Less is More

Yesterday, signs of Spring abounded. One sign is that the big elk herd that winters in our area hangs out in a meadow near our house. They basked in the sun. One cow elk relaxed in the meadow, unconcerned with me.

She chewed her cud, not even looking at me.

Then, she shot me a suspicious look.

She decided I was harmless and returned to chewing her cud.

I was over near that meadow because a different cow elk had been killed by a mountain lion on my friends' land. I was setting up a trail camera to record the activity at the kill. I hope to share photos of that interesting event soon. Amazingly, the remaining herd was milling around fairly near the kill, even though neighbors had seen the mountain lion sneaking through the meadow. I was surprised by the elk behavior.

Today, winter had returned with a vengeance, and the elk herd still relaxed near the carcass - about 100 yards away as they were pelted with snow.

This situation shows what a unique world we live in with our dogs. It is so critical that we train our dogs and control them around wildlife. The elk don't need our domestic dogs harassing them especially when they have serious predators like mountain lions to contend with. Moreover, our dogs might get killed if they go near a mountain lion who is defending its kill. The stakes are high here. For me, it makes my commitment to training my dogs to behave reliably near wildlife absolutely critical.

With that in mind, Shyla and I hiked in the winter-like weather. She's become very good off-leash, so I mostly trust her around wildlife (although I still leash her when I think the temptation might be too great). It was a gray day so she needed a hat to brighten up the day!

Then we came home so that I could follow the doctor's orders and rest. Shyla is quite good at that.

R is usually an excellent napper, except when he thinks a hike or a treat might be coming his way! Then his eyes are intense.

I've had a good day so far. I'm learning some important lessons about not pushing myself too hard, even on good days. I must admit that it's one of the hardest lessons in the world for me to learn. I tend to want to "make the most" of every instant of life - but, right now, "carpe diem" must include lots of rest so that I feel good enough to enjoy the day.

I think our dogs already know that "less is more" sometimes - after all, they nap daily. I wish that they could teach me!