UN...HERD... OF!

For most of the day yesterday we had this herd of elk in the yard. First of all, until the past few years have we had no elk here at all but, second - and most important - when they have come it has been very late in the fall.

A herd of elk in the yard on August 1 is startling enough for me to inquire about as to why this has happened. Turns out that it is so dry up in the mountains this year that the animals are coming down early to find grazing. Indeed, we had an e-mail notice that a bear had been seen in our neighborhood.

The dryness is troubling because we all have the feeling that one big fire close to town and we are cooked. It is a beautiful day though and, mercifully, all is well.