Elk

Elk are social creatures

in a bullish sort of way.

Each Bull maintains his private harem,

and though he will not share em, he will fight to have his way.

Upon his head he wears the the family tree

displaying proudly all the branches of his progeny.

Wapiti, the native people say are just becoming civilized

and so they have to live this way.

Emily's Cabin

Emily's cabin is out on Broadford

at the place where water flows beneath the road.

It's a charming little cabin made of giant logs.

Her house is magical

because her parents built it log by log just like a beavers lodge.

You might see her playing in the woods as you drive by

but remember she is living in a different world

than you and I, 

Way out on Broadford

like a cloud

Floating in the sky!

Fishing

Fishing is for me a private comedy.

I cast my line to se just how tangled it can be

from end of pole to tip of tree, from tree to bush to sock.

I thrash about and splash from rock to slippery rock 

and when I've nearly given up I chance to hit the water with a hook

and some poor starving fish finally get to take a look, and strikes.

Yipes,

I am a fisherman once again, that's all it took.

Next weekend I'll be back performing these and other tricks

o'r the rushing waters and way up in the trees.

Don't watch me, Please!

Flicker

When I hear tap, tap - tap, tap, tap, 

I know that pesky flickers back to make another hole.

I wouldn't mind if he'd stick to trees, 

but he's perforating my cabin eaves!

He'd like to live inside the hollows of my walls.

Who knew a woodpecker had such balls!

Going Into Ketchum

Going into Ketchum takes the best part of a day.

You've got to stop at Atkinson's and the old Stock Pot Cafe.

The lumber yard is calling and what about Chateau?

It's just another run for Coca Cola and supplies

and sometimes if we're lucky a celebrity is spied.

We politely ignore them to protect their privacy

but what we'd really like to do is invite them home for tea.

Oh well, They will never know just what they've missed

by not knowing you and me.

The van is loaded to the brim and we're headed

up the canyon once again.

We hope to see a bear or better yet a moose, 

but one thing's for sure

and that's the fact that some surprise 

is always seen along the way

any time we go into Ketchum for the day.

Gone To Ground

Indians know and I have witnessed

how a fawn can vanish suddenly from sight.

It sounds impossible but when it happens

it's a strange delight,

I was riding on the ranch on a bright and sunny day

when a spotted fawn appeared. I tried to get a rope on it

but it vanished from my eye. 

Several cowboys I was with had formed a circle with their horses

but neither they not I could find a trace.

We searched and carefully looked around, 

but the fawn had "Gone To Ground."

Grandpa's Snoring

The walls are bulging out then sucking in

cause gramps is is doing it again.

Grandpa's snoring like a bear,

snorting out each breath of air.

He's sawing logs again! When will it end?

Granny has her earplugs in and doesn't hear a thing.

The world could end, she'd just sleep in,

with Gramps still seesawing.

For when he breaths it's like the tide of an eternal ocean.

How can he sleep? What can we do?

He's making a commotion!

It sounds like ripping canvas.

It's a neighborhood earthquake. 

Oh Grandpa, What's it going to take?

Stop snoring for heavens sake!

Healing Water

I believe in healing water

that comes up through burning sulfur and deep black sand

emerging from the broken mountains

like a healing hand.

I've seen the Elk and Deer

wade across the chilly waters of a mountain stream

to drink from steaming hot springs and then lay down to dream.

Hot water from the earth is more than simply heated.

It is mother natures tea that's specially treated

from within her deepest seams

perhaps inspiring special visions 

fulfilling forest dream.

How Do Seagulls Know

How do seagulls know when a farmer is about to plough?

They never fail to show
to dine on earthworms freshly tilled.

I have always thought it odd that they knew.

There is no ocean near.

From where do seagulls suddenly appear?

It's one of those great mysteries which surround us all the time.

It's a scientific key to understanding the sublime.

In The Attic

Living in the attic with bats and mice

isn't always bad.

