Frontier Standoff

Huff. The kitchen was already settled, so staying indoors was just wasting afternoon daylight. I marched out the back door and trekked straight across the lawn toward the wooden perimeter fence. Halfway there, two fat black beetles were colliding repeatedly over a fallen dried acorn cap. A ridiculous contest. I did not interfere. Instead, I climbed up onto the flat surface of an upturned terracotta drainage saucer to get proper height. Arms crossed, I watched the brawl unfold like an official referee. The smaller beetle finally flipped the other on its side and shoved the acorn cap away. A decisive victory. Satisfying to watch. I gave a short nod, turned around, and planted myself firmly on the rim.