December in the back yard

On December 3, 2006, I looked out a back window and was surprised to see a pheasant (un faisan — the first syllable is pronounced as [fuh] and the second with a Z sound and a nasal Ã) prancing around in our back yard. We see them often but usually farther from the house. Out in the vineyard, Tasha flushes them out when she hears one down a vine row.

When I first saw him, he was looking straight ahead — at what, I don't know.

Then he saw me spying on him from the window. He didn't stay long. Anyway, I was getting ready to go out for the morning walk with Tasha, so it was time for him to go.

A week or two ago, Walt saw a pheasant marcing down the paved street hear our front gate, headed out into the vineyard.