Turkeys & Trimesters

Pregnancy is a complex thing. There's a lot to it and not all of it is rainbows and ice cream. There's fatigue, cravings, emotions, aches and pains along with a handful of other things that I'm sure any mother could add to the list. The female body endures lots of extremes during the 40 or so weeks that it's growing a little human. Maybe it’s the ignorance of being a male that I’ve never really given it much thought, but since finding out that I’m going to be a father I have come to realize that pregnancy and parenthood is both fascinating and daunting. 

Border Lines: Big Bend National Park

Finally made it. October 2022.

At last, the landscape gave way to the flat grounds of oil country where pump jacks seemed to be the only presence of life, like iron dinosaurs roaming the earth. We arrived at the northern end of the Chihuahuan Desert. A place where almost every piece of vegetation was created to poke, stab, or cut any passersby. Where the sunset burns like hot coals from a fire as it disappears behind the mountainside, letting the darkness take over and engulf you. Where Big Bend National Park sits and waits for visitors to be hypnotized by its stunning and isolated beauty. While the landscape here seems inhospitable, signs of life are abundant and everywhere. 

Maceration

Maceration. I had not heard of the term until last winter. Webster’s Dictionary defines maceration as “to cause to become soft or separated into constituent elements by or as if by steeping in fluid”. 

Personally, I think it would make a great name for a heavy metal band. *Insert headbang

In this context we are talking about animal skulls. Everyone loves a nice European mount. They're simple, sleek and add a nice touch to any room. Best of all, they're pretty simple to do yourself and with maceration, it's mostly hands free. All you need is water, heat and time.

The word maceration is derived from the Latin verb macerare, which means “soften” or “to steep”. Its first use in the English language was in the mid-1500’s and referred to the wasting away of flesh by steeping. When I think of steeping, my first thought is of tea which after you understand what the process of maceration entails you’ll see that we’re basically steeping a skull in heated water.