We were in South Dakota for Thanksgiving.  It was marvelous!  I’d never visited before and I felt so at home there in the grasslands, beneath a big sky, in a sharp wind.  I am from the great northern plains, after all.  Wide open space is the landscape of my soul.  Our main reason for going was to hunt pheasant, and hunt we did.  The dogs worked so beautifully it nearly broke my heart.  I think that’s what we should feel when we see a human or animal living and working within the realm of their gifts and talents — excelling towards mastery of a skill set.  When I see a birddog tearing it up in the field, working intelligently and instinctually, standing game with self-control and composure, it’s one of the most beautiful things I can think of.  It’s stunning.  It’s such an honor to work alongside them.

I’m saving some of the details of this trip for a larger piece I’m currently writing but one of the best takeaways from our journey (besides bringing home some beautiful meat for our freezer) was an appreciation for the way the farmers of South Dakota are managing their farms.  They’ve managed to create sanctuaries for wild animals within their crops and shelter belts.  It’s remarkable to see.  I was inspired by it and I came away from that trip wondering how I can blur the line between our cultivated hay fields and the BLM space that surrounds our farm so that I can create more habitat for wild animals on the edges of our property, essentially blurring the line between my space and their space.  More on that in the future, but for now, if you haven’t visited South Dakota, you’re missing out!