The Return of the Beavers (or, I am Exonerated)

Good Morning America (well I think it was GMA) played in the background as I was getting all my morning sorts of things done, when my attention was abruptly snagged. The story was about how beavers have returned to a nature preserve north of Detroit.

Beavers have been rare to nonexistant in most parts of the US since they were over hunted during frontier times, as well as being the scourge of farmers because of the 'damage' they cause.

But that isn't what is really important here. The important thing is, I have researched, and I have been vindicated!

On Kitsap Peninsula, at Green Mountain, there are trails that lead you past marshes that host beavers (click on beavers for the proof); eagles and ravens soar above, but we care about the beavers, don't we?

G2 has teased me for years, because one day we were driving into Poulsbo to see a movie, when there, in the middle of the road was a beaver. We were doing approximately 30 to 35 (the speed limit there at the time, it's lower now), with a deep ditch one the right, and oncoming traffic on the left. We had to hit it. By the time we were able to turn around and look to see what it had been, it was gone. The dent to the underside of my car, however, is still there to this day. She says it couldn't have been a beaver...but now we know, they are in the area. Ha!

To this day, we'll be driving along, perhaps in Tennessee even, and we'll note a dead animal on the side of the road. G2 with a straight face intones: Think that could be a BEAVER? And she laughs. She trule believes it could not have been a beaver that I hit that night, and I believe just as strongly that it was. And Now that we know beavers do live in the general area, perhaps the teasing will end. But. I doubt it.

I still feel bad about hitting it. Nothing else to do, though.

S2 (who does know a beaver when she sees one)

Don't let her kid you...it was a squirrel. We grow them quite large here, and they usually come with rings on their tails and masked faces. Weird thing was that it was gone so quickly...ever seen a real beaver run? I rest my case!!

G2

It was that big, wide, FLAT tail that convinced me, that plus the size of the beast. No rings on that tail, either. That coupled with the fact that there was a water way adjacent...it was a beaver!

The only animal I'd ever hit previously was a raccoon. Don't let G2 kid you, either. It was a beaver....

S2

If it was in the water and moved that fast I might have to believe you. However, why would a beaver climb out of the water, up the steep bank, onto the road in rush hour traffic, get hit hard enough to dent the car and leave no signs? Then again, if pigs can fly I guess maybe beavers can as well!We both looked back immediately, and there was NO sign of anything. Perhaps it was the great Poulsbo beaver (Einar Kjelstoooon)'s ghost. I hear he comes out at dusk in search of lutefisk.

G2

Silly G2, obviously the force of the collision flipped it off the road; either that or the car following us had already obscured the evidence.

Beaver.

S2

I think we should have stopped and taken the tail for a coon, I mean a BEAVER, skin hat. What? No tail? No beaver? Where the heck could he have gone? In fact, the "beaver" is the reason that they redid that entire intersection. It was just so sad that poor Einar was once again killed, that the entire population of Poulsbo petitioned for a beaver thorough fare. It took a couple of years to complete. There has not been another "sighting" since it was completed.

G2

Stop and gather roadkill? Ew, not even for a beavertail hat! And clearly, after the untimely demise of dear Einar, the other beavers were forewarned and were too smart to try it. Beavers are very clannish, you know, and they will go elsewhere if members are 'disappearing'.

Beaver.

S2

I'm thinking 'most all anamules, specially those that are male, will high tail it out if their members begin to disappear. And perhaps I should drop the coon and go back to log. If your car can fling something out of the way, why not a good sized chunk of tree? I was just humoring you by saying it was once a bleeding critter. After all, no blood or hair evidence could be found.

G2

Just slap me a good one when I don't get the joke. Oh, and what club were they a member of, that they would rather disappear than show up?

S2

No, silly woman. Their "member" was disappearing. (Are you never in mixed company chat rooms?) http://www.yourdictionary.com/member you can figure it out from here, right?

G2

I guess I'm just not a member of any chatrooms like that...

S2

It's the motorcycle thing. ;-)