Walking in "Nature"

Where I live is surrounded by preserved natural land.  Sometimes driving in to town I see wild horses along the freeway (on the reservation, far on the other side of two fences).  When I go for walks in the morning though there is always more to see.  Smaller, generally, but more numerous.  This is my second week of getting up and out the door by 5:30 so I could walk without children.  I have seen a lot in the times I have gone out but I have not shared what I have seen with anyone.  It is like it is a secret between me and the dawn.  Something that we share together, but talking might ruin the magic a little. 

So I likely won't share everything I see, but some creatures tug at my heart a little differently.  I know that javelina smell, they don't see well, and they are responsible for eating one of my favorite plants (which I had the audacity to plant in the front yard instead of the fully fenced in back), but I still think they are cute.  Maybe I am influenced by that great children's book Josefina Javelina. 

However, this herd travels about our houses frequently, so I feel like I know them a little.  They had three little babies with them, and at least six older javelina. 

 Here is my instagram shot.  The big ones are all I caught.  Two little ones had already crossed the street before I could get my phone out of my armband.  What you don't see is that they had moved in between houses, and on the street before this, which I came down, they had knocked over a trash can and helped themselves to a morning snack.  There is one more baby but he was being slower and coming up behind the bush and tree. 

I tried to get closer and get a picture of the little one, but I swear this one was staring at me.  You can see him kind of coming up on the left in the photo next to it.  I know they can't see well, and I was in the middle of the street, but I still felt like he was staring.  Since there were little ones, and I did not feel like being charged by a javelina at six in the morning, I gave up on any more pictures. 

Still it was nice to be able to share space for a bit with a herd of wild animals, just out doing their thing, and thinking about how the neighbor will wake up frustrated and have to pick up trash, as we have a few mornings.  If I haven't made it clear, I like where I live, even if I have to make my husband pick up trash knocked over by wild animals. 

The only downside is that it was already 70 degrees this morning, and I just hate heat, so I will likely only have a few more weeks of outside walking before I have to move indoors for exercise.