Some reading the previous three dispatches might be wondering if I’ve lost it. This is because I claim that what I wrote are Raudi, Rainbow, and Jenna’s musings. If I say they are fiction, I’ll be considered sane. If I say they’re nonfiction, I’ll be considered insane. I’m going to say that they are nonfiction. So, I guess I am crackers. I was simply the intermediary, visible ghost writer, editorial lackey, as-told-to grunt. Yep, I clean horse pens and convey messages from animals with the same degree of purpose and general good cheer.

However, I should clarify my stance on animal communication. This is it. Most who communicate with animals pay close

Rocky was OK with being euthanized

attention to the outward manifestations of their behavior—their animals’ voices and body movements included. And all this will tell one a great deal. But some also connect with animals on a more intuitive level. It’s this which is most controversial. This is because it’s not overt or quantifiable.

Some people and some animals are more intuitive than others. I’m somewhat intuitive. Over time, I’ve become more adept at picking up on what my animals are thinking. This has come about because I spend so much time with them. I have to say that I’m definitely not an animal communicator, and for this reason won’t be hanging my shingle on the door. I’m just an animal owner who is attempting to remain in touch with her critters.

Sometimes I don’t hear what they’re trying to tell me. And other times, like yesterday, the din is almost overwhelming. The chickens, goats, dogs, and horses all had something to say and were unusually vocal. The reason was that they knew that Raudi, Rainbow, and Jenna had their say, and they too wanted a piece of the action. I told them all that my listening to them and giving them prime editorial space will take more time than I now have. Plus, I have to tend to all of them. And besides, I have things that I need to put in dispatch form. I concluded by telling each and every animal who lives here that they’re going to have to continue to make their immediate concerns known to me. I then assured them that I’ll write up their self-reflections, but not right away. Ranger the Goat, upon hearing this, was the most eager to be heard. And Signy the horse was the least eager. I suspect that when the time comes, that it will be easy to prioritize.

Some, like Jon Katz, might say that intuition involves listening to your feelings. I’d tend to agree with this. Most recently, he and his wife Maria decided to have Rocky the Pony euthanized. The outward signs were that he was ailing. The inward sign was they had this sense that it was time for him to move on. My day-to-day decisions are a lot easier. They center around determining who should go out and how much exercise he or she should get. Yep, I go by my feelings.

I’m very busy here, trying to keep the ark on an even keel. Today it’s overcast. Snow’s in the forecast. Once it starts to fall heavy, it’s going to keep falling. The snowplows will be back on the road, and the snowmobiles will be back on the trails. So I am now spending time out on the trails, where all is calm and all is bright.

Next: 339. 11/15/12: In the Absence of Light