Sept. 10, 2002 ~ Barking and shouting
Last night I was almost asleep, in that in-between time, just drifting, when I heard the strangest sound. Barking. Not the cries of coyotes, not howling, but barking. We have no dogs. The sound was frenzied, and close, and I suddenly came alert, thinking of the calves. What if a dog was chasing the cows, and Hoppy with that broken leg? Some dogs have this bad habit of chasing cows through fences. I grabbed a flashlight and slipped into my flip-flops, then stepped out into the front yard. There were two of my neighbor's biggest dogs, barking frantically, trying to jump up on Husband's truck. Clearly, they had some animal "treed" there, and they were bound and determined to get it. But I screamed at them (yes, in the middle of the night) and ran them off. Never did find the animal in the truck. Probably one of our cats, but I guess it could have been something else. I hope so. I also hope it got away.
My neighbor is a reasonable, intelligent woman, but she has a weakness where her dogs are concerned. She thinks it's okay to let them out at night to hunt. What does she think they are hunting? Skunks and armadillos, yes. Big snapping turtles, yes. But probably cats, too, and whatever other small animals they can find. We've seen their tracks in the horses's pen and in the pastures, and hoped they were doing no harm. But I sure wish she wouldn't let them out like that. Their freedom to hunt and roam should stop at our fence. Other people have tried talking to these nice folks (and they truly are nice folks), but they just don't seem to understand. These dogs are the reason we can't turn our ducks loose to wander in the yard, to go down to the pond.
Well.
We have a BAD heifer. Such a bad, naughty girl. She's one year old today (Happy Birthday, bad girl!), and she is not supposed to be with the bull for several more months. But a few weeks ago she tore through the fence to go visit him, and she did the same thing on Sunday. Husband said some mighty ugly words as he worked on the fence in the rain. "Keep this up and you're going to the sale, Missy." "I don't aim to stand for this." And he won't. And she will. Go to the sale, that is, if she pulls this again. Oh, it's not her fault. It's just hormones kicking in, driving her to distraction. Still. We can't have a cow who tears up fences.
We got a little rain on Sunday, 'bout half an inch. More would have been great, but it's all welcome. It's cool-ish this morning, 73. Won't last long, but I sure love it. Maybe I'll slip out for a little walk! Husband and I have been going for walks in the evenings, and I like it. Like the getting out, the fresh air, and the chance to talk with Husband. Two people can sit in the same room for hours and not say much to each other. There's TV, or reading, or whatever, and sometimes not much gets said. One or both of us will drift off to sleep if we are still for long. But when you walk together, words seem to just tumble out.
About a year ago -- it will be one year tomorrow -- Susan and I were walking at the gym and talking, having a good old time. Now I can't remember what we were talking about. It probably seemed important then, but it was just friendly conversation. We heard shouts and loud voices, but didn't think twice about it. We were alone in the gym, as everyone else clustered around the TV. We didn't take any notice. Maybe some movie star was on? But then came another collective shout, and a young man came to tell us that the Twin Towers had been hit, both of them, and things were bad. We stopped for a moment, not really comprehending. What a joker. "You're kidding, right?" He tried again to tell us, and we listened politely, not believing a word he said. Not one word. We walked on. "What did he say?" "Did he say...?" And we slowed. Stopped. Just looked at each other. "Maybe we should..." "Let's make this our last lap." And we stopped in the lounge and stood with the others by the TV, as we saw the smoke and flames and watched the beginning of what none of us will ever forget. It slowly started to sink in. This was real. My thoughts turned to Soldier Boy, and my eyes grew blurry. I could barely speak. What would happen to him?
"Where were you?" people will ask. And everyone will remember that particular moment in time, when everything changed forever.
Me, I was walking with a friend.
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