Life at 7000 feet

This morning as we were driving to church, we counted a dozen or more prairie dogs. There is an open field by close by and it is a big prairie dog community. It was warm and sunny this morning and we kept seeing them out scampering or standing up sunning themselves. They're so darn cute! We counted a dozen more on the way home from church too. I think that we must be getting closer to spring...they were out in full force today!

The field they live in is also home to the preble mouse. It's got some official species classification name, but most folks around here call it the !*&^#? preble mouse. That's because it's on the endangered species list and a lot of the undeveloped land around here is preble mouse habitat...and therefore is restricted from being developed. Just recently, the mouse was taken off the endangered list, but not before making a lot of developers unhappy. There is one interstate exit rampthat takes you on a half-mile loop south and then back north to the overpass....just because of the preble mouse habitat that couldn't be interfered with when the ramp was constructed. Very interesting and very talked about in this community. So there's a little bit of preble mouse fun for you today. I know you're just so glad you know that!