... they can eat you.

This is what I had to tell Dusty this morning as he was in flabulous form, stalking enemies through the window. I heard him ripping through the house, going from window to window, "acking" his best acks, even emitting a few primal growls here and there. Oh was he fired up. What must be out there that is making him so riled up? Perhaps a dove, maybe two doves. Or is it a family of quail taunting him with there plump little bodies through the retched glass. I haven't heard Dust go this wild in awhile. Better get up and see what the fuss it all about.

Now when I got up this morning I was feeling about 110 years old. Very tired, achy and everything cracked as I stood up. So I made my way into the living room to look out the big window where Dusty was doing his surveillance. WHOA! There were at least 10 turkey vultures in the yard. Some were up on the telephone pole, others were on the ground. There were many, many more in the air doing that circling thing that they do when they spot something dead, or about to be dead. Boy they are big. Was it me they were waiting on. I do go out into the backyard every morning to check for dead things in the pool. Did they hear my groans and cracking joints??? Is it my time??

Anyway, Dusty could care less why they were there or how big they were. He obviously had an unresolved issue with them being in his yard. (Side note: Kody dog is fast asleep, on his back, farting and snoring in the hallway oblivious to all of this). You should have seen Dust. He was in prime kill mode. Tail twitching, butt wiggling, mouth chattering a mile a minute ready to attack at any moment. "If only I could get out there." It looked like he was thinking, "I would pounce on them all and gnaw on their bald heads and pluck the feathers from their carnivorous bodies one by one." He doesn't get it. I had to explain to dimboy that those vultures were much bigger than him and they would surely make a fine snack out of him if he were to try and gnaw and pluck them. He didn't care. The primal hunter in him was in full bloom.

I tried to take pictures, batteries dead in the digital, tried to take video, battery dead in that too. Darn. The vultures hung out for about an hour, I had my breakfast, Kody shifted position, and Dusty the Great Vulture Hunter, well he fell sound asleep, still looking out the window, his little mouth hanging open ever so slightly. Dream my little hunter. Just remember, if they are bigger than you, they can eat you.

Copyright © Tambra Jo Gwozdz
September 11, 2001