The Haxtun-Fleming Herald - What can we reason but from what we know? -Alexander Pope

Animals are smarter than people. If this line seems familiar, you’re right. I’ve said it lots of times before. This is not an old column. It’s simply one more example of indisputable evidence regarding the superiority of cows, horses and dogs to name a few, over humans.

If you are a cowboy-type person, you’ve always known about this. Chances are, dog maybe even cat owners also have been aware of the superior intelligence of their companions. Should you happen to be a non-Resistol owning, livestock impaired citizen, until now you may not have been convinced. Surely this will do it.

A guy on TV pointed out how much smarter animals were recently. True to human character he didn’t even know he was doing it, but believe me he was convincing. I even remember the time of day he did it. It was shortly after 10 p.m. Those of you who manage to stay up that late recognize this as news time on the boob tube.

The anchor lady had just finished delivering her list of things that had gone wrong in the world that day. She then turned to the fellow at the end of the news desk, grinning foolishly as the camera panned to him. “Harry, tell us about the weather.” Just how Harry was managing to grin so widely after hearing all that bad news was amazing to me, but, hey, he’s only human.

“It looks like another beautiful night here in our state,” Harry proudly proclaimed. “Everyone should plan on coming to the big festival in the street, sponsored by this station, tomorrow in the city. It should be a beautiful day. I’ll be there, too, grinning like a maniac. (I made that part up!)”

I was not only surprised by this clown-without-face-paint’s forecast, but down right annoyed. He was wrong. I knew it. Not because I knew anything about the weather but because I knew someone who did. Tina, the Border Collie, Jasper and Brandy the horses and a bunch of cows all knew more than Harry.

Tina had been nervous all afternoon. Usually relaxed and playful, that night she wanted into the house to hide in her favorite “safe spot.” The horses had been running and snorting rather than coming in for their evening hay. Earlier that day the cows, usually laying around by 10 in the morning had stayed up grazing nearly all day. As anyone who spends much time around animals knows, these were not signs of good weather. There was a storm coming. Tina, the horses and cows knew it all day long. I knew it because they told me with their actions. Practically every animal and those who listen to them, knew it. Everyone was aware of it, except Harry the smiling weather guy. I acknowledge Harry probably hadn’t spent his day surrounded by horses and cows. He had been, however, surrounded by about a zillion dollars worth of sophisticated weather apparatus according to his ads earlier during re-runs of some show I fell asleep in front of.

Later that night lightening flashed through the dark clouds that rolled in and a steady rain began to fall. Awakened by the thunder, I lay in bed thinking about smiling Harry and his forecast. I’ll bet he had spent his day, not surrounded by sensitive weather instruments, but at a Chamber of Commerce meeting planning how to lure folks to the Festival in the Street. Later it might have been re-named, “Come Shower with the City,” as everyone silly enough to attend got thoroughly drenched.

Tina stayed dry, hiding under our bed until the storm passed, the horses spent the time contently munching on the hay they’d saved earlier and the cows found shelter in the willows down by the creek. Smiling Harry wasn’t on the news the next night. They said he had a few days off but I think he was home with a cold caught from standing grinning in the rain in the middle of the wet street.

I hope he gets feeling better. I also hope before he makes his annual fall prediction on how bad the winter will be that he goes out and confers with a few animals.

Check their hair coat, Harry. They know what they’re talking about.