A Special Place

I've noticed that, whenever I am not feeling 100% good, I take a break in Shyla's and my morning mountain bike ride to play retrieving games with Shyla. We both have so much fun. The happiness takes the edge off the head pain. Generally, I've been much better since changing my whole routine about 10 days ago but I have a small migraine today (compared to past ones).

I think that playing with Shyla simply makes me happier, regardless of how my body feels. I love this girl.

After I rode with Shyla, I went out exploring what new trails are "open" due to snow melt. I rode one trail, my favorite, for the first time this year. It was a favorite for K too. I'd mountain bike it, with her by my side, and we'd frequently stop in one spot on the trail to gaze at the Continental Divide. The spot had an old log where I'd sit, and she'd prop her front paws on the log next to me.

Well, today, I saw the most miraculous thing. Two Pasqueflowers have sprouted right in front of where K and I always sat. I almost fell off my bike in surprise. They weren't there back when K was alive. I think they're new this year. I wonder if she carried a seed or two, caught in her fur, that then fell into the soil here and have sprouted into beautiful flowers.

In any case, it felt like a memorial to one of my fondest memories of K. I know that the photo doesn't look like much - but it's our sitting-spot on the log and there are the Pasqueflowers in front of it!

 There's one for each of us. Our souls were intertwined like these flowers.

Shyla is still so young that she doesn't like to stop too often during our mountain bike rides. So, she hasn't adopted this spot yet. Maybe she will in her later years, when she'll be more interested in rests.

Near that same trail, I'd noticed that a new deer leg had appeared on the trail. So, I went to check the trail camera posted near there. Voila!

It turns out that this lion has scraped the ground and left scat below this Ponderosa Pine many times in recent days - including last night. I immediately aborted my mountain bike ride to go fetch a better trail camera which I pointed at the Ponderosa Pine from another angle. If s/he comes back, we'll have multiple views!

Despite the awesome presence of this creature, the best part of my day was seeing the two memorial Pasqueflowers. I watered them with my drinking water, and I hope they thrive for many years!