A Study in Skull-et and Yaks Lost and Found

I swear, Tom's like a little kid,  returning from his daily meanderings with pockets full of treasures. Yesterday I walked with him and the day's theme was "Nails and Wire." In West Texas language that's pronounced "Niles and Wahr." We encounter quite a few Texans in our part of the state and it's good to know their lingo.

In 40 minutes he found at least 10 nails, 6 baling wire clippings, and a strand of barbed wire. Since most of this stuff was on the edge of our driveway or embedded in the driveway's dirt and gravel, it was good he found these hazards, though I had to tell him he was like that special ed kid who used to walk me out to the faculty parking lot, the kid that could home in on a stray coin a hundred yards away even though his eyeglasses were an inch thick.

I think the blog has been a little too girly for Tom lately because he photographed the skull collection and suggested I post the pics. So for all the non-girlies, here is Tom's skull collection. I know what some of them are, but not sure about the others. If you can identify any, comment at the end of this post so we can learn something.

There's a treat after the skull photos, something cute and girly. I couldn't resist.

A recurrent collecting theme is Bones and Skulls. While poking around the trees and rocks here and there, Tom has amassed a small collection of skulls, some old, some kind of fresh.

The one below freaks me out. Is it a badger?

On a happier note, our neighbor reports that his missing yaks have been found. They disappeared several weeks ago, climbing up the rimrock to the plateau behind their ranch, through rocks and ledges. Their Himalayan ancestors must be proud. There had been yak sightings, and one rancher was amazed when a yak came right up to him for a little petting. That must have been Lily who had been taken on daily walks by her previous owner. She's a people lover.

The yaks were found on a neighboring ranch that is 200 square miles in size, so it was understandably hard to locate them. While on their travels, the herd increased from 10 to 12 with two mommas taking some time off to give birth. The owner shot a photo of the new guys. No word if they are back home, yet, but I don't think the yakboys will want to take them back the way they came.

Congratulations to the new mommas and their babies.