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When I was a child, I used to have a dream where I would be mauled by a black panther.

There are no panthers here.

I live in a small town in southern Ontario with nothing to do,

filled with do-nothings and semi-rural town mice.

But in my young mind, all the facts I could pick up about the world outside of our community,

any facts about exotic worlds abroad,

large and more interesting animals, and things generally not seen around these parts,

could easily meld together in my dreams. It was a dream I had relatively often, and I had

nightmares regularly. This is one of those vivid dreams that just

stuck with me in the back of my head, even into adulthood, as I sit here and recall it to you now.

I grew up with an avid love of the outdoors, and subsequently spent the majority of my life,

seasons permitting, hiking, camping,

and swimming in the tame and domestic landscape of my home county, along the north shore of Lake Erie.

Eventually I got older, left home, and often I would try to plan vacations all around the

province. I camped under the stars in Bruce County. I would try to plan vacations all around the province.

I camped under the stars in Bruce County and listened to the haunting calls of loons

...