The Encounter That Wasn't

It's not every day that what didn't happen is what's news. But through a confluence of events, it could have, and thus became the topic of discussion.

First was the heat. It promised to become a 90 degree day, and in fact more than fulfilled that promise. Since we start each day with the weather report so Daddy knows what to wear and when/whether to take his scooter ride, we changed his schedule to have him take a morning ride, before it got really hot out. (As it was, he was back by 10:00, something I learned later, and already sweating from his excursion.)

Then there was my phone call with Lynn, our city clerk, formerly my employee and currently my friend. She keeps the police scanner on in her office, and while I was talking to her just after 10:00 she stopped the conversation to mention that one of Eichten's bison was reported in "downtown" Shafer, roaming loose. "Downtown" is a very loose description of half a dozen storefronts on the county road running north from Hwy. 8. Their bison farm is in city limits, on the very western end along the highway, and a great place to stop for eating in or taking meat home. Right now as you drive by if the herd is in the front of their pasture, you can see the new babies, distinguishable both by size and light brown color.

The thing is, the bike path my dad uses crosses that county road on the northern end of "downtown." I started wondering just what an encounter with a semi-wild bison and a blind geezer on a scooter would wind up looking like. Or whether Daddy would even see the beastie. And which way might yield a better outcome - for my dad, of course.

There is only one outcome for a loose bison: steaks and burgers. Lynn's next visitor was its owner wondering where his critter had been sighted. Lynn hadn't seen it, her office being located a block off the main drag. It hadn't turned and come her way, which is a very good thing, since that would involve it coming down along the bike path. When the next call on the scanner reported it on 305th Street, Lynn pointed him in the right direction and he drove off to take care of it. I didn't ask whether the ordinance against discharging a firearm within city limits would hold in this case, but perhaps it wandered the small remaining bit to the city limits before its owner reached it.

I tried calling my dad a couple times after a bit to find out if he'd seen the bison, but we didn't connect. I didn't know whether he was in the bathroom, at the table, or still out on his ride. I got busy with work, and when I finally cleared up to call later, his aide was there and he was in the bathroom. Finally when I got home I asked whether they'd met on the trail, and he said he'd missed seeing it. Which was a good thing. And why what didn't happen was the news of the day.