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As my children are both in high school now, our time spent together doing things usually revolves around traveling to and from their various activities. After many years spent in the try it pool, it is kinda nice that the two have sorta refined/evolved their interests into that which they are most interested in.
However, since I have one FFA/4-H livestock judging, cattle showing, young business professional competing, shotgun shooting basketball player, and one football, basketball, track, and competitive shotgun and small bore marksman, let's just say that I have to really focus on scheduling just being family time.
Last night was to be one of those nights. The stars aligned in such a way this week that I foresaw Saturday night as being one of those nights. A movie night! And not just any movie night, I had a code for a free Pizza Gut pizza and free wings. Now, we don't eat out a lot, but during the great hospital stay foray courtesy of Rambling Ron (my dad) I ended up with a free pizza thanks to a sweet girl who apparently thought two hours was far too long for us to wait for a pizza (Like it was her fault there is a labor shortage...).
I also had a copy of Godzilla Vs. Kong.
Now here's the thing, My hubs, children, and I are all from vastly different generations, but we all have got one thing in common, we adore creature features of the giant monster kind.
The hubs is old enough that he enjoyed the actual Creature Features weekly along with the old Godzilla and King Kong flicks. Me, I am from the Jurassic Park, let's remake all the old movies cause we have kick ass computer animation now (Matthew Broderick's Godzilla movie anyone?) time of tv, and the kids, well let's just say that Pacific Rim is one of their favorite movies.
Probably Unnecessary Nostalgic Side note: When I watched Them! with my dad as a kid, I just knew that I could make one of those giant ants my friend and ride it around, I knew this because of Anty on Honey, I Shrunk The Kids. Many a good daydream sprouted from that brain train!
So there you have it, a multi-generational gathering of monster movie lovers was imminent. After returning home from Bobo's sporting clay match clear on the other side of Spokane, being stuck in a traffic jam on the freeway for over an hour because a motorcyclist and a car fought a tragic duel; we all finally convened on our rather large and comfy couch.
Pizza, wings, popcorn, and licorice in situ, we all turned our collective attention towards Godzilla and Kong. Each one of us has opinions on such things, and let me tell ya the movie had more Kat-family commentary than your average cable news show. Opinions flowed like parmesan cheese and peppers on to a slice of pan pizza, and my face broke into multiple contented smiles as I took in the scene.
One of the kittens was sitting regally just behind my hub's head, looking a bit like one of Godzilla's spikes atop the Hawaiian's large form. Our German Shepherd couldn't figure out why we were all residing at once in her couch domain, and kept moving around the living room like a nanny with an untreated case of anxiety. The cowboy corgi was doing her best dead goldfish impression on a pillow one of my friends made me for my birthday last year, and I only managed to wear half of my pizza by the first Kong and Godzilla fight, so things were going good.
We are not even going to get into what Baba Yaga got up too during the flick, she could whip both monsters and Mechagodzilla easily. I don't know what kind of energy was imbued into that kitten creature when it was hatched, but to this day I have never yet witnessed another animal in possession of so much, well, just extra.
We were post first round of comestibles, the movie itself was building to the ultimate battle, when my daughter suddenly blurted, Mom! Look out the window!"
To the left of our large grey couch is a massive picture window that looks out over the back pasture. Standing right past my shoulder no more than ten feet from where I sat was one of the gangly monsters which inhabit our woods,
A moose.
In the twilight her black brown shadowy form was enhanced as she picked her long legs up and down in a dance of anticipation and irritation. Moose are such funny looking, awkward creatures, all composed of rounded edges and stark angles. I love them.
We have large water troughs in all our pastures and I could see that one of them was Mama's destination, for at that point I could see she had a baby monster in tow. Baby moose are quite possibly the cutest ugly things one planet. Little M trotted up to Mama and plopped to his knees on the lawn, oblivious to the audience who was enthralled by his existential antics. His Quasimodo-like hump flapped back and forth as he crawled around our yard on his knees chomping large mouthfuls of sweet green grass.
Mama, not to be outdone in the ooh and ahh department gracefully leapt over two fences to get to the water trough and noisily slurped water everywhere like a mighty dowager drinking punch at a ton fete. All of us, human, canine, and cat alike, watched the scene in complete jaw-dropped delight.
And normally I would apologize for my lackluster pictures, but as I was covered in a corgi, two cats, and a nice soft blanket, they were the best I could do, there was no way I was going to jump up and wreck the scene.
That's kinda my point with this post I suppose, life is full of so many wonderous, random scenes. Whether they come from movies, experiences while observing them, or things that interrupt them, all of it is rather glorious.
Which of course is why I call myself an existential enthusiast after all.😉
That is one ugly horse! LOL! I wonder how many Californians would actually be perplexed upon seeing a moose in real life.
Just based on how early the moose are moving onto the farm and the increase in their numbers, I’m betting the Imports are going to have many an altercation to wax ecstatic about on our local FB groups fairly soon. I just hope none of them get stomped…
Oh, there are a few who probably have it coming, and I won't shed many tears if it happens.
Oh don’t hold back, tell me how you really feel😆😂😆
What an absolutely superb evening! Momma and gangly too! And if you'd not said anything about photo quality, I'd never have noticed, being so absorbed in reading and looking. :))
Ah, I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed the tale! I still smile every time I think of gangly’s antics, if they come back I’m going to try to film it and share it with ya’ll😊
Moose are such doofy animals. I'm perfectly fine seeing them tromp AROUND my property and not through. We are close to the highway though and they steer away from it mostly so they are not super common for us.
They are super dorky for sure. I'm a little concerned because we have had four through the yard in the past 24 hours, I am wondering if it's due to hunting season because we used to only have them come through once or twice a year, and this year they have been here a LOT! We don't mind them too much, but they can be hard on fence lines and I don't want to accidently get between mama and that youngin and get curbstomped.
So now I get to be tri-jealous cause you have a creek, a hot tub, and no moose lol lol!
I'd think the dry summer or hunting season has them around more, or could just be a really productive season for them.
I've been charged by them before in a plant nursery in Mead and luckily had trees to jump behind. This is right before it charged the first time. I ducked it then ran and jumped in a skid steer and put forks on the front. The moose charged at me again and skidded up just short of the forks as I drove around trying to chase it out. Eventually it crashed through the fence and ran off.
Holy no! Anytime any creature pins their ears and gives me a look of that sort I know a rodeo is about to go down. And a moose no less, talk about needing a change of drawers afterward, they used to take out people all the time in Alaska when I was a kid, I was far more cautious of them than even the bears. I’m glad that skid steer was there and it betting you took joy in herding that ornery animal out of the nursery lol!
This was the only time I have had one charge at me. They are generally mellow and I have encountered a number of them when out on runs that just trot off away from me, even with young trailing behind. I would think the Alaska moose would be a bit more roudy with less human contact.
Hey @generikat , Just letting you know that I have created a new acct. Unfortunately, there's a bot that keeps downvoting my old account. I am going to try to post much more often, when time allows.
I miss wildlife in the yard like your moose. When we lived in Spirit Lake, we'd have all kinds of visitors, but here in CDA, not so much.
Hi @sincerelytori! It's so good to hear from you, I often wonder how you and your amazing family are, and thank you so much for letting me know about your new account, I love perusing your most beautiful photos and salivating over the comestibles that you share with us all!
As much as I love our wildlife neighbors here in SL, I have to admit that I bet you have your fair share of two legged wildlife to gaze at in CDA lol! Hope all is going well down there!
I just noticed that new account, and it's in my row of tabs to be upvoted momentarily!