An Unexpected Life: Turning Tragedy into Triumph

By Evelyn Parker

Can a middle-aged couple, plagued with physical ailments, be transferred from a fast-paced life-long existence to a land filled with the splendor of nature and God’s creatures in the wild? Can proof of God’s plan for each life be adopted and appreciated? Can it be incorporated into their future life? Will they have the stamina to endure?

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Nov 19, 2019
• ISBN: 9781532088681

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

When my husband and I moved from busy Orlando, Florida, to small-town Flippin, Arkansas, we arrived and bought a cabin in the middle of ten acres of flourishing woodlands. Our move in April 1990 was not to a chosen retirement area, but one designed to allow my husband to recover from a massive stroke. The Veterans Administration doctors had told us after many months of recovery in the hospital and rehab that his best chance at a somewhat normal life would be in a quiet area of the United States.

We actually bought our property halfway between Flippin, population 1,009, and Yellville, population 1,292! We had been told there was an abundance of wildlife living in our woods, including raccoons, foxes, opossums, coyotes, bears, and of course, snakes! Some snakes were good, but some were unwelcome—including rattlesnakes, copperheads, cottonmouth moccasins, and coral snakes. The cleared land around our cabin was deep within a hollow, which we quickly named Coon Hollow, and we set about adjusting to a new, peaceful lifestyle, which neither of us had experienced before. It seemed we’d found the perfect quiet spot. Yet, at that moment, we were blissfully unaware that a multitude of eyes were watching us intently!

Our surroundings seemed void of life as we busily unpacked and arranged furniture inside. But when we stepped outside on our wraparound porch, we noticed several squirrels with bushy red tails scurrying up and down trees and a chorus of sounds serenaded us from the woods. Birds were calling as they hunted for insects and grubs in the bark of trees and in the grass, and I noticed there were numerous species flying around! Dogwood and redbud trees surrounded us in majestic beauty, and when a tiny buzz saw explored my red shirt, I realized hummingbirds were here looking for sustenance on their migration layover before they took the longest part of their trip south. We decided at that moment that we needed to go to the store to buy bird feed and sunflower seeds to introduce ourselves to our new neighbors.

When we returned from shopping, we’d added birdhouses, hummingbird feeders, and tree feeders to our purchases as well as building supplies for a ground feeder to hold sunflower seeds. As the exciting days passed, foxes began to come at night for dinner just as the raccoon had formed a habit of joining us for breakfast! Before long, both were both stopping by three times a day for the twenty-four-hour buffet. All went well unless the coons and foxes arrived at the same time, then they would each stand at opposite ends of the rectangular feeding box to growl a warning before they ate. Occasionally, two foxes would even get into a short argument. There was always enough for all, but I guess that was not the point.

I tried to intervene when a fight got out of hand. Once after dark one evening, I turned on the porch light and stepped out to see a raccoon attacking an opossum, with the opossum on the losing side.

Stop that! You leave that opossum alone! I yelled.

The coon dropped him, and the opossum limped wearily into the shadows of the woods. I caught myself mumbling, That’s just great. You rescued a half-dead opossum, but you know the coon and his buddies only went around the side to finish him off where you couldn’t see.

I knew I could not retrain nature!

CHAPTER 2

Though I was learning new facts about wildlife, I sometimes could not refrain from getting involved. After dark one evening, we heard explosive barks of dogs deep down the one road through our woods. I knew in my heart that some hunter was training his dogs to tree coons on our land. In a huff, I quickly put on my tall fishing boots. Stomping out into the night with my largest flashlight, I stormed down the trail toward the continuing sounds.

I admit I was scared. I could only imagine how many snakes were ready to strike at me. Finally, I arrived at the end of our property line and saw a tall tree with two large hunting dogs howling up at the trapped, frightened raccoon.

Stop! I yelled in my most intimidating voice. Get away from that tree and come here! I stomped my feet at them.

To my surprise, they immediately stopped their yelping, took their paws down from the tree, started panting, and silently trotted to my side. Looking up at me, they seemed to be waiting