The season is definitely turning and it’s time to head to the woods to see if we can find any mushrooms. I asked the star of Ye Olde Blogge if he was up to this challenge and he said:
So far, no mushrooms seen but we did come across these beauties.
On the other side of the path I came across a familiar (to us) place: the spot where I found a gutted deer a couple of autumns ago. Absolutely nothing left to show Jim’s final resting place, now. Yes, dear reader I named the young buck I found. I have not written about Jim on the blog because I thought it might gross some people out so be warned. But my friend Joanne (blame her! 😉) urged me to tell the story, so here goes.
Trigger warning: If you are squeamish, you might want to skip the text and just focus on the visuals.
The Story of Jim
As mentioned above, 2 years ago I came across his freshly-killed carcass on the side of the trail. There were actually 3 carcasses on various parts of the trail that year. They all looked to be killed by non-humans (cougar?), as the flesh remained intact but all the innards were gone. (When humans kill, they tend to take the whole carcass and leave behind the head, hooves and innards.) The other two were does but when I saw one was a buck I knew I wanted his skull. So I made a plan and came back to him with a garbage bag, gloves, and a knife.
Cutting through his neck tissue and skin was pretty easy but my knife was no match for his bones. So I stood on his shoulder and grabbed his antlers and twisted with all my might until his neck snapped. From then on it was easy to complete the rest of the removal. I decided to name him Jim as he needed one and it was the first name that came to mind.
Once home I gave Jim’s head to the chickens, thinking they would make short work of it but apparently our chickens are too well fed and after a few exploratory pecks they left him alone. So I took Jim back and buried him in my garden, next to the rhubarb. I left his antlers sticking out of the ground and covered those with a pail weighed down with a big rock, in case something decided to dig him up. And there he rested, for an entire year. While I continued on my walks and noticed the rest of Jim being gradually consumed by scavengers and his bones eventually being scattered before disappearing altogether.
The following autumn I pulled Jim out of the ground – now completely cleaned of fur and flesh – and washed him up before bringing him into the house. Now he oversees my hallway, guarding my space and greeting every guest that enters. If they look up, that is.
Now back to our regularly scheduled programming…
Just as I thought we were going to head back home without seeing any mushrooms, I spied some familiar shapes in the underbrush.
Well, that was a longer than usual post. I hope you enjoyed it and were not overly grossed out by my tale. I’m not showing early signs of being a serial killer, I promise! I just wanted a deer skull with antlers for my home.
We hope you are having a lovely weekend, full of fun discoveries.
Rock on, and Elbows Up!
The WB
I have to admit, I knew you were outdoorsy… but not grab a knife and chop off a deer head outdoorsy. Can’t decide if I’m impressed or horrified.
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We’ve been so dry this year I haven’t seen a single mushroom.
Well, I didn’t think so either but “needs must” and all that. 😂 Thanks, Rivergirl 💕
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I’m impressed!
Thank you, Sheree 💕 I kinda impressed myself, truth be told!
Our dogs brought home a skull and spine. We hung the skull in the woods for several months and it came as clean as could be. So no I am not grossed out. Of course as a nurse it takes a lot to gross me out. Did you ever read the post about my rabbit skills? Bernie
No, I didn’t not read that post! Umm…dare I ask who the skull and spine belonged to? 😂 You left that detail out and I am imagining all sorts of possibilities. Thanks, Bernie 💕
The dogs dragged it home so we have zero idea where it came from. Likely coyote kill.
https://equipoiselife.wpcomstaging.com/2020/11/15/cacciatore/
WordPress won’t let me like or leave a comment on your post so I’ll respond here. I agree with everything you said and did. I think it’s kinda sad that as a society we’ve become disconnected from our food and the cycle of life. Thanks for sharing, Bernie 💕
Schools are starting gardens to reconnect kids to food which seems crazy to me as i have always gardened and so my kids knew and now they garden. Our daughter also has laying and eating chickens, occasionally pigs or turkey (not fun creatures) so the gkids know. But so many don’t
Interesting mushrooms and a wall hanging too!
Thank you, Kate 💕
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Widow Badass, what a post. I came for the mushroom hunt and stayed for Jim, and I have to say the most practical detail in the whole story is burying him by the rhubarb with the antlers under a pail weighed down with a rock. That is genuinely useful knowledge for anyone who has ever wanted a found skull and had no idea where to start. Also, standing on his shoulder and twisting the antlers is the definition of needs must, and I laughed out loud.
Bowser reporting for duty as Oma is the perfect counterweight to the deer-skull saga. And the long shadows and the Palace of the Mushroom Fairy capture that bittersweet September feeling better than any calendar could. Hope the rains arrive soon and the first sighting turns into many.
Thanks Alex, for the lovely comment!💕 I will be posting more mushrooms as I discover them, especially those that will grow on the dead tree that I call the Palace of the Mushroom Fairy 😁.
Thanks, Widow Badass, that is kind of you to say.