Trout Lake, con't

 

The rest of Thursday passed quietly. 

 

Come Friday morning it was time for another walk with Big Dogs, this time alongside the echinacea fields. The most interesting thing I saw was a quail in a tree. I know quail aren't usually found up trees, but the Big Dogs who were with us made it a strategic decision. Luckily the dogs ignored our other bit of fauna: a small brown frog -- larger than the earlier little green frog but still small, and more hoppy.

 

Among the day's little discoveries were that cows like pears. We also picked plums. Lots of plums. Maybe a hundred, maybe more. We started with windfalls, partly because the ladder kept having one leg or another sink into the ground, until Janice said she'd had enough of the earth wanting to swallow her this trip, and we got out a steadier ladder.

 

We didn't give any plums to the cows, not knowing whether their insides cd handle the pits (it seemed unlikely). Plus it just seemed like a really bad idea. 

 

Later we harvested potatoes from one of the three vegetable gardens. Bijee was v. pleased with how this year's potatoes had done, and it's no surprise: from three plants we dug up twenty-seven potatoes, one as big as my hand. Bijee had named the previous giant potato 'Hector' and wanted me to name this newcomer. I picked 'Agamemnon'. 

 

That evening Janice and I bought matching new hats made by Bijee's neighbor, who brought them over to show her felting technique. Later still other guests arrived, bringing with them two non-Big Dogs: one v. old (13 years I think they said; it might have been 17) and one very young (8 weeks). We wrapped things up with another long walk.

 

Saturday morning's wildlife was a granddaddy longlegs, who I found inside the house and escorted outside. Then it was time to head home, the only incident along the way being a faux-convoy heading up I-5, made up to look like a presidential motorcade. I suspect these were Proud Boys or some similar group heading out for some organized thuggery.  Disquieting. 

 

Safely home, we were greeted by small cats, who expressed approval at our return (and to renewed access the Box Room, one of their favorite places. Tomorrow will definitely be a cat-walking day.

 

--John R.