Hound Dogs And Wild Orchids

I first heard him late Thursday night. Oh crap. There's a hound dog parked at the pull off along the byway just below me. Sure enough, when I left for work Friday morning there he was sitting in the middle of the road watching each car that passed by. He had no collar. It isn't hunting season. He was settin' in one place for hours on end. All the signs that he had been dumped there late in the night.

I went back home and placed an order with animal control....Again....They were last here less than three months ago.

"Y'all should have me on file by now."

He was still there in the same spot Friday afternoon when I came home. I called animal control to reconfirm my order. I got a long song and dance of we have been very busy today. This is a big county you know.

Yes, yes. I understand all that. I just want to know if you are going to make it up here today or do I need to go feed, water and maybe try to catch the dog?

Well maybe we can get there this weekend, maybe next week. You can bring the dog to us.

Got it. I need to go take care of the dog myself. And no I can't bring a strange dog to you in the back of my pick-up truck. I have no collar, no leash, no cage. I am not a dog person. I am not equipped to transport a strange dog to you.

Then the skies let loose with pounding rain, thunder and lightning. When it was over he was gone. Did animal control come get him? Did one kind stranger of the hundreds who have passed him by and had to slow down to avoid hitting him stop and pick him up? I didn't care. He was gone.

Until about 11pm last night and there he was barking and howling on the road just above me. Too late. You missed dinner. I had breakfast ready to serve Saturday morning and he was no where to be found. Finally he showed up for brunch. Then the skies let loose with pounding rain, thunder and lightning. When it was over he was gone. Alton is apparently smart enough to seek shelter in a storm. Just not with me.

Abandoned dogs are a routine, two to three per year. I really need the equipment to deal with this. I just don't want to pay for it. I looked at collars once and they were $15 a piece.

I was weeding around my Pink Muhly Grass in between down pours when Alton showed up for brunch. I wanted to clean it up now before it starts to bloom so when it does bloom it will show up nicely.

I found a native wild orchid, Goodyera pubescens, Rattlesnake Plantain, in bloom. These little orchids with very distinctly veined leaves are scattered all over the mountain.

Some of my baby shrubberies are finally gaining substance. I keep planting and editing while a garden slowly rises above the Lush.

In the land of loose hound dogs and wild orchids.