The Crazy Swings of Spring

We had a warm and delightful evening walk yesterday. I love seeing the Labraduo together again, after R's long hiatus while he recovered from elbow surgery.

Not only do these two snuggle at home almost all the time but they also move in sync frequently when we're outside. Shyla is like a smaller and browner version of R at this instant.

R remained fixed on the scent to his right while Shyla's attention shifted.

We stayed out beyond sunset. At the instant of sunset, R was squinting against the intense sunlight.

There was a snowstorm predicted for today but, this morning, it looked like maybe the meteorologists were wrong.

Shyla is purposely wearing only two boots. Somehow, on two paws, she has possible injuries/infections up in between her paw pads. She's wearing boots on them outdoors and socks indoors (to keep her from licking them).

The socks, for some bizarre reason, absolutely terrified her for a while (but the outdoor boots are no big deal). This morning, she initially went into "hiding" when I put on the socks. She was hiding in the same places as she hid during those traumatic first few weeks after she joined our family. Fortunately, over the course of the day, she's relaxed a bit.

The snow has had a strong crust in the mornings which could, in theory, injure paws. She usually can stand or walk on the crust but it starts breaking when she runs.

Alas, the sun gave away to a snow storm this afternoon. Our bird feeder was mobbed. I believe that these are two Savannah Sparrows (the "Belding" form) - but I'm not certain so please feel free to speak up if you think I'm wrong. The one in flight is trying to force the one perched on the feeder to move.

After watching these battles, I eventually took out an extra feeder. These birds are not usually here at this time of year (or ever that I remember). According to their range maps, they don't come this far north in the winter most years. I suspect that this storm will be tough for them to weather. I hope our bird food helps!