My first load of leaves went out with yesterday’s trash. Wishing I could burn them in neat little piles, I did the proper thing by raking and stowing them in the two trashcans. The threat of fire is just too great. With 35 – 40 trees all undressing at once, I have my job cut out for me for a little while. The temperature has been cool enough for Oliver to spend time outside on toad patrol. Fall is such a lovely time of year.
Summer 2021 was a hot one, for sure. Only my second, I don’t know why I didn’t expect the inferno of the high desert. Lulled into a false sense of wonder the summer before, I just expected more of the same. Summer 2020 was a mild one. The days were still hot, but not scorching. Evenings were pleasant. This year, the desert didn’t hold back, giving us a real picture of how lethal she can be. Yikes.
The mustangs are down from the mountains now. Looking for every blade of grass and drink of water they can find, they were munching on the lawn at In-Town Park yesterday. Lawn ornaments. They seem so quiet, surely they must be gentle. Hahaha. It is a felony to approach or bother them in any way. They aren’t your barnyard friends, for sure. These wild animals are protected, rather like cows in India.
The thing people don’t realize is the volume of stuff a horse consumes and leaves behind. This isn’t a small amount. Gallons of liquid. Anywhere, anytime. Pounds of solids. Anywhere, anytime. The solids much be dealt with. Hope you have a really large scoop shovel on hand when you need one. No, city folk just look at the beauty, not the reality.
The other day, I was coming home from getting a milkshake at Dairy Queen. If you haven’t tried their Blizzard products, run, don’t walk, to the nearest DQ for a treat. Yum. They also have a Hot Fudge Milkshake that is superb. Anyway, I was making the turn on the West end of Main when the traffic stopped. Flashing lights ahead, it was going to be awhile. I assumed road work. For some time, the flashing lights slowly traveled West down main, towards our line of waiting drivers.
The closer they got, the more strange the problem. Two police cars were traveling side by side, filling both the East and West bound land. Traveling slowly, they had their lights blazing. On the side of the road trotted two mustangs, just ahead of the bumper of one of the patrol cars. It was a round-up by cops!!!! The mustangs had made it dangerously close to the interstate. Big rigs and horses don’t mix. The outcome could cause a major collision.
The policemen had obviously done this before, being skilled at keep the two marauders moving along towards the hills. One of the horses is a troubled horse, always in the middle of action. Pure white, this horse is a ring-leader. The others always follow, getting themselves in trouble by doing so. This horse actually reminds me of something out of a fairy tale. Not a true albino, it’s eyes are brown. Not a palamino, but rather a translucent white, he shimmers. Being a stallion, he’s unpredictable and dangerous. He insists on getting his way at all times.
So, there we sat. Happily, I downed my milkshake while the mini-rodeo went by. Eventually the city gravel truck turned off its warning lights and we were allowed to proceed. It won’t be the last time the horses cause a traffic jam. It’s just always a relief when no one is injured in the process, including the horses.
The horses used to be managed so that everyone could enjoy them. Every year, quietly, the herd was thinned. The native animals could share the range with the invasive horses. Nobody starved. Everyone was healthy. Now, that’s not the case. There is nature’s law of carrying capacity, basic and exact. There is a finite amount of food and water for a certain number of animals. When their numbers gets too big, the weak animals die off. It’s simply supply in demand of food and water. Without any management, the horses are now at a number more than the land sustain. Many are starving. Many will die a painful death. Not much can be done, unless the numbers are artificially sustained, which only makes the problem worse. It is illegal to feed wild horses.
Horses complicate life on the high desert, but are also a rare treat. The other day, WP and I were driving to church when a few bachelor horses decided it was time to run. In the seven years I’ve lived in Nevada, I can count on one hand the times I’ve been lucky to see a galloping herd of mustangs. Traveling all over the high desert, it isn’t a sight you see very often. Galloping uses up calories. Calories are precious in such an intense environment. WP made the same comment as we both watched their special show. The Running of the Mustangs. Something must have spooked them. Just as they run across the plains, they can just as easily spook and run across the roadway. You never know what they’ll decide to do.
Other than the horses and leaves there isn’t much other news. That’s the beauty of the high desert. Quiet and open, you can hear the autumn winds approaching over the mountain canyons. The train whistle in the distance. The hum of the trucks on the interstate reminds me how lucky I am to sit and write in my PJ’s. Have a wonderful Tuesday with whatever you decide to do.