Check out this pic I found in an old box. That’s my beardless, beekeeper dad, posing with 4 of his Wiley Coyote pals. Dad loved to hunt coyotes, and their bounties helped pay our bills through many a winter—while the bees went on vacation to anywhere it wasn’t cold, which was usually California.
I think what made Dad such a skillful coyote hunter was that he understood them. He and the coyotes kept the same hours and roamed the same territory. They crossed paths with each other daily before dawn, covering miles and miles of the western Utah desert. They saw decades of sunrises together. Dad and his coyotes were most at home when dwelling in the first-light swell of silence as it settled across the top of the dirt beneath their feet. They respected each other.
For this photo, I chose a lavender Bow Tie o’ the Day to pose with Dad and the coyotes because Dad loved his purples. Mom made a lavender quilt for their bed when I was a kid, and it was his favorite blanket ever. Mom also gave Dad a purple nightgown for his birthday once. And it wasn’t for him to wear—if you know what I mean. 😉💜
