In which I am a failure and it probably didn't happen because there are no pix

You know how they say "Pix or it didn't happen."

Well, guess what didn't happen today while we were out riding?

Not my picture. 
I stole this from some website somewhere, and didn't even cite the source.
I'm not only a bad blogger, I'm a bad librarian.
No cookie for me.

Yup.

Patty and I were riding on one of our usual routes, talking and chatting the way we always do.  When we got to a junction of two logging roads, we split up for a while to do a little solo work with the ponies...

...and not two minutes later, Fiddle and I heard a bunch of crashing around in the brush off to the side of our logging road.

I figured "deer."  We've seen bunches of deer lately, including a deer in our orchard at home, and several deer grazing in Fiddle's pasture a few mornings ago.

Moments later, a bear cub squirted up the trunk of a big ol' fir tree.

Wow!  Cool!  

And dang, my camera isn't working!

Undeterred, Fee and I trotted back to Patty. 

"Look at the BEAR!"  

She admired the bear.

"Gimme your phone and I'll go back and take a picture!"

At this point, Team Sensible stepped in. 

Fiddle might accept my Bad Idea Fairy notions at times, but she was not about to mess around with bears.

Sigh.

So, I don't have a picture of the bear.

I also don't have a really awesome story about meeting that bear's mom.

I know, I know.  As a blogger, I'm a big failure.

I just thought y'all would like to know.

In which Madeline is leaving for an Adventure and goats are dumb

Madeline and Monkey Jack Paisley Baileyschild are leaving this week for a big adventure:  

Madeline and MJPBc

teaching at a public high school in south Texas!

We are going to miss her like crazy.

Cowboy Jim and his biggest horsegirl

Before she could leave the Swampland, she had to take one last-time-for-a-long-time ride on Ross.

Ross looks pretty good for an "old" horse, doesn't he?

Then they came over to Haiku Farm for dinner and presents.  MJPBc had to choose one toy to take to Texas.  It was a difficult decision

"I can choose boff?"

Just so you know, People of Texas, that weird new noise is the sound of Squeaky Frog.  No need to be alarmed.  

She loves the Squeaky Frog

MJPBc has a vivid imagination.

Somehow, the orchard became a vast savanna

She stalked the elusive-but-hapless warthog for many patient minutes...

Sun beating down on the parched plain

the warthog remained clueless throughout the game.  

There is no truce among fierce animals, not even at the waterhole.

Some folks might say that Luna is dumb, but they wouldn't say that if they met Lupin Goat Gruff.  Here's his latest adventure:

Dumber than your average goat...and that's sayin' somethin'.

He stuck his head through the field fence wire to nibble grass on the other side, and got his head stuck.  Please note that less than 6 feet from the goat is a gate into the pasture, and the gate is standing wide open.


Luna is grateful that God made goats.  Goats make Luna look clever by comparison.


Me, I just take pictures and laugh a lot before I get the goat un-stuck again.  It took two people to un-stick him.  Dumb goat.  I wonder if they have smarter goats in Texas?

I hope not.