Is That You Harry?

I heard a racket in the Franklin Stove and thought Harry Potter and Hermione had used their floo powder and by some horrible mistake ended up on the rez! But it was just the annual Grackle-down-the-chimney event. Sometimes I hear them, sometimes there is just a macabre surprise in the grate when fall rolls around. I opened the doors on the Franklin last night and put the screen in place. I couldn't see anything. This morning I was checking my email and heard a racket in the kitchen and investigated. A fine black specimen of Grackle flew into the bathroom and settled on the shower curtain rod. Quoth the Grackle, "Nevermore." I turned the light out on him, made sure he had a clear route out the door, and retired to the deck. Something swooped past me toward the slough-and I have not seen or heard from the bird since this morning. I think he will have a tale for his children and I hope it is a cautionary one about snooping in chimneys.

I should have felt like crap today-I managed to soak all three of my pillows with sweat last night but I felt fine. I played with the Honey dog and petted Buster then whacked weeds for a good while. It is a big job but twice a season usually does it.

We had a thunderstorm roll through- big winds and not a whole lot of water. Most of the day was fine. The coolness may slow the melt on the mountains. The Little Wind is starting to overflow its banks. Against my resolve we took a trip to town. I hit the veggies at the Golden Corral-I don't know what has caused it but I am veggie crazy at this time in my life. I like the veggie burgers at Burger King (not exactly low cal) and I have been craving vegetables though not at the expense of foregoing all meat.

I kept my resolve to back up the picture files again. That took some time.

I am afraid the neighbor across the road may have shot his dogs tonight. Buster just goes nuts when he hears those dogs whining and yapping. Then both of my dogs race to the road barking and it drives me nuts that they may go on the road. I heard six rifle shots tonight and no more dog noises. Many Arapahos have a whole different attitude toward canines-part of it cultural and part of it just lazy, I think. It makes me sad but I am the foreigner here. If the deaths were swift, I can't help thinking they may be better off. They may have belonged to the man who died recently. Those neighbors are the ones who got me back into the gun owning business years ago. They were feuding with some other clan and shots were exchanged. I had to have a heart to heart with myself and I came down on the side of not being an easy victim of somebody else's craziness. I do feel relatively safe here. Very few problems.

UPDATE: There are normal dog noises over there this Monday morning. Bad shot? Warning shots? Shots in the dark? Rehearsal for a War Dance? Thinning the pack? Hark! A shistol pot!