There was only the slightest breeze this morning, and it was coming from the east, bringing that eye-watering scent of buck in heat straight from the pasture to our front door.

These last few cool nights have triggered an unwelcome change in the front pasture: the big boys are coming into mating season attitude. Loki and Cookie started singing and scuffling on Saturday. They knocked down the hayrick, a fence board, and one of the interior gates in their Saturday night fighting. They spent more of Sunday singing at each other than they did eating.

Loki and Jared have their "retirement" appointment at Rosehill on the 28th. They will become permanent pets on that day. Jared has mostly retired already, and spends his days in the shade away from the others' stupidity, so I don't expect he will really mind the change. Loki, on the other hand, is not going to be pleased.