A better day

K and I headed out into another dim day on the Front Range. The absence of blue skies for two days in a row constitutes a rare event around here.
We're taking advantage of being on foot, rather than on a bike, by exploring nooks and crannies of our world that are not next to trails. As we took an easy gradient up a hillside with no trails, K's body language suddenly broadcast an alert that an animal was nearby.
Her sinuous muscles tensed and her nose sampled the breeze. I looked up the grassy hillside and spotted two coyotes purposefully trotting away from us. They squeezed under a barbed wire fence, trotted some more, squeezed under another fence, and disappeared into an aspen forest. K found them more exciting than yesterday's elk, let me tell you!

After leaving the meadow-like hillside, we wound our way through a boulder-strewn ponderosa pine forest. I was specifically looking for scent posts of bobcats or lions that might serve as good wildlife camera sites. We found no scent posts but we found a rocky promontory that K conquered! The snowy mountains are barely perceptible in the gray sky behind K.
This rocky pinnacle marked the start of a steep north-facing ravine that wildlife loves. I wanted to explore the ravine but my body isn't ready for such rough terrain. Soon enough, it will be. For today, K seemed obsessed with looking down the ravine in a nervous way. I wondered what she sensed. I didn't see any tracks that alarmed me.
When I stood on the tip-top of the rocky pinnacle, I saw a view of our mountains that I haven't spotted before. The high mountains in the background have a deep covering of snow, and the ski area in the foreground looks inviting. I think that we'll visit this spot again!
On a later walk, R joined us, adding a spritz of high voltage energy to our outing. I just love watching that boy run! His exuberance makes me grin.
On our arrival home, K seemed a bit subdued. I have the impression that she feels left out when R can romp while she's leashed due to the vet's orders. Since having a job to do for me always cheers her up (even when it's an awful job like picking up keys :), I asked her to pick up an extra-long shoe horn that I'd dropped. No problem, she said!



Now, lucky me, I have a Labraduo watching over me. K stays right by my side, quietly watching and waiting to see if I need her. But, she sometimes dozes on the job! The tee-shirt is to keep her from scratching her itchy incision on her belly. The vet will remove the staples on Friday, making K a much happier pup!
And R stays close by also. Since my surgery, I've learned even more about the sweet soul residing within this happy-go-lucky boy. A few times, I've retreated to bed to regroup my body and soul, and R gently snuggles up against me. I've never seen him be so gentle so it makes me feel special.
Thanks to all of you for your advice and uplifting messages yesterday. I kept up with my pain meds today, and, although I hate the goofiness and fog that they cause, my spirits are higher when I don't have such piercing pain in my neck. I'll stick with them for a while longer.