Near a hollow and a stream in the depths of the south lived a family of Moles. The hole was dense with all kinds of small trees, bushes, and tall grass. The tract of land had been left undone for many years since the old man who owned it had refused to sell it or make any improvements. He loved living in a natural area unlike most of the people close to him who had their patios cut and carpeted with grass. Mr. Brower was an old man who had retired from teaching and just wanted to get back to nature as he called it. He was an avid lover of the natural way of life and did not appreciate the way construction companies were destroying the beauty of the land.
Mr. Brower lived alone and had never been married. The people who lived around him were aware of his unusual ways, but they got along as best they could. He was a nice man and very intelligent almost to the extreme. He simply wanted to live his life the way he wanted and that was the simple life. Since she was not married, she practically did what she wanted when she wanted. He lived in a small white frame house that had seen its best days. The paint was so chipped that you could hardly tell it was white. The once screened porch was half open because the screen itself had come loose and was a great entrance for all nearby vermin. Tall pine trees grew amid vast willow trees around the house and property, isolating it from nearby neighbors.
Mr. Brower was more unusual because he cared very little what he wore. As long as the holes weren’t big enough to expose important parts, he didn’t really care. His worn leather shoes were held together by all kinds of ties. He didn’t care if they matched or not. You see, Mr. Brower had worked his entire life and saved almost all of his income. He had a lot of money, so that was not the problem. I just wanted to go back to nature because I was happier there.
Most people are not very knowledgeable about moles and do not care to know. Those who do know moles don’t like furry little creatures simply because they dig holes in people’s yards and cause all kinds of problems. They are between six and eight inches long and are dark gray in color. They have a pointed, bare pink nose that spreads well in front of the mouth. Most people think they are blind, but this is not entirely true. They have small eyes and ears, but they are covered in hair, making it difficult for them to see them. So it was with Millie. It had shovel-shaped front legs that were much wider than they were long. He used them to push large mounds of earth onto the surface of the earth.
“I am so hungry!” Millie said peeking out of a hole. I’m in the mood for some fat, juicy worms or maybe a millipede. Yesterday I had ants and I want something different today, “he reflected.
“Hey! Marvin, come over here and see what I’ve done.” She called her friend. “I made a huge pantry and filled it with hundreds of earthworms. They will be delicious this winter when it’s too cold to surface.” He pointed to a huge hole dug with mud around the top. Marvin knew very well what the pantry was. He had built several and knew them very well. It was his arsenal of food. Each mole had one of some size.
“It’s a good pantry for moles.” He exclaimed. “I’m so proud of you Millie. Most of the girls don’t like to do all this work and get their nails dirty. They preferred that we guys do all the work!” He snapped with a half smile on his face.
“Well, I’m a Tar Heel mole and I can do anything a boar can do. I’m just as fast and my shovel-shaped feet can tunnel into a burrow in record time.” She snorted. “I can eat so much and maintain my velvety mohair coat better than most sows. Since I live alone in my den, which is my preference, I don’t have to put up with male boar trash all the time!” Its sender’s muzzle twitched, showing its needle-like teeth. “I have been alone for years and I am a difficult sow to recognize.”
“Why is your name Tar Heel?” Marvin asks curiously thinking that Millie was a strange mole girl.
“Well, you see, I was born in North Carolina and my ancestors actually fought with the Confederates in the great Civil War. It was deduced from my relatives that our soldiers stayed in our ranks like they had tar on their heels.”
“Did you say tar? What the hell is tar?” Marvin continued.
“Tar is a black sticky paste that comes from the many pines here in North Carolina. I was told that the tar, tar, and turpentine from the pines were shipped everywhere many years ago. Tar had been stuck on my feet. and it is something very difficult to remove. I was running down a path that men had just worked on. They had put that black material on it to hold the rocks and when I crossed it my feet got covered in grime. months to get it all off. So now I can proudly say that I am officially a Tar Heel mole! ”She smiled. “I may not see as well as other critters, but I am like the Tar Heels, one of a kind!”
Marvin nodded his head, accepting because he knew Millie and she was one of a kind.
“Heard that moles on nearby farms were being caught and killed. Did you hear that?” He asked Marvin.
“Yeah, I heard it. I guess they got tired of all the mole holes ruining their land. I try really hard not to make more holes than I have to. It’s just not good for the soil.” He continued trying to explain the reasoning for the ornaments.
“Aunt Lucy told me that they were trapping moles by the filled buckets and skinning them for her fur. It seems to me that it would take a lot of moles to make a coat for a human. I sure don’t appreciate the idea of giving my shiny fur to just anyone. Yes they come here, I will hide. I have been keeping earthworms and larvae for a long time. I have pantries in many places. As I live alone, it lasted a long time. ” He said rubbing the dirt off his Tar Heel hands. “I am a very proud mole, unlike many around here. I am like my ancestors of yore. I will stay here like I have tar on my heels.” He looked around to make sure everything was safe because he had been out longer than usual.
“Hmm! The next thing I know, you’ll be dyeing your fur red or blue!” He joked knowing that these colors were in fact colors of choice for most people in North Carolina.
“Well I wouldn’t go that far but I would think of blue ears.” She smiled. “Just watch out for traps and let me know if you see any on our plot of land.” She ordered.
The years passed quickly and it turned out that Mr. Bowers passed away. Their once natural home had been sold to another family. They did not appreciate the peculiar taste of Mr. Bowers and had all kinds of people to work on cleaning the place. Tractors and mowers of all kinds were busy cutting the tall grass. The branches of the trees were torn off with leaves of all kinds and concern seized all the resident moles. This included Millie!
“What are we going to do?” Timothy asked his careless neighbor.
“Everyone can do whatever they want, but I’ll stay here. I may have to limit the size of my tunnels, but I’m glued to my burrow!” She replied in an aggravated tone.
“I have babies now and I can’t move. Besides, this is MY home!” Millie snapped angrily as she looked from side to side.
Then it happened that Millie did exactly what she had been told. She continues to live in North Carolina on the same lot. She and all of her children tell everyone to this day that they are proud Tar Heel moles who will not be kicked out of their beloved homes.
So the state of North Carolina still has a large number of moles and is still trying to limit their digging. If you look closely in your backyard, you may find a family that lives with you.