…and they emerge!

Photo by Jules Stayton

It usually begins in the dark.  In the ground, in a cave, in a den, in a climate controlled storage facility…they all have a beginning.  Entering these recesses is voluntary.  The need for rest overwhelms the otherwise normal need for homeostasis.  Most seek refuge because of weather; who wants to trudge through winter anyway?  Damage to the body can be crippling…

October beckons them come.  Their body clock says “yes”.  Eating well and joining a partner for the “put away” ceremony is tradition.  Farewell old friend.  While they anticipate this event sometimes with woe, hope springs eternal, literally.

The winter months pass as an eerie quiet dominates the landscape.  No shouts, or sprouts. No roars or screeches. No burning or peeling.  No chasing or racing.  It’s deafening.

Flowers claim bulb.  Desert tortoises claim burrow.  Bats claim cave. Bears claim den into torpor (light hibernation where they can easily be awakened so watch out!).  Cars claim climate controlled garages or storage facilities.  Prime locations reserve quickly…the inhabitant must be willing to stake a claim early on and usually return to the location year after year.

Why the big to-do?  To preserve the species silly!  Hope springs eternal for the rite of passage to see the light of day as dusk turns into dawn.  Months pass as the anticipation of “the emerge” overwhelms the system.  Fulfilling nature’s call, returning to the land of the living, whatever you’d like to call it…it’s an awakening!

Photo by Jules Stayton

Daylight begins to overwhelm darkness.  Shadows grow longer each passing moment and the fulfillment of dreams long hoped for, become reality.

Yes! Yes! Yes!  All of this to make a point…Pulling that sweet ride out of storage on a warm April day reigns king in the heart of its owner.  Barn under tarp, garage space reserved or climate controlled storage…the reveal is breathtaking.  Joy abounds.

Weather clear, CHECK!  Battery charged, CHECK!  Fluid levels, tire pressure, CHECK! Brakes firm, CHECK!  Go slow grasshopper, let him warm up slowly.  Creep for a mile or so and then realize that the gem that you saved for, slaved for, craved, and finally possessed is waiting for you to carve a path where you are the director of the show.

Fire it up!  It’s been waiting all winter for you…