Dudley

Dudley with his bone
Whenever I give him a chew (this one was chosen because of its supposedly superior teeth cleaning abilities) Dudley will lay with it between his paws for about a half an hour. I have never been able to decide if he is savoring the anticipation, or hoping desperately that somebody will come along and try to take it from him.

Shrek 2

I saw Shrek 2 with Jack this afternoon. I haven’t laughed so much in a very long time. Even the screaming infant did little to detract from my pleasure. Since I am not a student of popular culture, I am sure there were many references I didn’t catch. However, I did catch one thing before Jack did….

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Life (and death) in the country

I wondered why so many corvids, both magpies and ravens, had been hanging around the barn the past 24 hours. When I went out to feed the horses, I found the answer: an extensively cannibalized magpie. Following my accustomed procedure, I used a manure fork to pick it up, without looking at it anymore than necessary, and tossed it over the fence into the brushy area. I figured any risk of contagion had already taken place.

I know that when West Nile fever first moved into the area, the public health authorities were interested in collecting avian corpses, but I think everyone accepts that it is here now. One of my vets was quite ill from it last year, which she traced to one mosquito bite that she received in Pueblo county last year. I had been dilatory about getting the home horses vaccinated this year, but had scheduled an appointment a few days ago. I am glad he is coming this afternoon.

Pansy

Pansy
This pansy is a survivor. The local bunny population apparently viewed my planting pansies as the opening of a new salad bar, and ate them down to the roots. However, this one has struggled its way back, and even managed to bloom.