Yesterday morning I woke at around 3:30 AM to the sound of coyotes in the distance.
It was the first time in years I’d heard them. I lay in bed and listen to them call and respond for several minutes. To many, coyotes are a nuisance animal hated for killing family pets and backyard chickens. To me their yipping a peaceful sound.
I got up and prepared for a busy day working in the field. It meant I spent a lot of time driving in my car.
Driving through rural southern middle Tennessee offers a feast for the eyes. I watched the sun rise over the rolling hills, waking the sleepy valleys below. I passed by fields where horses and cows grazed or where farm equipment slept, waiting for spring.
I usually spend drive time listening to the local public radio station, but I was not within reach of a public radio station, at least not one I could find on the radio dial. I was out of data range or even cell phone range for parts of the day. Yes, there are places like that in the world, especially in rural Tennessee.
Most of the drive was spent in silence, but on the way home I played around until I found a Christian talk show and decided to give it a listen. The topic? Pro-life means anti-abortion and ONLY anti-abortion, and those who would tie immigration to the pro-life movement are tainting the movement. The host insinuated that DACA has nothing to do with evangelical Christians and DACA recipients should perhaps be deported. As one caller to the show explained, that’s why we send missionaries into harm’s way- to save them on their home soil, not bring them onto ours.
Another caller talked about how people with Alzheimer’s are at risk of euthanasia, but coconut oil is a promising cure for the disease. No evidence that works, but A) it may save grandma from the Death Panels (apparently that’s still a thing?) and B) who believes science anyway?
It was quite startling to hear, but it does explain where some of these evangelical attitudes originate.
Ah, but soon I was home and met with happy, starving kitties who reminded me they had not eaten in *gasp* 8 hours!
All in all a good day- some parts better than others, of course.
Dogpaddling Through Life 
I use coconut oil for phenny’s fur but if it is such a magic potion I will eat a jar every day ….
Uh…. maybe not a whole jar? 🤢
My mum lives in a area where there is no mobile reception. For me it’s pure death! So reliant on my phone. Because despite not working my life is a full-time job! And I use every opportunity to organise/book, cull email and stay in touch with people. Great to come home to the babies. Starving or just missing their human! Cheers,H
It’s easy for people who depend so on their phones to realize many don’t have that access.
I hear the coyotes at night when I take dogs out for last call. As for them getting peoples pets well maybe they should be a little more responsible knowing there are coyotes out there. The coyotes here are very close and even come in my yard. I always check before taking my dogs out. My dogs smell them and most defiantly hear them. I don’t have small dogs but I prefer for them not getting near the dogs because I love them,I don’t want to lose them or them be harmed. I don’t want the vet bills and emotionally fighting animals really messes me up. As for cell phone it does not work here. I have one for when I am out in case I break down . I rely on land line. Hopefully my move will be finished this Friday. Still will be in the country . Coyote rollers are to be installed on my fence. Keep my jumpers in and Coyotes out.
Hope your move is going smoothly and the coyotes stay on their side of the fence.
My move has been hard. Everyone helping me works 3rd shift lol It however is almost done and I am so ready to be settled.
I can imagine. I’ve moved around once every year or so for the past 7 years and each time I’ve said it would be the last time.
I thought living here was the last time!I have been here 9 years. Tomorrow is the last of the move after that I think I will rest a couple days. I even dug out and prepared my bushes to transport to new house. They were all presents and the lilac was the last gift my mom gave me.
Don’t blame ya there.
People wouldn’t have problems with coyotes and wolves, if they didn’t feel the need to get “closer to nature” (whatever that’s supposed to mean) and build in heavily-wooded locales. We’ve had that problem here in Texas, especially in the Dallas / Fort Worth metropolitan area. Communities – usually gated – are springing up further and further away from the cores of both cities. Farmland is yielding to shopping and office complexes and 2-lane roads are expanding into 6- and 8-lane thoroughfares. Then, when wildfires approach or wildlife shows up, people have the nerve to get upset.
Coyotes have ventured into neighborhoods here also. It may not be popular but I’m siding with the coyotes.