Sunrise blazes and wildlife stirs

K and I started our morning hike early enough to see the mountains bathed in the light of the rising sun. I have to admit that, since K's cancer diagnosis, I've had trouble dragging myself out of bed early enough for sunrise, probably due to the blues. Seizing this morning was an inspiration - I enjoyed it so much!

We also witnessed the sunrise itself. It was so quiet and peaceful without much wind. The only sound was a confused chickadee who was singing his springtime courting song. Sorry, mister, but spring ain't here yet!

I'm grateful for every single sunrise that K and I have the good luck to see together. None of us knows how many we have left in our lives... so I appreciate each one. K's fur took its "sunrise red hue" that I love so much.

K didn't seem to want to stay still for long. We started exploring, enjoying the fact that a few patches of ground are visible for the first time in a long time!

K's energy level is good but not as high as a week ago. I've found myself worrying about her more, wondering what the evil cells are doing inside her. I think that fretting is par for the course, and I'll probably see false meaning in every yawn and cough in the coming weeks and months.

We're doing everything within our power to fight the cancer. Now, we need to enjoy each day rather than worry (yes, this is a little pep talk directed at myself). We have a few more days before her next chemo treatment on Friday.

K looked very happy when she ran this morning, and I smiled along with her. Look at the sunrise reflected in her eye.

In the places with snow, I could see fresh animal tracks - showing me that the wildlife is stirring again, particularly overnight when the snow is firmer and easier to travel on than in the sunlight. My trail camera captured a big buck in the middle of the forest...

... a coyote walking furtively down our driveway...

... and a bobcat following suit. I think that this photo shows the kitten from the pair who we followed this summer. I'm basing my guess on his paw size relative to his body size and on his slightly more spotted and lighter coat than the adult who walked our driveway the other night.

It's good to know that some wildlife have survived our relatively tough winter so far, and that the ones in my photos look healthy. The bobcats look as if they've been eating well. The indomitable spirit of the bobcat lives on!