In fact, it can be very nice

if you have a running brook that you can always hear

and there are elk and deer and foxes and mink

and a thousand chipmunks near.

That's our situation every summer at our little mountain retreat

where we sit around the campfire just warming up our feet

or laying in the hot pool observing shooting stars

where the telephone is silent

and we seldom see a car.

We love our little attic room where we look out at the sky.

It's the best place in the world for experiencing

 a natural smokey Mountain High!

Main Street Ketchum

Main street in Ketchum is a very busy stretch of road

with no safe spot for motorists to unload.

The traffic quickly pulses between two traffic lights

but on corners not protected 

and you can play the local game,

"Pedestrians Plight".

Just grab the orange flag provided

and proceed as if protected by an actual traffic light.

Each time you pass unharmed, you're free to play again.

The prize is "Life Itself."

See if you can win.

Major

Major was my buckskin, a tough Morgan horse.

He could tolerate a gun shot near his ear

or even biting flies.

He could stand and wait.

He could back up after opening a gate.

He could side-step up the steepest hill.

He would never bit or rub you up against a tree.

He was a true companion and a guide.

He was much much more than just and animal to ride.

Millionaires Are Weeping

The millionaires are weeping for their fate

as billionaires displace them throughout the old Gem State.

But the tragedy's most apparent in the Valley of the Sun

Where billionaires out-number millionaires ten to one.

The trout are getting smaller and the license costing more.

The streets are getting crowded and the rich are feeling poor.

You can see by our new airport that the jet sets doing well.

The average house in Ketchum is as large as a hotel.

If the rich get any richer we'll know it in this way;

There will be no space left for architectural display.

Worlds Longest Mineral Bath

The story is told of one silly fellow

high on a mixture of drugs

who climbed into the hot pool at Crony Cove

in all his duds.

It was winter and when he stumbled out his wet clothing froze.

Not thinking clearly and in a panic,

he stripped and went back in.

When help finally reached him thirty-seven days had passed,

 moss was sprouting from his skin and He was white as ash.

By being the survivor of "Worlds Longest Mineral Bath" 

he'd learned a very shallow lesson

but not very fast.

Shooting Stars of August

When i'st time to see the shooting stars of August

my favorite place to be

is on the edge of Redfish Lake.

I sit upon the sandy beach

and use the calm lakes surface as a mirror

to see the shooting stars converging from above and below.

It's the axiom of Hermes as seen in Idaho.

It's a supernatural wonder

that repeats itself each year

in the sky and on the surface 

Of what ever lake you may be near.

Snoopy

We had a wonderful dog when our children were growing up.

He was a super mutt. We met him as a pup.

He came in with a visitor and stayed for eighteen years.

He was tan with a splash of white and softly folding ears.

He was fearless, loyal and loving.

And when it came to bathroom chores 

we never knew where Snoop had been

as he went outside and hid his business like a sin.

He trained us very quickly to let him out and in

and on July the fourth at exactly 12 a.m. 1987,
the excitement of our family fireworks

brought him to an end.

Wagon Days

Wagon Days come but once a year

to Ketchum and Sun Valley

The Day begins with a shootout in the street, 

the re-enactment of a drunken cowboy rally.

A cannon roars and then come horses, 

bareback riders on pinto ponies, appaloosas,

shetlands, Giant Percherons, blacks and grays

some carrying fine saddles

others pulling wagons, stages and drays.

The pooper scoopers on roller blades

are really happy hockey players

who by clearing the street of horse emissions are

rectifying traffic and marching band conditions.

My favorites are the champaign ladies

and the Spanish caballero on his prancing horse 

and I always like the grand finale when

the mighty ore wagon rumbles in

pulled by as many animals as anyone dares drive.

To me this is the end of one more Valley summer

and I take special pride to have seen it over and over

since I was ten.

Someday maybe I'll be in the thing 

but I'm content to watch till then.