I'm told there may be a lynch mob headed to the Divide country if I don't get with the details about the lost little red heeler, and her home coming.

Well, gather up your lariats and start headin' west (or east, north, whatever), 'cause such a telling will take some time. Been a busy five days, and a lot of other things happening that could fill four or five entries without even mentioning the lost heeler.

Which, of course, was the only thing on our minds.

Have finally cleared the spam out of my mailboxes, need to get some data compiled and out in the email, and need to head back out to exactly where the little maskless red heeler was lost, 'cause we still got problems with our elk herd out there.

And finally got time to read the supportive comments and emails you all have been sending. To keep the phone line available for any reports of our missing pack member, I managed to keep my internet time down to a total of eight minutes in four days. But I knew those words of encouragement and support would be there, so actually looking at them was simply getting confirmation of what I had been feeling for days, you know?

To tide you over, I offer this special Grouse Pic.

The wife asked whether I had happened to take of picture of the spot where I found the little maskless heeler sitting alone out in the desert, and I had to answer 'No.' Kinda busy crying, driving and dialing at the time. But this morning, I realized that wasn't quite true. I have the shot above. Taken through the windshield less than three minutes before I spotted Amber sitting upright facing the interstate, her blaze orange bandanna spread out on her chest, underneath the far right side of the billboard marked by the arrow.

So she's there, in that photo. Still cold. Still lost. But soon to be found.

And sleeping comfortably with her Mom right now.