D'vorahDavida
Yetzirah

  Mr. P has a dog named Elvin. Elvin is a bundle of conflicted dog energies. He doesn't like to be fussed over, because he feels himself a working dog, and prefers to be praised from afar most of the time. But on the flip side, if Mr. P goes on a trip and leaves Elvin in my charge, he goes into an immediate decline and spends all his time moping in the house and must be coaxed to eat. He is also the dedicated Wal-Mart greeter to anyone who drives up our lane. Only thing is, he's the Wal-Mart greeter who is having a particularly bad day. He doesn't bite. But he DOES get all up in your business. The delivery men come with dog biscuits, and they know how to use them. He has a little dog door which he uses often at night if he hears anything that he considers suspicious. And often high tails it into the woods in pursuit of anything wilder than himself. He is the reason we are not inundated with racoons, foxes, bears, and mountain lions. They generally steer clear of our place. It's just too much hassle for them to deal with Elvin's vocal objections to territory invasions. The thing is, Elvin's job is dangerous. Very dangerous. A few days ago, Elvin went missing. The last time I saw him, he was sitting like a sphinx out in the yard, glaring down the lane in case some fool decided to come visit. Mr. P was distraught. He decided to gear up and hike up the hill to Elvin's usual hunting grounds. One time Elvin DID get his collar caught on a fence up there and was gone for hours, but he was barking the whole time. Finally Mr. P went up to investigate and found him. So there WAS a possibility that is what was going on. But this time there was no barking. An ominous sign. I wasn't much help, as I had to be out of town all day, so I couldn't join the search. When I got back he told me that there was no sign of Elvin anywhere up on the hill. And now another night has gone by. And all the snow fell too. We don't even know how the homestead will function properly without Elvin. It's inconceivable. He was made of much sterner stuff than Sunny. All I can think of now are wild creatures slowly moving closer to our houses and my chickens. The hardest thing for Mr. P of course is not knowing what has become of Elvin. That will be very difficult to deal with. Life is hard on the edge of the big woods. We can speculate forever about the details. But it seems that Elvin paid the ultimate price for being a country dog. That neurotic little bundle of dog energy will be sorely missed.   ***   But life must go on. And chicken chores must be done. Even in the snow and cold. Especially in the snow and cold. My hens are spending all their time in the coop since the snow, and the floor needed a deeper layer of straw, so I took the cart down to the barn to bring some up. Mr. P had shoveled a path for me to the part of the barn where my wood is stacked. But I needed to get around to the open end where the hay for J.R. and my straw is stacked. I didn't want to drag that cart through 8 inches of snow, so I decided to bring the straw through the garage part of the barn. It would be messy, but I figured I'd sweep it up later on a warmer day. There are two doors and one opens into the hay storage area. I opened the door ... and a blur of black and brown fur shot past me .... It was ELVIN! He ran as fast as his little short legs would take him up to the house. I was running after him shouting and waving my arms, Elvin! Elvin! Elvin!...  [and anyone who knows me will tell you... I NEVER run!] Mr. P heard me yelling and came out to see what the din was all about. Elvin ran around the house and up the hill briefly then came back down to us. We all made a fuss over him, which he really didn't like, but tolerated for a few moments. Sunny was happy to see him too. So we had hugs and tears all around. Well except for Elvin. Once his initial burst of enthusiasm was spent, he became as stoic as ever. He's pretty camera shy, but here are some pictures of our dog on the job...just moments after arriving at the house.   And just a little while later, he was in a usual spot near Mr. P's front door.   He's probably thinking... "Note to self. Stay away from the blue barn with the red door."   And even though I have lived here for a few years now, and I released him from the barn dungeon, he will bark at me if I go near their front door. EVERY single time. Elvin treats everyone but Mr. P as a potential perp. Thanks a lot Elvin. But I'm glad you are still with us, you little Copper.   P.S. I have NO idea why he didn't bark to tell us he was locked in the barn. AND we have no idea how he GOT locked in the barn. But these are mysteries we can live with.