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Saturday, July 31, 2010

A glitch, I hope

This morning, K and I were having a glorious ride through the damp but sunny forest. The scent of wet pine needles drying in the sun mixed with the sweet nectar of wildflowers and berries was heavenly.

We were in sync, both of us feeling happy to out on the trails together.
At one point, I stopped in the forest to adjust my bike, and looked behind me to see K 'covering my back'. I'm so lucky to have K's love.
A little later, we were still both flying high. We were on a little-known trail where I haven't seen anyone else on an early morning ride in at least four years... and then another mountain biker appeared directly in front of us on the ledge-like sinuous path.

Fortunately, I was riding cautiously and so was the other rider. Only for that reason, we avoided a head-on collision on the blind curve. K erupted in fear as brakes screeched, sprinting toward us with the same furious nervousness that she exudes when bears visit our clearing at home. As she approached, she yelped and stopped, holding one front leg off the ground. She continued crying piteously and not weighting the limb.

The biker, a stranger to me, was a wonderful person. He was off his bike with me, both of us trying to help and comfort K. At first, it looked like she wouldn't even be able to walk home but as we petted her and palpated the limb, trying fruitlessly to pinpoint the problem, she miraculously recovered. After about 10 minutes, she stood and walked normally. Eventually, I said good-bye and thanks to the other biker. I began walking toward home with K, thinking that she couldn't run. But, when she accelerated into a gallop ahead of me, I realized that she was, at least for the moment, truly okay so I started pedaling again. She still seems fine now. I'm mystified.

You have no idea how much fear that little episode struck into my heart. Riding with K is a highlight of each day for me. I know that a day will inevitably come when she'll be too old to go on my rides anymore but it shouldn't be yet. And, thank goodness, it seems as if we'll be on the trails together tomorrow. I know that it was a tiny event compared to what many of you have faced or are currently facing in life. But, it scared me.

Here was K running toward me after her 'injury'. Her gait looked normal to me, and she seemed upbeat and happy.
Let's hope that it was a glitch that I'll completely forget in no time at all.

Later in my ride, I had the ironic twist of having some acquaintances tell me all about my blog and that I ought to check it out. They had no idea that it was my blog. I was very flattered and 'fessed up...

Because I was feeling a bit unsettled after my ride with K, I focused on visiting some gorgeous wildflower spots. On a ridge, a Nodding Onion (Allium cernuum) had blossomed with some delicate flowers pointing skyward and others nodding.
Next to a creekbed, cone flowers, taller than me, were holding a party.
As I climbed up a steep slope out of the creekbed, I spotted a bush covered with unknown berries that looked like ripening blackberries. Based on my research, I think that it was a Boulder Raspberry bush, and my books say that the fruits are "decidedly not delicious". At least it's pretty...

16 comments:

  1. I hope it was just a glitch, too! Just like humans, I'm sure dogs can just take a wrong step, or hit something particularly rough with their paw, etc. Or maybe a sudden muscle cramp?

    Too funny about the person who told you to read this blog. I'm sure you must have felt flattered!

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  2. It sounds almost like she might have stepped on something that stung for a minute. I'm glad she is okay.

    Sam

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  3. maybe she was stung in the paw by a bee, or just pricked by something...at any rate, glad she made a full recovery...i know how scary that type of thing is....
    i would not have fessed up about my blog...and chuckled silently!
    nice to meet someone nice and non threatening when you are out in the wilderness....
    beautiful images as always....
    xoxo

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  4. It's funny when a another biker appears on a trail where you never see anyone else. My first thought is always, "Hey, what's this guy doing on my trail?!"

    BTW, if you dig up those wild onion roots, although there's no "bulb", if you chew on the quasi-corm-like below-ground stem, it definitely tastes like an onion. My daughter and I tried adding them to a pasta dish last summer, but failed to figure out an effective "tenderizer" for the stems...

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  5. Beautiful pics of the flowers and of K. We sure hope it is a glitch too. Our Sasha does that once in a while when she runs & stops too fast. She is over 10. Sometimes maybe they just step wrong.
    Ernie, Chica, Sasha, & Mom too

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  6. We sure hope K is alright. But we know you will have close and caring eyes on her for any sign of a problem. Whenever a loved one is hurt, whether minor or major, it is always a worry.

    Beautiful photos.

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  7. Your story made me scared for K too. I'm so glad she seemed to recover, but how strange that something made her react like that. Paws crossed that it was just a fluke.

    I love the picture of K watching your back. It looks like she takes her job very seriously.

    PS-Thanks so much for your donation to LIVESTRONG. (I'll keep a look out for Fatty jerseys =) All the encouragement from blogging buddies has meant a lot!

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  8. Horribly unexpected things that happen in an instant are always so unsettling - it sounds like K escaped a horrible injury and doing great - I hope you are better! Love your story about your blog - how wonderful (and that person is sooooo right on!)
    xo
    Sammie and Ma

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  9. We hope that this comment finds K walking normally without any apparent issues -

    How nice you encountered someone so nice and helpful -

    Once again, great pics and telling about the pics!

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  10. I'm glad K seems to be alright! We've had a similar reaction here with ours when they've stepped on something like a small rock that hurts the pad of their foot. We also have a drama queen here who is very resistant to putting weight on a place that hurts if it's unexpected pain. It takes her a little while to believe that it won't hurt again, I guess.

    I am hungry every day looking at the berries on here! You make everything look so darned good!

    Nothing like being told to read your own blog! lol

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  11. Ok, K, shake it off. Hopefully just a pop of a joint that you shake off and keep going.

    If you can move the limb in a full range without any hitching (or wincing from K), you should be ok. But, trust me, I understand the nervousness of watching any little sign from our canine friends.

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  12. Hey there KB
    This 'living in the moment' thing makes us appreciate every second and that is why these 'glitches' are really big deals for us.
    I would just watch that foot...perhaps a bee...or a spider?
    Hopefully she is back on top of the world again tomorrow...and I am so glad your near head-on collision turned into a new, helpful aquaintance.
    Take care dear friend and thank you for sharing you life with us all. We love you!
    MAXMOM IN SA

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  13. I wonder if bears like the "not delicious" berries. I love the Cone Flower pic! Hope as I read the next post, K's leg remains OK.

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  14. Yikes! I'm glad K recovered so quickly. Poor sweetie!

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  15. Nodding onions!?!? A real flower name?
    Hoping that K is ok.

    Hugs and snaggle-tooth kisses,
    Sierra Rose

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  16. that would totally scare me too and dampen my day. i freak when things happen to my dog. Loki has it happen now and then, he's very pain sensitive (prolly from all the skillet beatings i give him, ha ha). anyway, that aside, is it possible that the noise, sudden biker scared K and she became fearful and then immediately submissive when she realized it wasn't anything to be scared of? a raised front paw usually means a sign of submission. Loki will hold his up all the time when he's unsure and i ask him to do something. it's like "i'm not sure what i'm supposed to do, but i'll do it if i understand." perhaps K just got really confused really fast, fearful then "oh what to do? seems i should show that i'll do whatever they want." I don't know K well enough but i do know loki does it when anxious/fearful and is trying to comply with what I want.

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