What is that in the tree?

There is nothing like being in a deep, sound sleep to be harshly awakened by the dog barking frantically, jumping up and down on the bed trying to alert you that there is an intruder nearby. Then having the 40 lb. dog in all her excitement, use your chest as a ramp, as she leaps into action, charging out of the dog door to continue the barking rampage on the edge of the forest. 

My heart was pounding out of my chest from the sudden jerk into reality. Sleepily I listened for a noise. Thinking what on earth could she be barking at?  I heard the strangest sound coming from outside. Yaaaaaag engggg  Yaaaaag enggggg.  It sounded like a soft but continuous cry coming from the top of one of the huge cedar trees that surrounds my house. I hopped out of bed and walk out onto the porch to take a look.  There was a beautiful star filled sky this evening, with a sliver of the moon casting slight shadows on the branches blowing lightly in the breeze. The sensation was a bit eerie and the sound Yaaaaaag engggggg Yaaaaaaag enggggggg was still filling the silent spaces of the night. I couldn't see anything up in the tree but my dog was relentless. I was thinking it must be a baby bear crying for its mamma, but really the sound was kind of unearthly and unsettling. Yaaaaaaag engggggg  Yaaaaaaaaag enggggggg.  I knew that there would be no rest on the farm this evening with that sound continuing and the dog barking.  Coming to my senses I realized I must take some sort of action, but what? I am lucky I live in a remote area with no really close neighbors. So, I have a few more options open to me. The first and probably the stupidest option was the one I choose because after all, it was 12:30 am and I was still half asleep. I went back into the house and grabbed my little .357 magnum revolver from the night table. A gun which I have had for 20 years and have not fired since the day I bought it. I could not remember why I hadn't fired it but recall there being a good reason. It didn't really seem to matter.  I was not thinking clearly. I was determined to scare off whatever it was out of the tree so that I could have a little peace and quiet.  Yaaaaaag engggggg Yaaaaag engggggggg. Yep, it is still there and I knew this was going to be a good idea.

I grabbed the gun. It was heavy in my hand for such a little thing. An American made, precision crafted five shot revolver. I could feel the quality of this tool. The grip was warm in my hand as I marched outside with a mission. Yaaaaaag enggggggg Yaaaaaag enggggggg. 

It was dead quiet other than the noise coming from the tree. Even the slight breeze was whispering, making the crying sound even more grating.  My dog was now at my feet pacing around nervously. Quiet is all I wanted! So I raised the gun straight up into the air and pulled the trigger.

The sound was deafening to my right ear. I have never heard a canon fired, but I am sure it was as loud as that in the stillness.  A flame shot out of the barrel about two feet into the air, lighting up the yard and the forest for a quick peak into the night. I felt like my shoulder became dislocated from the kick back.  The next thing I remember is that I was standing alone. My dog was gone and my ear was ringing. I could feel the earth rumbling under my feet. Not unlike the western movies where someone puts there ear to the ground and says" riders are approaching". I realized right then that my cattle herd was stampeding. The noise of the gun was so loud that it spooked them into a frenzy.

Forgetting about the sound in the tree for a moment, I had other problems more pressing. I could now hear my dog barking in the far off distance. Was she down by the road? I quickly ran into the house and grabbed a flash light and put down the gun. I started calling for the dog and was hearing cattle in places I know they shouldn't be. First things first, I must find the dog. I headed off down the long driveway thinking "this is not my idea of a fun evening." The moonlight was filtering through the Alder trees making the run a little easier. The dog barking was a far echo in the forest.

Coming to the end of the driveway the moonlight was shining on the pavement casting a silver light on my terrified dog. Her tail was between her legs but she was still barking at the unknown noise up in the tree but now from a safer distance.  I called her to me and told her we had a job to do. “The cattle are out and we must find them”. She understood the word job and cattle and I could see her energy shift as she pulled it together. She followed me back up the driveway and we filled a bucket with grain.  With flashlight in hand, we were off to find the herd of cattle and to see what damage they caused to the fence.

Walking through the forest at night is no easy task. There is lots of underbrush and trees down on the ground that has to be navigated. There are rotten, decaying fallen trees that you sink into up to your knees. I was trudging through the worst of it when I saw the glowing red eyes peering at me from behind the trees. A quick shake of the bucket and I knew my little beasts would follow me anywhere. They quickly responded with a conciliatory moooooo.  In these moments I feel a little like the Pied Piper. Another shake of the bucket and I heard them moving. I continued my walk towards the biggest gate, opened it and kept up a steady pace still shaking the bucket. The cows seemed happy to have a reassuring presence in their midst. Grain and "the human" is a good thing.  I made a quick count determining that they were all present and accounted for. Then; I had some fence repair to deal with. Walking all the way back to the house, I quickly turned off the power to the fence and grabbed my fencing tools and extra wire. Fixing fencing under the moon light can be a very Zen experience. As a farmer fencing becomes second nature. There is always fencing that needs to be taken care of. So I found the breaks in the wire and efficiently repaired the gaps enjoying the silence and the simple act of doing repairs. Fixing the worst of it, I walked the rest of the fence line to make sure it was sound. I slowly made my way back to my house. Now, enjoying the silence of the night, the beautiful glow of the moon on the pasture and the way it made everything look so magical. I turned the fence back on and headed back up to bed. It was now 4:30 am and I was glad that was over. I was thinking to myself that the gun was not such a good idea. I laid my head down on the pillow. The dog curled up at my feet. I shut my eyes. I started to drift off,   Yaaaaaag enggggggg Yaaaaag enggggggg. The dog was up again, barking wildly. My eyes popped open. I reached over to my night table for option two; I pulled out the ear plugs.