I was communing with my blueberry shrubs the other evening when I heard the strangest sound close by…
I jerked up my head to peer into the trees, and heard it again. A loud rattle-y kind of “huff” but with a weird, metallic twang. Like a large animal banging against a steer wire fence.
Problem: we didn’t have a fence back there.
I was a bit rattled, but not too much. I just called out, “Go away.”
Whatever this was, definitely was a bit too close for comfort, but I felt perfectly safe inside the “cage” John built for our blueberry patch.
Until I remembered that a few years ago, a critter had once climbed one side of the cage, fell through the net, and broke the main branches of my favorite Chandler blueberry bush.
Despite my hassling the woodland perp, a moment later, I heard an even louder metallic “huff.” Then a whole lot of thumping.
For that previous invasion, all signs (like the size of the hole in the net) had pointed to a young, bumbling bear.
The thumping, though, sounded like this critter meant business. Although I didn’t hear the noises again, I wasn’t about to go into the woods to investigate.
Much wiser (and safer) to research online! The next day, up to U-Tube I went.
Although I learned lots about various wildlife vocalizations, none of the video commenters gave me a definitive answer. Nor did the audio clips match the sound I heard.
My closest “educated” guess: a sow with a cub who was either warning me off (or warning the cub to come back to Mama), or a buck engaging in a dominance-type behavior. Although I believe rutting season isn’t until fall, given the thump, my money was on the buck.
Later that day, John and I took a wander around where I thought the sound had come from. I was looking for evidence (i.e. scat—and it helps that deer scat doesn’t look anything like a bear’s) but we didn’t see anything.
But truthfully, the carpet of Oregon grape and the thimbleberry was so dense it would have been amazing if we had.
As much as I would like to let this mystery noise go, the sound was too close for comfort—that is, not far from my compost piles, which I visit a few times a week.
We’ve got a neighbor gathering this coming weekend, so I’ll have a good opportunity to ask around.
What’s interesting is that in our area, no matter what time of year, adult male deer are masters at staying out of sight. I’ve seen far more bears than bucks!
The Mystery of Fairies
“A fairy’s heart beats fierce and free.” — Oona the Fairy, from the movie “Legend”
Today, June 24, is International Fairy Day—a day that inspires me to ponder a bit about nature, the mystical aspects of life, and of course, fairies.
In Ireland, June 24 coincides with the Feast Day of St. John, traditionally celebrated widely all over the Emerald Isle.
Fairies have long captured my imagination. As a child, the first books I read were all fairy tales, and my favorite stories always had—you guessed it—fairies in them.
My first store-bought Halloween costume was a fairy outfit, royal blue with silver sparkles on it. Of course, it was cheapo polyester instead of more fairy-like satin and tulle, but at seven years old, I was in fairy heaven.
And one of my favorite childhood movies was “Darby O’Gill and the Little People,” in which Sean Connery romances an Irish lass and hangs out with a bunch of leprechauns. (A class of fairies.)
It will come as no surprise that when I began writing Irish novels, Irish fairies became my new fascination. Evidence abounds of this powerful fairy race, with fairy forts all over the country.
I saw a fairy fort (also known as a “rath”) in County Mayo, on our visit to Ireland a few years back. It was a simple circle of stones in the middle of a sheep pasture…but as the farmer showed it to us, he still gave the fort a wide berth.
Irish fairies are reputed to be rich, beautiful, and they do what they want. In fact, many Irish people live in fear of them—and understand that you disturb a fairy fort at your peril! There’s many a story about Irish folks who messed with fairies—and were subsequently struck by illnesses or other major troubles.
You might think this belief was back in the day—but as recently at 2011, a land developer who bulldozed a fairy fort was struck by financial ruin. It was widely believed to be fairy revenge.
“Sometimes fairy stories may say best what’s to be said.” — C.S. Lewis
It’s likely that the fairy stories C.S. Lewis refers to are not only his Narnia series… Perhaps he’s paying a tribute to all the story spinners (creators) and story “spinees” (readers), and the gift of the writers’ and readers’ imaginations!
Although I’ve never seen a fairy, I think it’s marvelous that these magical creatures are taken seriously. Which drew me to the novel, The Story Collector, by Evie Woods.
According to the author’s note, the book was inspired by real-life anthropologist Walter Evans-Wentz. Although his life’s work centered around Tibetan Buddhism, he published a ground-breaking 1911 doctoral thesis, The Fairy-Faith in Celtic Countries.
In Fairy-Faith, Evans-Wentz concludes that fairies “may indeed be a manifestation of inhabitants of a higher reality that only some of us are able to view, let alone understand.”
John Bruno Hare, the editor of the book’s 2004 edition wrote, “Fairies inhabit a narrative which seems too consistent to be the product of insanity, yet too bizarre for conventional explanation.” (Thanks to www.sacred-texts.com)
Are Fairies Really Imaginary?
“I think a child’s imagination] comes from fairies,” said author Tom Robbins. “Certain children are visited by a fairy in their cradle, and are tapped on their forehead with a small but luminous wand. After that, even all the forces in our culture, and there are many, are unable to totally subdue it.”
I wonder if a fairy visited me. Fairy storylines abound in my fictional Village of Ballydara series, starting with Book 1, It Only Takes Once—a cozy romantic comedy about a young single mum falling in love with the wrong guy…or has he been the right one all along?
And it’s feeling like a doubly celebratory day: It Only Takes Once has been selected for Bookshop.org‘s Free Indie Feature June 2026!
No matter where you stand on fairies, around summer solstice time, I think a luminous sort of magic abounds in the garden. Here in the Foothills, there’s a softness to the air, before the weeks of dry weather set in.
Sage, coral bells, and wild foxglove are in bloom. As the wild bees go about their business, the air is filled with a low, sweet little hum.
And what’s lovely and miraculous about bees is if you don’t bother them, they seem perfectly content to simply keep you company while they do their magic. In my mind, they’re the good fairies of the garden!
And part of all nature’s wonders… May you be touched with that “luminous wand” on this day of celebrating fairies, and may you let your imagination run fierce and free!
Thank you so much for coming along on my woodland and fairy wanderings! Hearing from you in the comments, or in a reply email, absolutely makes my day. And if you enjoyed this post, please press the ❤️ at the top or bottom…it helps other people find This Little Farm Life!
Warmly,
~Susan, from the Foothills
I love hearing about your life in the woods and how you manage to share nature with the Wilds.
As for faeries, 5 fantasy novels later...
Lovely, Susan! When I lived on the Isle of Man the Manx people took Faeries *very* seriously indeed. There is even a location called and labelled 'The Fairy Bridge' and everyone (I mean, everyone) takes care to greet the Little People or tip their hat, as they go across - or expect their mischief/displeasure later. The entire Island has that mystical, sometimes a bit too eerie vibe as well. And do keep us posted on that huffing sound's true identity if it happens again!!