lagilman | How Coyote Came Home

First, you must understand Coyote-who-wasn't.

Many years back, my then-sweetie and I were in Santa Fe, and I fell head-over-heels for a carved coyote figure. Okay, it was folksy and a little hokey, a classic coyote howling at the moon, about a foot high, with a red-painted bandanna around its neck, but I loved it.

My sweetie did not. Emphatically NOT. And since we had equal veto rights as to what came into the house... no coyote.

And for years, I regretted that. I'd stop and I'd think and I'd be wistful about it, but it was too late, and even once he was ex-sweetie, the chance to fix things never came. The moment had gone.

This past week, while I was puppy-sitting, my folks called to ask me if there was anything I'd like them to bring me back from Santa Fe.

"Okay, there's this thing," I started to say....

(thankfully my folks Understand about such things)

Alas, when my folks asked around, not seeing this thing I had described, they learned that the artist had died a number of years ago, and those coyotes could no longer be found for love or money. And I was sad, but resigned. It wasn't meant to be.

But then my mother discovered that another artist had taken over that niche. They were not quite the same, but close enough that she called to ask if I would be interested.

I said yes.

So my mom went back and...

a woman from Japan had just bought all three at that store.

My folks, however, do not like to fail. And so they found more of that artist's work, and bagged me a coyote. And now he is home.