Animal Kingdom

  With temperatures  nearing 80, and a mostly sunny
sky, I put the top down in the Miata and headed
out along a rural mountain road just east of my
home.
   But as I left I finally stopped to take a close look
at a home made memorial that's been placed at the
entrance to our development.
   I'm not a big fan of roadside memorials!
   They do draw attention. And that can make them
dangerous in an area where, obviously, there's
already been an accident.
    In this case I found a couple of flowers
attached to a small cross with the photo of a family
pet. I'm sorry someone lost their dog. But, at the
same time, I'm wondering how any household
pet could have been run down (if that's what
happened) in this location.....unless..... the
animal was running loose!
    Animals of all sorts have some 'smarts!'
    Our cockatiel can say a couple things.
    Bears and squirrels gather food for the
winter.
    Deer know where to find the corn and apples.
    But animals are NOT GOOD at crossing
streets!!!!!
    You'll see squirrels all over the place....make
that all over the road these days! They see a car
coming, stand up and, apparently 'think' about
the situation for a second or two before
choosing their escape route. Many have made
the wrong choice!
    Ground Hogs aren't much better!  I've seen
a lot of their remains over the past few weeks
along with those of raccoons and porcupines.
    Skunks don't seem to be able to get out of
the way either. But at least they'll let you know
they've been  there...even after they're gone!
    But those 'road kills' all have something in
common besides their lack of speed when
taking on cars and trucks.
    They're all wild and have to care for
themselves!
    And people should be caring for their pets
instead of taking our attention away from
the road!
    Hope your chickens don't cross the road
and that all your NEWS is good!