Every now and then, something turns out really right. I would add the return of genetically pure bison to our very own Soapstone Prairie Natural Area to that category. Don't try to attend, however. According to the Denver Post, spectator spaces are already filled for Sunday's release of the bison to the prairie.
Read the full Denver Post story about the return of the bison.
Looking for horsey Halloween ideas? Plans are afoot at our place for all sorts of creations, weather permitting. Meanwhile, here are a few from years past:
All it takes is a little paint, glitter, a few ribbons and scarves, perhaps a discarded hat, and voilà, your horse morphs into the Spirit of Halloween, a giraffe, a zebra, a fairy, or Mr. Bows. The Poudre River Stables gang outdid itself this year by achieving all of the above, and the horses, shy at first, seemed to enjoy the combing and brushing that came with their makeovers. Check out the video above to see all of the costumes. Many thanks to these kids' instructor, Cayla Stone, for organizing this. Happy Halloween to all of you from all of us! (Billy, the horse in the photo, is a real-life horse character in the novel, Winning Bet, a clean read for 'tweens and teens.)
The funniest part came when all the horses, who had been individually costumed by all the handlers you see here, saw each other and were horrified. Billy, in the “All-American” red, white and blue, looked at Magic the Wizard, group shot, far left, in the sparkly black hat, threw up his head, rolled his eyes, snorted and scuttled backwards. Magic tried to turn around and leave with his human on the other end of the lead line.
Bonnie, appropriately the Beautiful Veiled Witch, Jasper, carrying his Knight in Shining Armor, and the Gypsy Dani were heroes, and never flinched.
(Bonnie Blue and her son Billy Blue are the real-life horse stars of the novel, Winning Bet, by Karin Livingston.)
I wonder what the Fort Collins City Council, or even the Larimer County Commissioners in charge of surrounding areas, will do with the challenge tossed out by city council member Gino Campana as he explores Fort Collins' path to a gold-medal-winning community. Phrases like “urban farming”, “demonstration gardens”, “community gardens” and “locally produced” accepted at a national level are words of hope. I’d like to call “ease land use regulations around urban animal husbandry” icing on the cake. However, since we are promoting somewhat-healthy lifestyles, let’s just call it “locally-produced strawberry jam over farm brie on homemade whole wheat bread with a farm cider chaser and a couple of homegrown tomatoes”. Dreaming big: Tax breaks and grants for micro-producers? What about an easy way to sell farm wines? More micro-neighborhood farmers markets? Going wild, we could even embrace the value of manure (don't laugh), the importance of rural heritage and history, resurrect the Code of the West and (you fill in the blank) ___________________________.