Click here for audio version –less than 2 minutes
From whence she came I do not know. Her shadow glides over me and snow and soars silently across the valley meadow– over Kickin’ Mule Creek, over another meadow where she alights heavily in a sentinel Ponderosa Pine. The dogs seem to have completely missed the turkey hen’s passing.
Sixty head of elk have worn a snow packed path through the meadows, into Spanish Oak alley where the lichen and moss streams down from branches; their path angling sharply downward and crossing Kickin’ Mule Creek. Professor Skookum, Gypsy, Cowboy, and I follow the easy elk road instead of trudging our own path through three feet of snow.
Like buckshot from a shotgun—a rising spray of eleven mallards peppers the sky after the dogs and I surprise the ducks. They were floating in the tiniest wild-mint filled pool in the creek. A pool just large enough for three big dogs.
How the ducks got up so quickly and cleared the branches of the woods seems magical. Gypsy stiffened into a hard stop-to -flush, but Cowboy glanced up at the fleeing ducks, wagged his tail, and tore off in glee, but not after the ducks. He ran through the creek, up the snowy embankment and into the meadow other side. While twelve year old Professor Skookum just watched then proceeded carefully with me and we picked our way around slippery creek rocks—to meet the other side.
Almost hiaku. Good little prose-reads as I sip my chai tea
🙂 Thank you Holly — Just snippets from an ordinary life; yet ordinary life is pretty interesting. I’m sipping chai too!
Shucks! It ended too soon. I wanted more which is a sign of good writing engaging the reader as you surely know. Paula
Just little snippets Paula! I don’t know if you saw the updated About section, but with the exception when a story must be told, I am going to shorts. Enough shorts and folks do get a picture of daily life here from year to year! Thank you for reading.
I love this! Thank you, Sher.
What a pleasant snippet! You are very easy to listen to, very enjoyable. I am with you in your writing. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks Rymmel- I appreciate the confidence. 🙂 And thanks for listening too.
I’m sold—wonderful snippets of told.
Teri Byrne
Parkdale, Oregon
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Hi Teri- thanks for your comment, and I am glad you enjoyed this piece. Sher