Back in November while trudging through the swamp on the opposite side of the creek on my parent’s property, we came across two surprises. 1. A stand of Jack Pine that does not belong in a swamp. Weird. (They prefer dry, sandy soil.) 2. In that stand of pine was a Long Eared Owl sitting there quietly watching us. So cool.

Monday, I decided to venture out on my own to once again see if I could find the owl or any owl as we hear them very often at night. I knew the creek would hopefully be frozen so I could easily cross, and with the projected weather forecast, that might not last long. Also, it’s much easier trudging through a swamp when it’s frozen. (Want a good workout? Trudge through a swamp.)

I was gone for about 2 hours and walked about a mile. It was so eerily quiet. I did manage to find the stand of Jack Pines again. I also managed to find myself breaking through the ice along the bank and into knee high muck. I did have on Randy’s knee high rubber boots, but dog gone it, I sunk just beneath the tops of them. Cold water seeped into them. Now if you’ve never sunk a foot into a swamp, then you wouldn’t know that it creates suction basically trapping your foot/leg in the muck and holds on for dear life! So yeah, there I was, foot stuck in the swamp, alone. I sat on a grass hump and contemplated life for about 10 minutes hoping the suction would let up a bit, wondering who would come rescue me so I wouldn’t have to walk home in one sock. After studying the other boot I realized there was a buckle of sorts and a strap, I was able to plunge my hand in and find the strap and with a darn good amount of pulling and the beautiful sound of the swamp giving up my boot (squelch a pffft), I was released!!! Woohoo!!!

I went home, giggling of course at my adventure. But also thankful I didn’t have to leave behind Randy’s brand new boot. Whew

I did not see any owls.