Old Horns

When the time comes that I need to start my observations for the day, in order for me to see all aspects of the field behind my home I need to trespass. Well, during my last observation I took it a little farther than usual. I decided to explore the entire field up close, rather than just sit in a corner and watch. While satisfying my curiosity I found what looks like an extremely old goat horn. The horn appeared to have been aging in that field for so long that it had witnessed the beginning of its own decomposition. It had faded from its original dingy white color to a worn, rusted shade of dark brown. What used to be a smooth and glistening pearl that aided a goat in defending his life and pride is now a goat's rough, dull, rigid and flaky remains that aid me in collecting unwanted splinters, but it is still not any less beautiful. Although it symbolizes the death of an animal, that horn represents the long, and eventful life of one as well. That horn in itself is a record of every meal, conflict, and form of recreation that goat ever experienced. That horn is the goat's legacy. In times of death it is the deceased's legacy that influences us to think about them when they were living and healthy. Every detail embedded deeply in the horn is its own paragraph in a story that explains the goats life. Watching the horn influenced me to think about that goats story. Which I feel helped me gain a better understanding of what this animal had faced in life, and with that came a newly discovered appreciation for this goat. I only wish that I hadn't needed to find his remains for me to appreciate him more. After a relentless cycle of thoughts I realized that there are many things in life, much like the goat, that we take for granted and don't see the value in until it is too late. Personally, I know there are many parts of my life that were cast aside in a field as old horns, holding a story, waiting to be seen as something worth appreciating.

Picture taken by me, Aizik Espinosa on November 5th, 2014

 

the Goofy one

Over the course of my observations I have witnessed a sudden change of attitude in one of the llamas. Recently I have noticed more similarities between the white llama and my dog than any of the other animals on the field behind my home. This particular llama's days are just like any other, they consist of eating, sleeping, and wondering around aimlessly, but this llama has been acting strange, in a good way I suppose. His mood seems to be a lot more positive and quirky. Every once and a while I will find him rolling around in dirt for the sake of not being clean, or scratching his face with a wooden post and a look of utter satisfaction. It is almost as if someone brain washed him into thinking that he is a Labrador, he is playful and social and very protective. During my last observation I found him playing with the neighbors run away puppy. the dog kept running around the lama making the already clumsy beast spin around into a whirl of confusion. During today's observation I got stuck in a very awkward and frightening encounter with my psychotic friend, we stood ten feet away from each other. The look in his eyes while he growled  said "if you make any sudden movements I will launch an enormous spit ball at you." Which by the way is how they defend them selves, they keep a cesspool of rotten, accumulated liquid stored away that they will spit at you if provoked. Anyway, it interested me to see such a change of mood in this llama because I had never really seen an animal have, "a good day." I suppose animals have different moods as well, they can be content one day and sad the other day all for no apparent reason, just like humans.

Just Chillin'

The lamas living adjacent to me are extremely clumsy. When they walk, they resemble super models strutting down the cat walk with a broken heel. Struggling to keep their balance, they still maintain a serious and confident look that says "I am way to tired to care." They're also unbelievably boring, all they care about is food, the only reason they take the time to pay attention to anything other than their next meal is to make sure nothing is going to bother them while they eat their next meal. they are calm too, lamas are the perfect examples of relaxation. their eyelids never move from the same place, they are always on the verge of closing even though the lama has complete control over how open his eyelids are. If he wasn't a lama I would assume that he had little to much dopamine in his system. These animals are awkward, lazy, and boring, but they are the most peaceful creatures I have ever seen.  

More Than a Mere Coexistence

Not once in all of the years living in my home have I ever paid such close attention to the animals living next door. Now that I have, I notice that all animals come preinstalled with an instinct that urges them to do what is necessary to survive and with that instinct they fend for themselves. But animals are not the only things that are born with this drive for survival. People, among every other living thing on this planet are given this natural impulse to out live their rival souls. Even though this instinct creates a self absorbed community, all animals, wild and domestic coincidentally aid one another in the fight for survival. Even in the field behind my house, the trees provide shade for the lamas and a home for the birds. The lamas, believe it or not, provide protection for the field. The grass provides food. Even the mess of litter left by a careless soda consumer works to give a torn seven up can to a spider for shelter. Having seen all of this, I know that each living individual is a simple yet significant part of an ecosystem. All life on the field behind my home, keeping its own interests in mind, unknowingly coexists for a purpose. These plants and animals come together in unity and harmony and all they are doing is trying to keep themselves alive. How do they make it look so easy?