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Monday, November 15, 2010

May the sun shine

As we slide inexorably toward the shortest day of the year, I accidentally find myself walking in the evening dusk more often than I care to admit. Last evening, K and I walked in light snow flurries with a half moon beaming down on us.
This morning, my sweet chocolate girl had regained her playful verve. She sniffed under the snow and came up with a white nose.
As we walked, with K presumably well restrained by a leash, she launched into puppy-like antics. She did a playbow combined with a spin, all without getting tangled in her leash. Then, completely out of the blue, she launched herself airborne high over a juniper bush. As her final flourish of the walk, she climbed onto a gigantic stump and stood exultant above me. Although I felt guilty that I hadn't acted quickly enough to stop her from climbing onto her precarious perch, I took advantage of her defiant pose and removed her leash for a photo.
K's enthusiasm for life is growing exponentially since her surgery. She has no idea that there's something huge to be worried about. I'm trying, as hard as I can, to follow her lead. It's easiest to do mimic her carefree attitude when I'm with her, watching her playing happily by my side.

After I dropped off K, I headed out into a dreich day for a snow bike ride. I haven't glimpsed our mountains in days due to a curtain of snow clouds veiling them. Somewhere, behind the closer tree-covered hills in the photo below, the gorgeous Continental Divide towers.
I toiled away, churning my pedals in circles with all my muscle power to ride through the snow. I rode through snow flurries, clouds that surrounded me, and then finally sunshine. On the ground, you can barely see the tracks of my snow bike and coyotes.
As I pedaled along the sinuous path shown above, suddenly, the path became an elk superhighway. The snow was pocked down to dirt by the hooves of at least a hundred elk. They were just ahead of me - so close that I could smell the herd. You know that they're very close if a *human* can smell them!
Just as quickly, their path plunged down the canyon wall. An elder cow elk always leads the herd. I wonder where she was taking them. No obvious destination sat in their path.

I checked a wildlife camera on my way home, and I found that a cute little buck had visited last night in the frigid winter air.
The wildlife camera outside our house took 200 photographs of coyotes last night. Like last winter, they seem to gravitate to our clearing when the hunting outlook is bleak. Compare this adult coyote to the lanky youngster who visited in mid-summer.
Rumor has it that the sun will shine tomorrow. I hope that it shines both literally and figuratively!

32 comments:

  1. Yea for K! So glad she's doing well!

    I didn't comment on your last post, but I've also wondered about animals and pain... interesting too how you have embraced your own (pain) and find such joy in spite of it. Kudos to you:) It's very inspiring.

    Tank's Asst.

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  2. Wonderful to see that K is more peppy and up to some of her tricks! I love the photo of the Continental Divide. When I crossed it this afternoon on my way to Breckenridge, driving was treacherous. Guess what I saw just before dusk - a big old Moose rambling through my side yard. I think tomorrow is a cross country day - we got over a foot of snow. Yippee!

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  3. Glad to hear that K was feeling better and up to romping around!

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  4. Sending tons of loving thoughts to you and the whole family as you wait for the news...I love the picture of K perched "illegally" on that stump :) Good girl K!!

    Lots of hugs and hoping for a SUPER happy day tomorrow!
    xoxoxo
    Suebeedoo and the crew!

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  5. K knows you so well and she is trying her darndest to cheer you up.

    Some rumors are definitely worth listening to:)

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  6. K is a beauty! I love her defiant pose :)

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  7. K we are convinced you love the camera, BOL. What a beautiful night
    Benny & Lily

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  8. Happy Day for the K!!! And what a wonderful sign! We are wishin you all sorts of the proverbial SunShine!!!

    wif love from the Luke

    P.S. The backdrop of your life leaves me... breafless! WOW!

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  9. Way to go K! We love the defiant stance (and promise not to tell your doctors).

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  10. I hope K's puppy antics are precursors of good news, a sign that the infection or cancer has been eliminated and she is really starting to heal.

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  11. Glad to here that K is feeling better. That picture of her on top of the boulder is priceless, it speaks volumes of her determination.

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  12. Another beautiful post! I hope the sun shines brightly tomorrow (literally and figuratively). I could use a little sunshine myself. Hopefully, it will shine for all of us.

    Your pal, Pip

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  13. I love that shot of K! Sometimes a girl just has to restate that she's Queen of the World. ;)

    That must have been quite a fragrant aroma when you got near the elk herd. I think I'm glad there weren't some up close and personal pics this time!

