A FB memory, totally OT, but....IYKYK

[Riley Smith]

It's dark and there is very little light under the oak trees along the driveway. There you can stand in the shadows and look out upon the moonlit neighborhood. The one street light down the road doesn't do much good, being amidst a think wad of pecans, so the soft moonlight is dominant. That moon reveals nothing special except the stream of low level scud being sucked off the gulf and racing to the northeast. It is the sound that has drawn me. The dogs are running.

We heard them fire up while we were on the patio admiring this warm, humid, night and the partial moon that has appeared through the clouds. I thought for a moment it was a red bone hound, and remembered those days long ago standing and listening to the hounds drive the deer closer and closer. It was a beagle I realized, not a red bone; and rabbit, not deer must be running under this moon.

There were two of them, one all a-fluster with the chase and baying to the world they were hot on the trail; the other working the maze of the scent line, and leading. I listened in the darkness, silent but totally involved in what the dogs were telling me with their yelps and yips. The chase ran hot for a while and then the music of running dogs faltered, as the wise old rabbit made his move. The one baying quit, and I could hear the lead dog's frustration, as the scent went everywhere and nowhere. Precious seconds were lost, all the while the rabbit was increasing its lead, and getting closer to safety. Finally, the beagle figured out the trail and struck again, although not as hot. The baying dog was muted but giving encouragement.

It picked up for a short while and then they ran into another scent maze and I knew the rabbit had given them the slip. Probably crossing the ditch that runs off the road to the southwest. It's wet after the rain and I imagined an old cane cutter scrambling the scent in the water and making fools of the dogs. Maybe even the one I spotted in the yard yesterday. Maybe even in the yard now, downwind from the dogs among the azalea jungle near me, listening to make sure the beagles don't strike again.

The dogs knew they had been beat, but as dogs will do, they put on a show. This might not be the last meeting and psychology always plays a hand in these encounters. Too, they also might flush this quarry from it's hiding place that seemed to be everywhere, forcing their bluster in the brush. They were hunting the home ground of a neighbor to the southwest, on the other road, and the bluster will make the old rabbit even more wary. But he had truly given them the slip. I imagined him sitting safe and very still in the brush, listening to the frustrated hounds and breathing the warm moonlit air as I was doing.

 The dogs finally retreated back towards their home down the hill. The barking fell silent and finally, the only sound in the night was the whippoorwill calling across the broom sage and the pines. Riding the breeze coming off the Gulf up in the moonlight.

[Wolverine]

Danm Riley, have you thought about publishing a book of short stories?  That was beautiful. I felt I was there with you.

[Doug SC]

Rily, I have a good story about a couple off beagles, two nice bucks, and a muzzle loader. It's too long for me to want to type it though. I also had a beagle puppy that learned to run rabbits behind our house. He would see it and take off after it. I would watch the rabbit run down the trail and then do a big jump to the side and Charlie Brown would run right past it and then shortly realize his nose said the rabbit was gone. After a few times he learned to follow his nose instead. He had a great nose.

On another note, I highly recommend a book of hunting stories written by Maurice Thompson about he and his brother. They were two confederate soldiers from Georgia who after the Civil War went to Florida to hunt with a hound and bows and arrows. They shot ducks on the wing, panther, deer, etc. It gives a look at the bounty of wild Florida and its local folks in a time past. Written in an older almost poetic style. Your writing reminds of the book.

[Riley Smith]

Danm Riley, have you thought about publishing a book of short stories?  That was beautiful. I felt I was there with you.

Yes, I have considered it some. Very little actually. I know nothing about that world and am getting too old to deal with it. I HAVE stored up a few for my wife and if Kurt gets the archives going, there are PLENTY in there. I just enjoy writing. BTW... it's snowing up a storm here and I have excited grandchildren here

[Krusen]

I hear that Trump canceled global warming, so get ready for much more snow!

This is purely a joke , so no political ramblings.

Our yard has had snow on it for 2 weeks, and that is a record amount going back a dozen years, so ours is curtesy of Biden!  Current temperature in the lower teens, so the snow is Biden, temperature Trump.

The last inauguration driven indoors was Reagan's second, but the classic bad one was JFK's, unforgettable storm.

Remember, all this is just a joke.  Weather is delivered by random events, a global leader in disruption to mans endeavors.

[Norm L.]

Our veterinarian has 47 beagles (last time we spoke). He breeds them and competes. He also traveled around the country as a judge in district competitions. He has walked away from that as the travel and horse-riding during hunts became too much of a distraction from his other things. He also has horses and is restoring two classic cars. His vet office has interesting artwork of beagles that he had commissioned.

From him I learned that there was such a thing as competitive beagle hunts.

[Wolverine]

Danm Riley, have you thought about publishing a book of short stories?  That was beautiful. I felt I was there with you.

Yes, I have considered it some. Very little actually. I know nothing about that world and am getting too old to deal with it. I HAVE stored up a few for my wife and if Kurt gets the archives going, there are PLENTY in there. I just enjoy writing. BTW... it's snowing up a storm here and I have excited grandchildren here

If you decide to go that route, my wife is an award winning author with 2 published books. Her 1st book was an Amazon best seller. She is always willing to help budding authors.