With my umbrella keeping the rain off me, I ran from my car across the barn lot and into the barn. I thought it likely I'd find Toby holed up in there to avoid the cold, wet days we were having.
After a quick search, I spotted him in a dark tunnel between the stacked hay bales.
He came out stretched, and yawned.
"No doubt you're picking off rats and mice as they come across the fence line to shelter in the barn for the winter," I said.
"Yep, the dog patrol can't keep up with that mob coming right through the barnlot border."
"How about the roosters, do they help keep them out?"
"Definitely! but there aren't enough chicken patrols. Besides the chickens roam around in a group so the field mice and rats go around them and head straight into the barn. Now, there are so many they're taking over the barn. Maybe you could speak to Wendy about trapping a bunch of them and haul them over to the neighbor's barn."
"Why? Don't you need plenty for your winter menus?"
"There are so many, I can't keep up. We need a better system."
"Hmmm. I see you've gained a little weight." I thought for a minute. "Would it help if we brought in more barn cats?"
"Oh, no!!! Never!!! Don't even think about that."
"I see. I apologize. For a second there I forgot about your loner DNA."
"Yup! You got it. Our best bet is for Wendy to ship most of them next door. The ones left here will be all I need. They multiply fast."
Sometimes I forget his cousins are mountain lions. I told him, "I can guarantee you that Wendy will never, ever start shipping them next door."
"Who can we get to do it, then? This is crazy."
"Don't look at me. I don't know how to fix the system. It's just as insane as healthcare."
"Weren't you talking about voting the other day? We gotta do something about this situation! Every time you humans put in another road or bulldoze stuff, we have this problem. Now, you humans made the climate warm up, so it's even worse. Do something!!!!"
"Okay. Okay." I've never seen him so mad and upset except when he went after that Vladputin tomcat trying to take over.
"Never forget, Toby, I'm gonna vote! I'm also sending my Vote Forward letters out to people encouraging them to vote. Maybe this time we'll get to make things better for everybody--including barn cats with too many mice and rats coming through the barnlot fence."
He seemed to calm down a bit, then wound around my ankles and disappeared back into the hay bales. I think our talk exhausted him.
________
*Your ballot's candidates and issues anywhere in the USA--any political affiliations!
*Their office's function.
*The candidates.
*Each candidate's answers to their background, why they're running, their answers to questions on current issues--local to national.
*Side-by-side, interactive candidate comparison tool.
*Your districts' ballot issues in plain summaries with published Pro and Con views.
*Print your own personalized, informed list while you're reviewing the candidates and issues. The interactive lets you check your choices, print your list, or email/text it to yourself,
*Check your registration.
*Find your polling place.
*Discover debates in your area.
*Checklist for first-time voters.
*Election problem phone numbers for multiple languages.
--bullet points are taken from The League of Women Voters website.
________
"Writing letters to voters is one of the most effective ways to increase election turnout. And you can do it right from home," says Vote Forward's website. It's about getting out the vote. It rejects political partisanship. There is a comprehensive how-to. You can choose current campaigns and issues that are near or far.
VOTE!!!
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***
Let's quiet our minds now and go to The Arts Desk:
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Let's travel now to The Education Deskwhere you can balance equations with 8-year-old Simone...
...from Simone's daddy Duane. Duane, you'll remember from earlier postings, is Elijah's dad, too. Thanks, for sharing your remarkable equation balancing, Simone and Duane.
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The Sports Desk: Football season is here, for sure. From Missouri Jeanenne sent some pictures of 8th grader grandson (my great-nephew) Oliver, #81, delivering a hit in his football game...
Football in Utah has 2nd grader, great-grandson Kingston playing too...
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In Tucson, friend of many decades Gloria went walking at Catalina State Park where we shared many walks together. Her picture brought back a flood of good memories...
Keoni, in Houston, is enjoying the life there besides his orchestra work. He sent a couple of photos...
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| From a jazz venue. |
Paula and Carl were amazed to find a bobcat taking a nap just beneath their living room window. They sent this...
Right after they sent this, another bobcat came too. A tribute to re-wilding their yard!
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The Farm Report: Wendy is still picking peppers from this season's garden...
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| Some she shared with me. |
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Fall is definitely here now. We have had several days of steady rain compliments of Ian. The best kind of rain here, slow, soaking; helping a lot after so much drought this summer. The polar opposite of the destruction Ian left behind.
The leaves have slowly been turning but full fall color is not here yet.
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| At a nearby farm market run by a Mennonite family |
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| The grasses were not as thick and tall as in other years. Still, they are beautiful at the farm. |
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| Pat saw some mushrooms on one of her walks here at Dock. |
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| Sunset with wires. Seen from the corner of my apartment building. |
We'll close with Goldenrod at the farm...
