Squeaky Voices Unite

And now from the prairie dogs

Well hello again! I’m so glad to see you I had the best experience yesterday. I just can’t wait to tell you about it. Would you like a glass of wine today? Have a seat, I’ll be right back.

“A Toast To Life!” ‘Clink’

So, I was walking through the pasture and I kept hearing “Hey, hey, hey. Hey you! Over here.”

I paused and looked around. The prairie dog colony was all abuzz with the chirps of my presence but this one was looking more intently at me as I heard those words in my head and on my heart.

I asked aloud, “Are you calling to me?”

“Yes, over here. Come on over here,” this adorable face said to me.

As I got closer, the shy one dropped into it’s hole with just it’s head poking out. “I won’t hurt you,” I replied as I stopped walking and sat down to offer a respectful distance.

“Yes, but my instinct to retreat is very strong, so I’ll just sit here. My body settles down and I feel safer when I know I have an easy escape.”

The soft breeze brought my hair into my eyes and as I reached up to brush it away, my new friend jumped and chittered deeper into it’s hole.

“Oh my,” I said. “You are a jumpy one.”

An echoey voice replied, “Instinct. We retreat whenever something in our environment changes.” Then the head popped out again so I could see it’s soft eyes and perky nose.

“Why did you call me over if it scares you,” I asked?

“I’m not really afraid of you. You see we all know who you are. In fact when we see you coming the town cry goes out. ‘It’s the female human who wears the pink ball cap.’

“Those of us who are closest to you will run to our holes, but we aren’t really afraid of you. We know you mean us no harm. In fact to teach the youngest pups we chatter about that too. We tell them that you won’t hurt us, but it’s best to be safe and run to our holes. Sometimes dogs come with you. We have to take care around dogs for sure. If you don’t have a dog with you, we let one another know that too.” Now the whole prairie dog was sitting on it’s mound around the hole.

“Wow. That’s a lot of communication about my presence and activities,” I said incredulously.

“Oh, we are quite the communicators. We know all of the regulars in our town. The male human who takes care of the horses. The barn cats who like to stalk us, the striped gray one is the most annoying, she just never gives up. The hawks and eagles - we know when they are hunting and when they are doing other things. The coyotes. The badgers. All of them. We know them as individuals and as species and what they are doing when they are doing it. We then tell one another.”

“I’ve heard that prairie dogs have a very complex language. That’s really cool, you really do, don’t you.”

“It’s how we survive. We are a true community.

“I called you over because I’ve heard that you have written about the insects and the horned lizards. I hope you’ll write a little something about us too. If humans get to know us a little better maybe they’ll see that we can live together better than we can at war.”

The town of prairie dogs was basically quiet by now, and they were going back to being about their business of cleaning up around their mounds and grazing while I sat in reverence for this powerful experience.

“What’s your name,” I asked?

“Alan,” He said with some pride, everyone likes to be recognized and my asking him for his name made him feel more seen. “Did you know that we are a keystone to the prairie? We don’t just eat an area into desertification. Why would we do that?!? We couldn’t survive if we did. Human’s have made it very difficult for us by keeping us in small areas so it looks like we just create damage rather than being an essential part of a healthy environment.

“Our holes are magical. We are very good diggers,” he preened his nails a little bit as he stated this.

“In fact we call down the rains with our voices and with the way our holes allow the aquifers to speak from below the soil. Today’s humans seem to forget the relationship we are all in. There is more to a healthy environment than just the material. The subtle energies of community with all is really powerful. It’s important to have devotion to the whole of LIFE rather than just what is seen.”

A prairie dog from a few yards away came loping up to Alan. Alan sat up and they embraced in a real hug and then they kissed before she went down the hole.

I was uplifted by watching this true appreciation they had for each other.

“See. Devotion. Express your love for one another. We do this all of the time. Friends. Family. We all hug and kiss in greetings. See how it made you feel. We lift the worldly vibration in that simple act.”

I nodded and smiled at him. I really did feel lighter.

