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Saturday, February 2, 2013

A Glowing Saturday

No news must be good news, right? We haven't heard about R's tests so that's our mantra.

Shyla and I had our normal morning outing, enjoying the sunrise.
We have only about a month left while the sun will hit our little slice of forest right after it rises, creating the magical light that makes her glow. After that, it will rise too far to the north for us to be warmed by its earliest rays. That's part of why I take advantage of every sunrise that I can in the winter.
This morning, we played retrieving games at sunrise. Shyla will retrieve almost anything now. She's even willing to hold a few metal things which is a big step forward. I'm working so hard on this because of my spine problems. After my spine surgeries, K acted as my "service dog" picking up things from the ground and low shelves and handing them to me. If my doctors are right, I'm not done with spine surgeries so I'm working on getting Shyla ready ahead of time.

Indeed, I've been having some serious issues with my neck, creating numbness, tingling, and lots of pain in my hands. I thought that it was improving but I was unable to sleep, yet again, last night due to hand pain. So, it's time to see my spine doctors. Hopefully, it's something that can be treated conservatively rather than with surgery. For new readers, I already have 2 sections of my spine fused, in my neck and lower back, due to a genetic problem that is causing rapid degeneration of my discs.

Enough of that... here was Shyla playing a retrieving game this morning. I try to make all of our "training" into games so that she loves it.
After my time with Shyla, I headed out to snowbike on my own, and I saw the huge flock of Bohemian Waxwings again. It has been such a treat to have these gregarious and beautiful birds in our forest for the past month. They've been eating juniper berries which are very abundant here.
They all took off at once with the snowy mountains behind them. Ah, gorgeous.
My snowbike ride was easy and warm. I explored for animal tracks and checked some wildlife cameras, which had fun photos on them. I'll share them soon.

Upon arriving home, Shyla was basking in a sun puddle so I had fun with a loaned macro lens taking whisker photos. Aren't a dog's whiskers incredible? Have you ever noticed how they change depending on your dog's mood? If your dog is excited or simply alert, their whiskers stick out. But, if your dog is sleeping or super mellow, the whiskers relax, resting against the snout.

I'm so glad that Shyla seems to like being a model dog for me! We're having such fun together.

16 comments:

  1. That shot with the birds and the snow mountains in the background was very beautiful. Now my MOM is all up close and in my face looking at my whiskers. hahhaha
    Blessings,
    Goose

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  2. I am sorry you have pain, but I admire you for not allowing it to stop you from doing what you love. So many people use it as an excuse. Hope a treatment is found soon.

    Hope the news comes soon. Waiting is so hard!

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  3. Looks like Shyla loves to model as much as Nola!

    Have you ever considered getting Shlya certified as your service dog?
    Nola's Mom

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  4. Hi Y'all,

    Love the photos, especially of the whiskers, since I have almost none. When I was being shown as a young pup and young dog they kept my whiskers trimmed off. Now I only have a couple of "stubbles".

    Y'all come by now,
    Hawk aka BrownDog

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  5. Telephoto, macro, I know what I think you should do, ( whisper quietly, use them).No news, hoping all is good, and Shyla's macro, super. Greetings to all at your home, from Jean

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  6. Crossing my fingers that you get some good news on R soon. I think you're right, that no news is probably good news, but the anticipation must be bugging you!

    Love the whisker pics. Marge's whiskers are so easy to miss, for whatever reason. I hardly notice that they are there half of the time.

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  7. I am so sorry you are experiencing so much pain! That must be awful.

    So much beauty in your post! Those birds are just amazing.

    P.S.: Just realized I haven't sent you pictures yet - so sorry! I promise to mail them Monday! Hope that's not too late.

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  8. Glowing alright. What cool birds
    Benny & Lily

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  9. I love the first waxwing picture. He looks like he has a punk hair do. The wind must have been at his back.

    Shyla continues to amaze with her ability to learn.

    Cindy

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  10. 'We're having such fun together '. Great !

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  11. We love your playbow pictures, Shyla, and the Waxwings are so gorgeous!

    Love ya lots,
    Mitch and Molly

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  12. We so enjoy going on your sunrise hikes with you! We feel like we're right there enjoying the warmth on our faces.

    And to see so many Waxwings, incredible! They are a beautiful bird with their little eye masks.

    We are praying for good news for R and his test results.

    Sorry to hear your back is acting up once again. Shyla will be such a great helper in your time of need.

    Hugs,
    Lily Belle & Muffin

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  13. Lovely pictures....fun with the macros....

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  14. Bohemian Waxwings remind me of when we lived in Alaska--They were a wintertime favorite when we were there.

    I do hope you're enjoying your Sunday!!

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  15. I'm so impressed by how quickly Shyla has learned so many things! What a smart little cookie she is.

    I love that shot of all the birds in flight!

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  16. Looks like it was the perfect day to play outside

    Stop on by for a visit
    Kari
    http://dogisgodinreverse.com

    ReplyDelete

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