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  14. Glad to see K up and about with you. I love the photo of you riding through the woods. I'd love to know what that feels like, having never ridden a bike on snow. It must be hard going at times, exhilarating at other times.

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  15. Thankful that K is feeling better. Take heart that there is nothing good in worry - it solves nothing. Many positive thoughts your way!

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  16. Yeah K!!! What great news! My puppy energy is bouncing around with yours at the good news! You look incredible, and your pose on the tree stump is stunning! Keep on feeling that joie de vivre!

    My paws are crossed for your continued healing, and my human and I continue to send you much healing and positive thoughts!

    Rock on!

    Suka

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  17. Hey there KB
    I had to pop in and catch up to see how you are all doing. Your recent posts suggest a picking up of spirits, but still the nagging doubts in the background.
    I know this place only too well and also know that the 'present' is to be seized, enjoyed and celebrated. The 'past' is history and tomorrow in never guaranteed. You guys are doing so well. Keep the chins up...you are all looking wonderful!
    Sending lotsaluv
    Maxmom
    (Ps. It was lovely to get a glimpse of the inside of your beautiful home)

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  18. so glad that K is feeling more like herself again....continued healing...
    any results back yet?
    xoxo

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  19. Playful verve. Wonderful. That says all that needs to be said about K and you !

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  20. K looks deep in thought as she stands on that stump! She looks so strong and healthy, hope all goes well for her!

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  21. Paws crossed for good news soon. I love hearing about K's puppy antics.

    We're cooling down out here again, but it's still hard to imagine your snow trails when it's 80 degrees out! Trying to package some sunshine for you and K...sent express from California...

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  22. It's great to hear K is doin' much better and feelin' more like his puppy self!

    Your captures make for some beautiful pictures!

    God bless ya'll and have a most incredible week!!! :o)

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  23. We are delighted with the news that K is feeling ok. K sure so regal on that boulder.

    We got our paws crossed and we cheer: Hang in there, K!

    Love,
    Piappies Fudgie, Princess, Frappie, Mocha, Sugar, Wai-Pai & Wai-Max

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  24. We are so enjoying seeing K so frisky! May it be a sign of good things to come!

    We are also bothered by how early it gets dark. Getting in two good walks a day is getting harder and harder to manage!

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  25. Oh, I am so very glad that K is feeling spunky! That picture of her on her perch is just super beautiful. My paws are crossed that the future holds only good news for her.

    You gots to SMELL elk? Oh, I bet they smelled DEE-vine!

    Wiggles & Wags,
    mayzie

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  26. Wishing you lots of sunshine, literally and figuratively!!

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  27. Glad to read that K is feeling more like herself. Hope the week brings you peace and just keep following her lead.

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  28. Sounds like K is ready to have some big fun. Tonight my friend Mary, who is having spinal surgery in the morning, asked me what I knew about recovery. I went back in your archives and chose some of those blogs that expressed how you were feeling at the time. Also there was the Bobcat and the fun of getting it to you without you knowing. I directed Mary to your blog and how to get what she wanted. I was amazed at this great blog you have created. Its just wonderful, pictures, wilderness and all. If you are latecomers to this blog, it would be worth your time to go backwards for a while!

    Cheers,
    Jo and Stella

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  29. Thinking of you, K and KB, and wondering whether you got the lab results yet. My fingers are crossed for good news - in the mean time, it's really nice to see K in such high spirits.

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  30. We're so happy to read that K is feeling so much better. Dogs have perfected the carpe diem concept.

    What a huge number of coyotes so close! They must be hungry and hoping to snag some of the herbivores that pass through to get their pictures taken. We know nothing about coyotes, but we'd assumed they are territorial, like foxes, so there wouldn't be large numbers congregated together. Coyotes don't live in packs, like wolves, do they? Something else we need to get mama to research on the internets.

    Jed & Abby

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  31. Thinking of you today and hoping with all my heart that you'll have promising news

    (((( KB ))))

    (((( K ))))

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  32. I've been following your blog for quite a while now, I have to admit that yours is one of the first I check out in the morning. The power of the internet is that blogs like yours make me feel like as if I really knew you K and R. It has literally taken me days to metabolise K diagnosis and her further operation. I think you have done the right thing, and I am sure that K knows that.
    I'm also sure she'll get well soon.
    Please give her (and R of course) many many hugs from me

    Manu

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