just as hard to survive as you are. Try and help them.
It's a beautiful natural world when you take the time to see it.
"Merrily we fall, out of line. I'd fall anywhere with you. I'm by your side. I'm not afraid anymore."
"Forever is a long time, but I wouldn't mind spending it by your side."
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