...and a black bunny

Morning star shines above the dawn

Morning stars were shining overhead this morning. Only one could still be seen at the dawn of the day.

There is an Austin stone, ranch-style house about half-way between our home and the park. As we neared the house Scruffy saw something run along the curb by that house. He jumped and tried to go after it. I saw this black shadow moving off to the right and here is the conversation that followed:

Me: What is that? Is it a cat? Is it a skunk?

DH: It’s a cat.

Me: No, I don’t think so…

DH (shining flashlight at shadow that has now stopped at the curbside just down the street): It is a cat.

Me: No, I think it’s a bunny…

DH (shining the flashlight again): It’s black. IT IS A CAT.

Me: Look again. Cat’s aren’t shaped like that. I think it’s a bunny.

DH (shining the flashlight again. The BUNNY, out of patience, hops away): Oh, it is a bunny.

Now, what a black bunny was doing hopping away down the street in our neighborhood, I do not know. But it was, indeed, a bunny...

It was a black bunny

We arrived at the park to see a flashlight moving along the field by the walking path. Then we heard someone pounding stakes. It was Dewayne again (see yesterday), preparing the field for dog training. We did not wait long enough to see what the training was like, but there were large "people sized" and "people shaped" white things lined up in a row parallel to the park road. I can imagine they would look a little scary in the dark, but in the dawn light they just looked weird. We, knowing little of the dog training, merely shook our heads and walked on.

We headed down the dirt road and, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a deer bound across the track at the edge of the woods. It hinted of things to come.

We walked along with our stealth-less dogs shaking their collars and making enough noise to give warning to any game in the woods. We could hear the deer moving, but hidden to the north. They rustled through the underbrush, but didn't show themselves. Then we heard that familiar deer "snort." Whether a warning about us or snub directed to us, the snort told us not to wait for the deer to enter the meadow. They knew about us and would wait for us to leave.

I commented to DH that I often thought about one running out of the woods and "into" us by mistake.

Then, on our return back to the road's beginning and some distance from the "snort", another deer leapt past us. This deer was so close (within 20 feet from us) we all jumped and the dogs could not be contained. They dragged me down the road a bit until we reached the crossing point - where they followed scent until I steadied myself and got them back under control.

It was an adrenalin rushing, dog panting, awe inspiring sight.

DH watered the pups and suffered Scruff's coughs and sneezes and slurps. [Paddy drinks delicately, but hogs the water until she is done. Scruff waits his turn, but has no "table manners."]

We wandered home to the barking of Mohawk dog and gang...

As I fed the hounds and filled their water pails (tubs? We have to use large wide bottomed galvanized containers or Scruff will tump them out in his crazy drinking frenzy-he jumps into the tubs and digs up the water - sputtering and biting at it. I said it was crazy.) I spied an old rabies vaccination tag on the ground. Our dogs rarely kept their tags on so we gave up trying for "tagged" dogs. We have ordered collars with embroidered names and our phone number. That has to be enough.

I stooped to recover the small red tag hoping it was not our Oreo's (gone these 2 years, we miss her still). No, it was dated "2005" and was engraved with a misspelled name - "Patty" it said.

Yes, it was our first tag for Paddimus.... I took it inside and washed it. Hoarder that I am, I will find some place to secure it. It will wait for the day I decide I no longer need that reminder of rescuing a young, slightly mangy dog from my home town...to harass our old dog and keep us safe from strangers.


The count?

20+ cars (lost track in the excitement of the bunny)