Life, here in the West

Up early to take in the morning and morning coffee. The coyotes were singing-there are plenty of them out there. Mid-morning a pair came trotting across the pasture. Honey was in the sideyard so they were undisturbed. They were coming from what I hope was breakfast at the Prairie Dog Cafe. That name sounds real Wyoming. It could have come from an E. Annie Proulx story in Close Range. I have been immersed in them. I have had the book for about a year and I love Proulx's writing but amidst the descriptive passages are these Wyoming people, not far-fetched-some of them might be "ripped from the headlines." There is almost always a "Wyoming Truth" in them that is like getting kicked in the belly. They are not happy stories. So I have to be in the right mood for Ms.Proulx. I am in awe of her talent.

I have been trying to catch the iridescence of the Grackles. This is about the best I can do so far. They are even flashier to the naked eye. This is a male. The females are a dark grey but still have the iridescence though not as much.

Unknown to me a branding was planned. This was not a day for meditation with the bawling and clanging and howls of pain so I read,snapped and cooked a little. Weedwhacked a lot. Feglers set up their lunch under the trees in my lower driveway. Aside from family, there are not many repeater volunteers for this experience. Even Thayne hates to work cattle with his family and he is the cowboy of the outfit. I gave Daryne some nutrients to try with Tye. They are discouraged. His EEG was the same as last time. The poor little guy is stuck academically but I see some progress. I also burn out on communicating with him because only part of it makes sense.