Life

In the morning I feed birds, squirrels, and chipmunks each morning at three locations. If when I wake I can't hear any birds at all then I know the female sharp-shinned hawk is out there somewhere. I bring food out front first because that's always wear it is. In the dead tree, on Kobae's house, up the hill on an arrow on the disc golf course or in the feeding area itself. As soon as it sees me it knows a rock is coming so it flies off. It happens two or three times each morning. The male sharp-shinned makes a fly thru every other day and those are the days predators. In the evening I haven't seen a ringtail in six weeks. I'm afraid the one that hung out here all the time didn't make it. I ran out of ringtails once before for three or four months and then some showed up again. This one worries me.

In the evenings I see a skunk once or twice a week and the foxes. There are always four or five foxes coming from each their own direction. One comes up behind the side by sides, one from the river and three up on the hill. Four gray and one red. Haven't seen a single raccoon for a month and until two nights ago the two bowls on the front porch specifically for raccoons haven't been touched. In theory the raccoons were supposed to have lost their ability to get food for themselves because I was feeding them. If true, and it's not, why haven't they been coming to the front porch to get easily available food? The last two nights something new has shown up because it's emptying all the food bowls every night. It's not a raccoon because when they come they always drain the water bowls and they haven't been touched. I think we have a new fox but if not it's something I don't know.

Teresa and my grandson Thomas work each day around the property and Jax and I hike. When it warms up a little around noon or so Jax and I are off but Teresa and Thomas are out working somewhere by then and are still out working by the time we get back just before dark. Today they got StarLink in both of the hogans so I can get rid of my next to last Hughes Net. I'll still be paying for one in Doug's hogan on the hill but he doesn't stuff for me and never ask for anything so I can eat a couple hundred a month. They pulled the hoses out of the river before the freeze came and drained all the lines. They do good work and Teresa isn't afraid to do anything.

I'm 71 and Jax is around 66 or 67 but he hasn't lost a step on the hiked and we have to stop twice on each four hour or so hike to glove fight. We just sit down in the road and Jax attacks me until he gets tired. Locks my face and we continue on our journey. I have noticed when we get back he goes right in the office and goes to sleep on his bed on my desk.

We walked along the cliff above the river for 30 or so minutes and there was no one across the river. There was no noise and no vehicles even. We heard one drive in right when we got back. It's quiet everywhere.

These are the days my friend. Good night from Bears Ears ).