Birthing stories on the prairie

We meet on the prairie, dodge badger holes, pitch tents, fill them with our thickest pads to guard our hips and knees against the lumpy, hilly ground covered in bunch grass and an occasional boulder. We bring a pen and notebook and extricate ourselves from our keyboards and pre-occupations; we practice presence and inhale setting. We expect to find a deep connection with this land, and the gumption to write about it in a way that touches and inspires. And we come to hear stories, others, and with any luck, our own.

Adaptation

On Zumwalt Prairie barn and cliff swallows nest in the big red barn and in the eaves of the property's three buildings. Their constant dips and dives near their nests act as a background for life here. Native Americans, however, did not build barns and the swallows had to build their nests in natural conditions that afforded protection from their enemies. They found security and protection in rocky caves, in crevices in rocky cliffs, on rock shelves with some protection from above, and even in holes or natural cavities in cutbacks. 

The cheat grass swayed 

above the swallow's shadow, 

leaving me to wonder if a bird 

so intent on flight 

might trade his perch 

for a nest in the dirt.

Current affairs on the Zumwalt

The Red-tailed Hawk high above the parched prairie optimizes wing on current, shifts into dignified glide. Below, Hare Barley and Idaho Fescue arabesque in waves east and southeast with ballet dancer grace. Only the spunky Aspen are bodacious enough to get their giddy on; leaves welcome the liberating breeze by twirling, whirling, unafraid to show their silvery undergarments as they somersault.

Wins and losses on the prairie

On the west side of the faded red barn hang two elk skulls. Both sport 6-point racks, one with weathered tufts of brown hair clinging to the forehead, the other with a crazy left eye leaving it with a "holy shit" look. Trophies of some hunter's kill. On the east side of the farm house, facing the elk, a pair of barn swallows raise their young in a nest built in the window guard installed to keep them away, and swoop in on schedule to feed their clutch.