My house is quiet, and I'm procrastinating
Sep. 4th, 2004 03:01 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
stoney321I find myself unmotivated to do the many things I should do, so instead, I will give you the Greatest Story Ever Told. Not Biblical, although it does involve man vs. nature.
When I was in college, I spent my summers working for the national parks, namely in the Teton National Park. I learned that people are idiots when taken out of their natural habitat. The place I was stationed was on top of a 8,000 foot mountain, next to a gorgeous lake, across from the Tetons, and behind us was an eagle preserve. Bald eagles. You know, our national bird that was suffering from possible extinction at the time.
You can look down on the preserve, but you can't go into it, for obvious reasons. You also aren't supposed to have pets off leashes as there are grizzly bears and black bears that move through the park. In addition to buffalo, coyotes, wolves, etc. Not smart to have a dog bounding through the woods, you dig?
We have an older couple come through in their "top of the line" bus. Not an RV, but a bus that looks like it belongs to a rock group. Can't camp without custom made cabinetry, right? She is a New Englander that wears workout clothes that have never been sweated in. A Linda Richmond type. She carries her precious Pomeranian around, Miss Crumpet. I know the dog's name because it has a rhinestone collar telling me this. And a tiara. I swear to god the dog had a tiara. They are the type that complains about EVERYTHING.
"It's so muggy out here. Why are there mosquitoes? You call this food? You call this a trail? When do you turn the lights on in the mountains? When do you let the animals out of their cages in the morning?"
{those are actual questions asked of me, and true complaints made}
They let her run around the facilities and terrorize the kids there (a serious ankle biter, this one) and had been given two warnings, and told the next time would result in a ticket. It's about a $600 ticket. If the bears feel threatened, they'll come looking. Sure enough, they are on the top of Signal Mountain looking down on the eagles and have Miss Crumpet baring her teeth and chasing the frightened kids around by the cliff's edge. My friend was on duty that day and he pulls up and starts writing them their ticket. She starts yelling at him and saying her sweet, little doggie wouldn't hurt a fly. Just at that moment,
EEEEEEEEE-ahhhhh! YELP!
An eagle swooped down and snatched Miss Crumpet and flew off. This woman starts going ballistic and reaches for my friend's gun. He slaps her hand away and she orders him to "shoot it! Shoot it! Oh, Miss Crumpet!!" He asks her if she seriously expects him to shoot the national bird in the national park. She begins to berate him and say she'll have his badge, yadda yadda yadda. He lets her know:
"Ma'am, I have no idea where that bird nests. Secondly, even if I could find the nest, you don't want your dog. Next time, don't put a beacon on your animal's head to let the predators know where they are."
He rips the ticket off the pad, hands it to her and says, "Have a nice day."
By the time we got back to the lodge, he had been on the radio to every park from Banff to the Grand Canyon telling them about Miss Crumpet. Ha ha!!
Nature rules! Maybe one day I'll tell you of the idiots at Old Faithful.
Look at THIS and imagine a snippy, teeth baring, rhinestone collar having dog on the end of those. YIKES!
When I was in college, I spent my summers working for the national parks, namely in the Teton National Park. I learned that people are idiots when taken out of their natural habitat. The place I was stationed was on top of a 8,000 foot mountain, next to a gorgeous lake, across from the Tetons, and behind us was an eagle preserve. Bald eagles. You know, our national bird that was suffering from possible extinction at the time.
You can look down on the preserve, but you can't go into it, for obvious reasons. You also aren't supposed to have pets off leashes as there are grizzly bears and black bears that move through the park. In addition to buffalo, coyotes, wolves, etc. Not smart to have a dog bounding through the woods, you dig?
We have an older couple come through in their "top of the line" bus. Not an RV, but a bus that looks like it belongs to a rock group. Can't camp without custom made cabinetry, right? She is a New Englander that wears workout clothes that have never been sweated in. A Linda Richmond type. She carries her precious Pomeranian around, Miss Crumpet. I know the dog's name because it has a rhinestone collar telling me this. And a tiara. I swear to god the dog had a tiara. They are the type that complains about EVERYTHING.
