Hey there, and welcome. Name’s Bitterroot. I’m a boar American Badger (the ‘bore’ and ‘boor’ jokes have already been made, believe me, and anyway it’s worse for the females – they’re called sows) and my story’s just a bit out of the ordinary. Guess you figured, me bloggin on the internet with my stubby arms and all.
See, I ain’t got no clan to speak of, and a couple years ago, I started searchin for a new home here on the outskirts of Bozeman, Montana. Nevermind why. Eventually, I found this real peaceful spread, up on a rise north a town, lookin toward the Bridger Mountains, and, well, I just burrowed right in. Turns out to’ve been the meetin place of a bunch of local Buddhists called Namdroling. And seeing as I’ve been a follower of the Buddha for years – don’t look so surprised; his way a thinkin just seems a natural fit for the Montana landscape and the badger mind – that was a piece of pure good luck. Or so I thought.
Seems these Buddhists didn’t altogether cotton to the idea of a badger on the property, somehow couldn’t see my Buddhist bona fides. Finally went so far as to do some fancy chanting and light a big ol’ smoky fire to send me on my way. Didn’t set right, and at first I was riled. It ain’t like I’m an Asiatic stink badger and, truth be told, humans have been a darn sight worse for badgers than vice versa. And it couldn’t a been the holes I dug. Shoot, the place is all but overrun by ground squirrels and I didn’t see no shoo-away-the-damnfool-squirrel rituals bein done.
But then I saw they had little kids and slobbery dogs and such skittering around the lawns and my heart softened some (maybe a little more towards the kids than the dogs – look up the meaning of ‘dachshund’ sometime). I know we’re a little bulkier than the peabrain squirrels and that a few badgers have tarnished the reputation of the rest of us, what with their rabies and all. And us Buddhists are supposed to be humble, know when we ain’t welcome and just move on without a big fuss. Cept what they don’t know is I didn’t actually go nowhere. I just dug in way underground and contented myself with perusin the Buddhist books in my library (oh yes, you topsiders got no idea how fine our setts – the special badger word for burrows – can be) and seein to my devotions and meditation and such.
These days, I’ve gotten way more slick about my topside forays, slippin in and out sorta ninja-like so I can hear the nice teachings of the visiting lamas, and the chanting and the music and whatnot. And now it seems some baldheaded gringo monk has moved in for a spell. Well, my nature is kinda protective, so I’m gonna keep a watch on him, make sure he keeps to the straight and narrow, and just generally see about things round here.
Now, why ‘Bitterroot’? Well, it’s the state flower – kind’ve like a Montana lotus, you could say. Every spring, out of our frozen, scraggly mountain slopes blooms this astonishing thing of beauty, so brave and unlikely. Just an aspiration, I guess.
And why this blog? You know, clanless badgers do get a little lonesome sometimes, even us yogi badger types, and it just eases the way to share some good thoughts with like-minded critters, don’t it? And maybe with everyone’s help, some day I’ll find a way to genuinely love them ground squirrels. That day just ain’t quite here yet.