Just then a prairie dog across the pasture went from all fours to reaching for the sky with a ‘CHOO’ sound then it dropped back down and went back to it’s business of grazing.

“What was that about,” I asked?

“Oh, we just celebrate being alive,” Alan replied. “We are just in the moment and when we feel really good we just let everyone know. It’s part of the way we impact the subtle energies.”

My smile broadened as I realized how much more that little act of celebration had lifted my own vibration let alone that of the morphogenic field. My appreciation for the prairie dogs deepened as I sat with Alan.

Suddenly, Alan jumped and chittered down his hole as I heard footsteps approaching behind me. I turned to see my mustang, Windman, coming over.

“Hi buddy, what are you doing?”

“I see you’re talking with Alan. You can come back out Alan, I won’t come any closer,” said Windman.

“Instinct. We retreat,” said Alan a little sheepishly as he emerged from his hole again.

“So you two are friends?”

“Of course we are,” answered Windman. “We all live together don’t we? Alan and I like to spend time grazing together some days.”

“You know, when we first moved to Mustang Hollow I was worried about all of the holes in this pasture. I had always heard that horses will break their legs if their environment is littered with holes,” I said to Windman.

Snort! “Humans! There is always an excuse for dominating LIFE in one way or another isn’t there,” Windman said with a little edge in his voice. “Do you all think we are that stupid?!? Do you know where your feet are? Well, guess what, so do I. Are there freak accidents? Of course there are. How many humans do you know that sprained their ankle, or worse, just stepping off a curb? It’s usually from being ungrounded or situations that have one distracted or fearful.”

“I realize that now,” I said. “We’ve hosted horses of all ages and breeds and backgrounds out here in this prairie dog town. I used to worry when I’d watch the herd gallop through these holes, but now I know you all know right where you’re feet are.

In fact, I’ve spent a lot of time asking different people from different backgrounds if they personally know of a horse or a cow that had broken it’s leg in a prairie dog hole. I found one woman who had a pony who had become injured. Just one. All the rest just relayed the idea that they heard that it could happen.

I really thought I’d have to fill all of the holes out here when we first moved in. But that first late Spring I met burrowing owls. I knew I had to leave the holes open for them. It’s a bonus that I get to watch the burrowing owls that use these holes raise their young.”

“Oh those silly owls,” said Alan. “They like to harass us from time to time but we have a good relationship. They eat a lot of the beetles and other bugs that are a part of our town. It helps create a healthy balance. Plus they are true comedians when they are feeling safe and silly,” he chuckled at the thought.

“We are a real town with a diverse population. Our town creates homes for black-footed ferrets, the burrowing owls, swift foxes, snakes, horned-lizards, a wide variety of insects and more. Since our numbers are dwindling, so are the numbers of most of our towns folk.

We also help keep the soil healthy so that the prairie can have it’s diverse plant life.

Can’t you stop the war humans have against us? We just want to live. We want to raise families and celebrate life just like you all do.”

I looked lovingly at Alan as he pleaded with me with his eyes. “Alan, I promise to do my best to create awareness for you and all of the species who are in trouble right now. Truth be known, humans don’t realize how important it is that we develop a good relationship with all of LIFE so that we can continue to live. We are all connected. As we poison and dominate this beautiful place that we call home, Earth, we are creating an unsustainable life.

I see this and it saddens me. I promise to keep getting better in my relationship with you all and with all of LIFE so that I am doing my best to not be a part of the problem.

I’ll share your words with anyone who will listen. I promise.”

“Thank you. I’m sure every small act will grow. We prairie dogs are very aware of the power of one and each of our impact on the morphogenic field,” Alan replied.

Windman stepped closer to me to offer his support and acknowledgement of my commitment. He stopped grazing long enough to nod at Alan.

As I rose to leave, Alan chittered back down his hole again. Windman and I both chuckled together, “Instinct.” And we left as Alan’s head popped back above the rim.

——-

What a great experience! I’m so glad that Alan called me over, we have so much to learn from all of our relations.

Thanks for sitting a spell and listening to Alan’s voice. Come back again, will you?