Shyla and I have delighted in the wildflowers near Lab Valley. She runs with abandon through the brilliant flowers.
Shyla has had some trouble handling the ongoing noisy construction. When the banging is loud, she tends to hide in the basement. Our behavioral vet prescribed an anti-anxiety medicine that helps her to snooze through the noise. I am so glad for that.
Happy Shyla Saturday!
I love watching bears dance at a marking tree. Different bears are widely different in size and in dancing style.
Check out a lot of bears mark this tree and enjoy their antics. Here's the video!
P.S. You won't believe this but our internet went bad back around July 6, and the company has not yet sent anyone to work on it. We get a connection every now and then, and I hop on quickly to post or do other important things. It is so frustrating.
I am thankful for the wildflowers and the mountains.
Last but not least, I am thankful for the kind neighbors who let us play in their meadow!
Near Lab Valley, a Mama bear has one cub. We've spotted them previously, and it seems like they are staying in a fairly small area. At another marking tree, a male bear did his dance to mark the tree. Then, the mom and her cub came along. The mama bear marked the tree while the cub climbed it! It was so fun to see.
It's a short video. Enjoy!
It was a week of taking it easy for Hachi. We had construction going on every day so we didn't want to push Hachi in any other way. He did well with the construction. All week long, I felt that he was pretty relaxed. I could actually feel how relaxed he was when we played the Bucket Game - he wasn't stiff or resisting me when I poked and prodded him during the game. That is great for Hachi!
In the past, I've had the feeling that Hachi was a bit tense about our solo flower time. This time, I brought lots of very tasty treats, and we played treat games in the flowers. One game was simply tossing him treats to snarf out of the air. Another game was our "1, 2, 3" game where I say those numbers and always drop a treat on the ground in sync with the "3". Hachi loves this game. It's one that we're working on to use to help Hachi when we run into a surprise trigger like a person appearing out of nowhere.
This photo was just before I tossed him a treat. Look at that focus!
It was our Black Dog who taught me to seize the days when the wildflowers are blooming. Over his whole life, I loved spending time in the flowers with him. As you can see from this photo of a youngish Black Dog, he didn't become totally focused on me until later in his life. In this one, he is contemplating his next adventure which definitely was going to start over my right shoulder!
Today, I spent time in the flowers with Hachi, in memory of the wonderful times in the flowers with R. I emphasized the fun, fun, fun, and Hachi smiled for much of the time! Black Dog memories are still shaping our lives.
Happy Black Dog Sunday!
Shyla is the best partner for exploring nature who I can imagine. She's so happy to run with me and make frequent stops to enjoy the beauty. Along with the flowers, we do have lots of bugs but Shyla never complains about them. She's so happy.
Every day with Shyla is a gift.
After the big bear took a bath, a little guy came along for his own bath. I believe that he is a 2 year old male bear who has dispersed from his mom's territory. Male bears cannot stay in the area where they are born. Instead, they travel to find a place to call their own.
I'm not sure why he's settling on this territory. At last count, we have at least four bigger male bears there. That doesn't bode well for the little guy but I am rooting for him!
Check out the video of him taking a bath and see how much smaller he is than the big male who bathed before him.
We had a long rainy period here, turning the grass green and making the flowers sing. It made getting out for longish bike rides hard because of the threat of getting caught in lightning storms. Early in the stormy phase, I got caught in the worst storm yet. As the storm hit, the air temperature plummeted. I had a rain jacket but hail and an intense downpour froze me anyway. I felt like I barely made it home before I completely froze. That experience motivated me to talk to residents who I've met on my favorite routes to ask if they'd mind me hiding from a storm on their porch, in their barn, or even in their outhouse. Everyone who I've asked so far has given me a hearty yes.
Despite that freezing day, the rain is/was worth it for the effect on our world. Look at the green grass!
Near Lab Valley, a bunch of poppies are blooming next to an old dilapidated cabin. I think that the cabin dweller probably planted them a long time ago, and they are still flourishing! I had lots of fun trying to photograph them in a fun way. Here was one try.
Although I hate getting caught in storms on my bike, I am thankful for how the rain makes the world glow with beauty. I also appreciate the reduction in fire danger. For now, we feel relatively safe.
No matter what, seeing bears take baths makes me smile. This is a big guy, maybe One-Eyed Jack, who is in Tiny's territory. I've known for years that the two of them somehow coexist. I hope that's still true. According to my cams, the two of them were in close proximity marking the same trees in mid-June.
Enjoy this guy's bath! He sure did! Here's the video.
We hiked, cut down invasive weeds, and did a few photos.
We don't do much one-on-one time because it makes Shyla upset. I left her in the house, and I could hear her barking in dismay. I think that's part of why Hachi looks so serious in these photos. I need to try it at a time that the Runner is home to hang out with Shyla.
Despite construction ramping up again, Hachi had a decent week. He did get a bit tense when the work was noisy or he could hear unfamiliar voices. He also had a little fall-out from his vet visit. He suddenly seemed suspicious of the bucket game (which we tried to use at the vet office). We backed off on it, basically making it into a game where the "handling" is just petting. That seems to be helping.
I hope to find some one-on-one time with Hachi this week too! I realized that solo time was when our Black Dog and I built our bond, and that it would be fun to add that to Hachi's and my life together. I'd love to be able to get Hachi to play goofy little games outside. I'm going to try!
Have a great Monday!
PS - Our internet has not been working. If I cannot get to someplace with internet to post, I may be absent. I hope that it's fixed soon.
This was before the stage when we'd have quiet little conversations in the flowers. This was when our young Black Dog wanted to run all day long. He'd gallop through the flowers with such verve that I couldn't help but smile the whole time. When he got to me, he'd leap into the air until I gave him treats. Then, he'd take off for another lap in the flowers. Those were the days!
Happy Black Dog Sunday!
