Ups and downs

Hot again today, hot and mostly still.

I got a good bit of fence built, including several gates. Those things are a pain, because you have to tension the wire up to the corner posts and that just sucks on a hot day. But suck or not, I got it done.

There was a bit of unpleasantness in the middle of the day. Unpleasantness which I will not detail but rather tightened my jaw. Well. Shit happens. Grumpy frownyface goes here.

Around 1 p.m. I got a call from the Sheriff's Shoppe with a report that my cows were out on the interstate. Having just left them I was quite sure they were not, but you can't not check, so I drove on over and checked. Cows and calves were bunched up right along the stout, five-wire fence, but they were all on the correct side of the wire. That is, they were IN rather than OUT. Which was as I'd suspected. Nice to confirm the fact though.

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Last evening as I drove back into town I nearly ran over a little kid.

I was northbound on Oak Street and having just passed Sixth Street I was approaching Fifth Street. The speed limit is 25 mph and it's a residential area as is most of the town. I was probably doing 25 +/- a couple.

Ahead on my right a big black Suburban was parked on the street near the corner. Just as I came abeam of the rear bumper of the vehicle a towheaded boy came squirting out from the front of it and directly into my path.

I swerved hard left and braked and the antiskid ensured that my stopping distance was longer than it should have been. I missed the kid, who now stood riveted exactly where I would have smushed him had I not swerved.

From the moment I swerved my old HM reactions took over and I bailed out nearly instantly. My initial rush was because in that moment of seeing the boy -- a very long heartbeat before I could begin to swerve -- my brain took in the geometry and did the math and decided I would certainly hit the kid.

Not sure how I missed him. I think we both had a big assist though.

Anyway, I made sure the sprout was okay, told him he'd scared the hell out of me, surprised him with a hug, then headed on my way.

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This afternoon as I headed back out to check cows I paused to let traffic pass on Third Street. The first vehicle to pass was a red SUV. I noticed that the driver was completely occupied with wolfing down an ice cream sundae. DQ is just up the block. At the corner, on both sides of the street, small groups of little kids were waiting to cross.

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Perhaps you recall this post. Haven't seen one of those little guys since last April.

Until this evening.

When I got to the ranch I noticed that Nona the Wonder Dog and her daddy Jeter were prosecuting a contact along the pasture fenceline in front of the house.

My first guess was a snake. Their behavior was a bit odd though. In my experience they are much more cautious around snakes.

As I approached my guess was confirmed when a large serpentine head reared up and issued a loud hiss.

Or was my guess confirmed? That head sure looked brown and furry! Maybe...

I walked a bit closer.

Yes! A weasel!

But he looked hurt. And indeed he was. He had blood on his chest and back and was quivering. I took another step and he hissed and lunged at me, causing me to levitate and scream. Damme!



I took a few pics and a video. I wondered if I should try to help the little shit, but realized that my helping would likely result in harm to both weasel and corpsman.

So I decided to let him sort it out on his own. I chased the dogs away, and when I returned the weasel was long gone.

Ferocious little bastard. Hope he makes it. I'll never know of course.