Random Acts of Thanksgiving

Pushing through the wind across a snowy meadow.

Oh, how these frigid November days warm my hopeful heart! Last week’s snow has stuck around. This is unusual compared to most recent years.

Typically, snow will fall before winter arrives and quickly melts. But as the constant crunching of boots and paws attest, this year is different. And thank goodness, for this portends well for our shrinking moose population.

Recent studies have shown that a mere 10 percent of newborn moose calves survive the first couple of years. This is due to the spread of deer ticks due to climate change robbing us of the frozen days and nights brutal enough to kill off the parasites. They latch on, upward of 30,000 per moose, and bring disease and weakness.

I pray the past week of frosty nights and three-layer mornings are enough to kill the ticks before they can find a safe haven on the moose, where they will cluster and dig deep to survive the winter. Scientists claim a cold November is essential for the survival…