"It's so muggy out here. Why are there mosquitoes? You call this food? You call this a trail? When do you turn the lights on in the mountains? When do you let the animals out of their cages in the morning?"
{those are actual questions asked of me, and true complaints made}
They let her run around the facilities and terrorize the kids there (a serious ankle biter, this one) and had been given two warnings, and told the next time would result in a ticket. It's about a $600 ticket. If the bears feel threatened, they'll come looking. Sure enough, they are on the top of Signal Mountain looking down on the eagles and have Miss Crumpet baring her teeth and chasing the frightened kids around by the cliff's edge. My friend was on duty that day and he pulls up and starts writing them their ticket. She starts yelling at him and saying her sweet, little doggie wouldn't hurt a fly. Just at that moment,
EEEEEEEEE-ahhhhh! YELP!
An eagle swooped down and snatched Miss Crumpet and flew off. This woman starts going ballistic and reaches for my friend's gun. He slaps her hand away and she orders him to "shoot it! Shoot it! Oh, Miss Crumpet!!" He asks her if she seriously expects him to shoot the national bird in the national park. She begins to berate him and say she'll have his badge, yadda yadda yadda. He lets her know:
"Ma'am, I have no idea where that bird nests. Secondly, even if I could find the nest, you don't want your dog. Next time, don't put a beacon on your animal's head to let the predators know where they are."
He rips the ticket off the pad, hands it to her and says, "Have a nice day."
By the time we got back to the lodge, he had been on the radio to every park from Banff to the Grand Canyon telling them about Miss Crumpet. Ha ha!!
Nature rules! Maybe one day I'll tell you of the idiots at Old Faithful.
Look at THIS and imagine a snippy, teeth baring, rhinestone collar having dog on the end of those. YIKES!
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no subject
Date: 2004-09-04 06:15 pm (UTC)You see, they grew up in a very very harsh neighborhood wehere you basicly kick someones ass every month or lose your reputation as a "man" and though they are both INSANELY intelligent, they see the worth in being "hard asses" as it means no one will mess with them. I don't belive they have ever seen "You got mail", to be blunt about it.
So, this random act of kindess, is so, SO unlike them, that the end result can be nothing but commical.
They were going to school one day, Universty of Toledo, heading for class, not too much time to spare. They know being late on one of the first days of school is something you just don't want to do, so they make that extra effort to rush to class. HOWEVER, upon entering the glass double doors of the fine arts complex, they come upon an unexpected site... a baby bunny.
Now, it seems like all these artsy, college goers (the very people that can ofter be generalized animal lovers and protectors of nature) were passing by this VERY OBVIOUS creature, who was helpless and shaking. The two, doing the last thing anyone would ever expect them to do, managed to corner the bunny, to set it free. They were gental and cautios, as not to startle the bunny. This is such a rare site for these two, doing something for the good of nature, and innosence. As they let it go out the two double glass doors into the sidwalk followed by a grassy feild, they felt the joy in their small, mall hearts as they watched the bunny trot away, back into its natural enviroment.
Of course, the Eagle perched up on the light post saw MUCH more than a Kodac moment, and decided that the bunny would make a MUCH better lunch. The twins watched in horror as the Bunny was swooped away by the bird of prey, and taken above and beyond the fine arts building.
They took it as a lesson. They know now that they were never turly ment to do good in this world, and even nature belives that to be so.
:-p not as classic as Miss Crumpet, but its good :-p Stumbled upon your journal by clicking a friends friends list, and thought I'd comment in here since I REALLY LIKE your Michael Whelan Icons. Snow Queen was always my favorite work by him :-)
Hola, Amigo! (Amiga?)
Date: 2004-09-04 06:28 pm (UTC)And thanks for the icon love. If you credit, you may have! (Snow Queen is also a terrific book, if you haven't read it.)
no subject
Date: 2004-09-05 12:45 pm (UTC)