New Sights and Sounds

Thursday afternoon, the work crew digging out a water line in our front/back yard took a break at 3:30 for a puppy party. The farmer’s border collie had a litter three days’ before, so Binbin jumped in the van with a handful of guys to drive out there for some puppy therapy. There were seven adorable furballs, eyes still shut. Binbin had one in his lap, squirming and vulnerable, licking about. The lowered blood pressure and the raised happiness quotient was palpable. Was it Charlie Brown who connected Happiness with being with a Dog?

On a couple of early morning walks, I heard sounds new to me. The first was the rustled crunching of about 60 sheep grazing in the fields. Fluffy lawnmowers making slow progress from east to west. The second, this morning, the noisy groans of cows come back to the valley. When I returned to the BH, the cowboys explained to me that about 17 cows had to be separated from their calves, which were being held in a different pen. Apparently, they weren’t so vocal about the separation yesterday, but now, well, the trauma is audible.

The project of digging up the pipe has been dramatic. Binbin likes to hang out watching, and helping, to the extent that that is possible. We try to finish up school work in short spurts, in between his doing the rounds, checking on the guys’ progress. Progress is visible, but it hasn’t been easy. Twice, the propane line running the same course as the water line has been ruptured. Yesterday the rupture was somewhat alarming, as the whispery sound of escaping gas was quite loud. The smell was awful to us, but apparently the flies love it, mistaking it for carrion. It’s a weird sight to see: hundreds of flies buzzing crazily at a broken pipe.

It’s beginning to be fall here, and so we see clouds regularly in what used to be a blue dome overhead. The clouds brought significant rain yesterday, and a mighty wind kicked up in the pass. Jack and Binbin had gone along the weekly student errand run into town. As the exited Westguard Pass, they saw the propane guy driving the other direction, toward Deep Springs. They waved.

More cattle will be driven back on Wednesday. Apparently it’s quite a sight, and we’re planning to have a look at lunchtime.