Wahkeena Nature Preserve
"… to be used for nature study and as a preserve for birds and other wildlife."- Carmen Hambleton Warner
‘Twas The Night Before Christmas
The Wahkeena Version
As our holiday gift to you, below is our rendition of the traditional ‘A Visit From St. Nicholas’ written about the happenings here at Wahkeena.
‘Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house,
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| Photo of the lodge, circa 1950 |
the only creature that was stirring outside was a mouse
The Owl looked down from his tree with delight,
for later he hoped the mouse he would bite.
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| Our resident Barred Owl, blind in one eye |
The Beavers were nestled all snug in their lodge,
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| Beaver lodge |
for they’d chewed down the forest and left only some logs.
And Tom by his wood stove, and Nora with her cats had just settled down for a long winters nap.
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| Keena does not like his picture being taken |
When out in the meadow there arose such a clatter,
for the coyotes were howling and the other animals scattered.
The moon on the breast of the new fallen snow gave a luster of midday to the objects below,
And what to our wondering eyes did appear,
but our director, Dave Fey, being chased by some deer!
“Hey Dave! Whatcha’ doing?” Tom called with a fright.
“Do you know that it’s cold and in the middle of the night?”
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| Tom Shisler |
Dave merrily whistled and shouted in glee “Now on to see Nora, then Kelly and Dan!
Then Larry and Keena and on to Japan!”
Tom shook his head and turned from the scene,
wondering if tomorrow he would remember what he’d seen.
Now all became quiet with a new blanket of snow,
that shelters the plants and animals below,
that shelters the plants and animals below,
The bees dreamed of flowers, the beavers of trees,
and some of the birds dreamed only of seeds.
And the little mouse in the woods, the one in plain sight,
Had a Merry Christmas, for the owl had found a vole to his right.
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| Dr. Frank and Carmen Warner |
Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!
-Tom and Nora