ANIMAL TALES

One or two of you have intimated that perhaps we should work harder to find just who could be missing a horse. We also know that if livestock goes missing, owners often aren't in a hurry to correct the situation. So much the better for the budget if they eat elsewhere.

Mike contacted one horse owner in the canyon who said the horse wasn't his, and we believe him. So, yesterday afternoon, Mike climbed onto his XT and approached Little Canyon by road. He found a second horse operation, and the hired hand said they keep a lot of horses, not just their own, and allowed that one or two might be missing. It's unclear if anything will come of this contact.

We didn't see Blaze the Horse yesterday. That doesn't mean he isn't here -- just that we didn't see him. It's usually early morning or evening when we catch sight of him, but after lunch here he showed up at the barn. He moved off into the south field with Mike calling, "Come back." Mike says he thinks Blaze would come to him if it weren't for Bess, who has never cared for horses. Nellie, on the other hand, saw horses as friends. Anyway, Blaze moved away into the south field and kept going. He's been eating too much fruit, and we could all benefit by a change in his diet.



Last night, Mike went upstairs to shower after supper and called down for me to see the doe and her fawn under the pear tree. I took the camera and crept into the downstairs bathroom. They both saw me immediately -- whether by sight or by scent. (I expect I do have a scent of some sort.) The doe was eating the pears while the fawn stood back near the grass where it was nearly camouflaged. Knowing I was there, the doe commenced to stamp the ground, which I took to mean that she really wanted pears for supper. Meanwhile, Bess stood in the hallway whining to go out, and when I opened the kitchen door for her, the doe whistled -- yes, whistled -- for her offspring, and off they ran behind the grove. I think she was a young doe, but she was doing her best for her baby. KW