The Powder Horn, Bucks, Fawns, and a Snake

Recent times have been very busy with Alison and Gayle, her sister, caring for their father, and today, in the context of generally bad news, Alison saw her dad apparently responding very well to the physical therapy he is doing with some good determination.

My trip to Boston and MassAudubon was generally successful and educational. I was especially pleased to meet my friends in the Audubon family. They continue to amaze me. I visited with them about three hours, during which they cooked dinner and told me all sorts of stories. At one point I was handed the powder horn and told, "Take that home where you can study it and make sense of it." So I have some investigation to do, and just yesterday I learned that the Missouri Historical Society has a powder horn made from a bison horn in the exact same style of construction which belonged to William Clark, and is dated around 1810. The big question is whether Audubon himself engraved the scenes of Indian life and wildlife on this horn.

Otherwise, the new fawns are showing their vim, vigor, and vitality. Their basic stride seems to be the "zip." And the young bucks are gathering into their bachelor groups while the antlers grow. This year, however, they won't kill my transplanted trees because I caged them in fence wire.

I guess I'm making progress on the 1843, but it doesn't seem like it. It's like what Alison is doing right now, moving the firewood from the great piles out back and stacking it under the rear deck. When you look at the piles, it seems too formidable, but there's a finite number of sticks of wood, so you just focus and shut up and do it. Yes, I think that's a good analogy for what I do in my air-conditioned study when it's 90 degrees outside with 90% humidity.

Somewhere in the photos is the Brown Snake Alison uncovered yesterday while stacking firewood. These are a lovely species quite common with us. They never get over some 20 inches long, bear their young live, and generally make the place prettier and more interesting.

The early doe hunt is only about 10 weeks away.