~It’s a new Year, it’s a new day, And i’m feeling good~
Watching the clock on New Year's Eve is never on my radar, but spending time with friends is! This year was no different. However, our New Year's Day is always highlighted with an annual hike. This year 15 of us met at Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park and since the rain had flooded the Big Darby, we walked north along the trail toward the buffalo grazing fields. And there they were! There were 13 (if I counted correctly) and right by the fence.
They were not bothered by the weather. It was rather windy (gusts up to 25 mph) and temperatures in the 20's. Once we got moving, our group wasn't either. Their rough, hairy, thick coats looked just like our multi-colored parkas and down filled jackets. They stayed long enough for us to have a good long look at what has almost been forgotten: that we live on a prairie, and they were here first!
I hope you will take a trip out there while it's still cold, and take that walk. Remember the first peoples of this land and how they lived, in the great outdoors, all year round. For all our comfort, we can thank them for sacrificing their way of life for ours.
Aho, Mitakyo Oyasin! We are all related!
USE THE LINK ABOVE FOR BATELLE DARBY