The Great Outdoors: Pass It On
The official first day of spring this year is Friday, March 20, at 9:46 am. That is 480 hours and 28,800 minutes. Can you tell I am ready? It has been a long winter. We had some nice days to get outdoors in January and February, but then the cold winds and snow came.
I don’t know about you, but I am ready for any warm days we can get in March. I am ready for the colors of spring in tiny wildflowers bursting through decayed leaves. I am ready for the blooming of the redbud trees followed by the flowering dogwoods.
I am really ready for the emergence of morel mushrooms on the forest floor. I enjoy getting out and searching for them. I sauté them in butter and eat them with grilled venison steaks or fried crappie.
While I search for morels, the odds are pretty good I will find a few shed deer antlers. That is the bonus to mushroom hunting. I take them home and hang them in my barn. Most of them, I will use to make things like coat racks, lamps and other things. Then I will give them away to family, neighbors or friends at church.
I am looking forward to camping out and hearing the first trilling sounds of the spring peeper frog. I know they will be followed soon by the haunting sound of the whippoorwill. On a distant ridge, I might hear a turkey gobble. They know mating time is almost here.
I promised a neighbor boy, who calls me Papa Larry, that I would take him on his first turkey hunt. He will sit beside me and won’t be using a gun this year. His dad is not a hunter or fisherman, but he is okay with me doing that. God didn’t make us all outdoor enthusiasts.
He and his wife are getting their kids involved in team sports. That is important for character building. They have them in church every Sunday. They read them the Bible and teach them to say their prayers.
My kids and grandkids also grew up hunting and fishing, playing sports and going to church. The grandkids are all living in other states and either married or in college. They will always remember growing up in the outdoors with their dad and papa. When they have kids, I am confident they will pass it on.
His mom says he is counting the days until turkey season. There are 42 to go, and he lets her know each morning how many days are left. His sister wants to go next year. Their younger twin sisters and new little brother will probably all want to go, too, someday. I want them all to discover what it is like to be outdoors and not just playing in their yard.
While we are out there, since they are closer to the ground than I am, they will also be good at finding mushrooms and deer antlers. I will let them sample the mushrooms to see if they like them. I will also let them help me make something for Mom and Dad out of the shed deer antlers.
Native birds and migrating birds will begin singing their spring songs this month. I will smile because I know the beautiful spring days are coming in all their glory, and the sooner, the better.
The kids next door love watching the birds and feeding them. They can even tell me the names of some of them. I give them binoculars to watch them, along with bird feeders and seed to feed them.
During the summer, they all come to my barn, except for the new brother, and I teach nature classes to them. When the new little brother gets older, he will join us. This year, we will be making birdhouses and more bird feeders for their front and back yards.
Below the water of our area lakes, streams and rivers, fish are beginning to head to their spawning areas. The oldest brother and sister have already asked me to take them fishing this spring to a local stream my grandkids grew up fishing and playing on. I will get their dad to go along with me to help. He needs to learn how to fish, too.
They will learn it is not just about catching fish. It is also about sitting on the gravel bar and finding arrowheads, rocks with holes in them and rocks with unique shapes. They will learn to find small flat rocks and how to skip them across the water.
They will see a bird called the Kingfisher that flies up and down the creek squawking as it goes. If they are lucky, they will hear a turkey gobble or see a deer coming down to the water for a drink. They might even catch a fish. That will be the bonus.
When summer comes, the whole family will come with me to the creek. They will swim and play. I will put a swim mask on them so they can discover the amazing underwater world where the fish live. I will catch a crawdad and show them how to be careful not to get pinched by it.
Kids will never experience all that watching television, playing computer games or using social media on their smartphones. We should make time in our busy lives to take them to do things in the outdoors that will change their lives for the better.
With the blessings of the parents of the kids next door, I will do my best to help instill in them a love for all that God created for us to enjoy. When they grow up, they will teach their kids as I taught them. Can you imagine what could happen if we all did that? It could change the lives of generations to come if we all continue to pass it on.
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
“I sincerely believe that for the child, and for the parent seeking to guide them, it is not half so important to know as to feel when introducing a young child to the natural world. If facts are the seeds that later produce knowledge and wisdom, then the emotions and the impressions of the senses are the fertile soul in which the seeds must grow. The years of childhood are the time to prepare the soil.”
- Rachel Carson
Larry Whiteley has communicated the great outdoors across American for over 40 years through newspapers, magazines, books, blogs and a nationally syndicated radio show. To read more of his award-winning stories, go to www.storiesbylarry.com. Email him at larrywhiteley2@gmail.com.
