Saturday, March 29, 2008

Halloo!

Our town is so cute! Awhile back our town hosted a Rodeo Club fundraiser with a mechanical bull to ride, music from a DJ to dance, and drinks for the eligible to down. So very many people attended this event. During the first few hours of the evening, the children are also welcome and they get a kick out of watching people trying to ride the bull, many attempting it themselves. Of course, not everyone in town went to the rodeo gala. Therefore, the next weekend our town hosted a Polkafest. Live bands played, people danced the polka and non-alcoholic drinks were served. Again, many people attended this event. Granted, it began a few hours earlier than the Bull Dance to accomodate an aging crowd. Many young ones attended it too, though. There's always something to do here.

All winter long, Caleb has been setting and checking traps. A regular Daniel Boone wannabe. While we were gone one weekend, his friend Mark Kroontje found a coyote caught in one of them. Caleb had cheers of ectasy when he heard the news! Some mysterious man comes to Herreid on Fridays at noon during the winter to buy dead animals for an unknown reason. Yes, BUY. A coyote can pull about $25. Well, as luck would have it, this man, who is reputably unreliable, never showed up on the three Fridays when we hauled the carcass up to the Super Stop gas station to sell it. Okay, remember we sold our older pickup and bought a full-size van. How does one haul a dead coyote with a van? They have an extremely strong musk that clings to anything it touches. Mama says that's not coming in my van! So, Caleb put it into a durable, black trash bag and hoisted it onto the top of the van. It's quite heavy and that's a chore.

Much to Mama's dismay, the coyote was frozen while hanging on a clothesline in the backyard. You may think that having a dead animal swinging on our laundry line would look unusual. It actually helped our house blend in with the neighborhood. One neighbor had eight dead things hanging on their line (what a patient mama lives in that house) and another had four on theirs (no mama at all in that house). So, in reality having the coyote and jack rabbit, which soon followed, on our laundry line was fairly modest and inconspicuous in comparison! Well, having been frozen in that position adds maximum length to the creature and it doesn't even come close to fitting into the trash bag. Basically, the bag gave something for Caleb to hold onto while hoisting it. Anyways, when it sets on top of the van, it is much more than an overgrown hood ornament, think more on the line of a parade float icon.

Even in Herried, we got many strange looks and quite a few comments about our van decoration on those days. You see, real trappers would have used a pickup. We're sooooo amatuer.
Hope your days are spent learning new things too. Happy Easter! Remember it's about Jesus, not the bunny with thigh-enhancing candies.
Blessings,
Marcia for the Swann's