Living with Our Wild Animals

I'm feeling sad about our wildlife today. A young mountain lion was killed on a road in our vicinity, and I fear that he's a youngster that we've been following. Of course, I have no way of knowing whether the kitten shown in these photos was involved but, regardless, some young mountain lion lost his/her life to a car.

This was one of the first times my trail camera photographed this kitten. In this case, his mom avoided the trail camera. The kitten examined it closely and then moved on.

On the next occasion that the kitten passed this camera, his mom (wearing a radio collar) was with him.

He lagged behind after she'd departed to mess with the trail camera. He rubbed against the camera so hard that I found it facedown on the forest floor when I arrived a few days later to check it. He broke the cord holding the camera in place but the camera was fine.

We caught another glimpse of the youngster and his mom just a few minutes later. That was a great day because my cameras saw so much interesting behavior from this pair.

I hope that this kitten is okay. I'm fairly certain that he and his mother have parted ways now because I've captured photos that I'm fairly certain are his mother, alone. Based on the kitten's size back in October, I'm not surprised.

It's tough capturing glimpses of the animals who share our forest but not being able to know what happens to them in the long run. But, that's the nature of a wild animal - they live on their terms without humans knowing all their secrets.

Our day was muted, fitting my mood. I'm hoping for some sunshine soon.

Finding a Smile in Each Day

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I am tapped out today. Yesterday, the world turned gray with heavy clouds, and then I got a migraine. Neither was an earth-shattering event but they pulled me down. Sometimes I wish that I could see the world through the eyes of a dog - dogs seem to always see the silver lining around the clouds.

Today is migraine "hangover" day. It seems as if migraines make my brain fatigued and foggy for another day after they end. As a relatively new migraine sufferer, I'm still learning the nuances.

I played fetch with Shyla this morning to try to see the same silver lining as she always sees. Her happiness is infectious.

I seemed to surprised her, every single time, because I was taking her photo while lying on the ground. She'd see me at the last instant after clearing the log and screech to a halt.

After playing fetch, I pedaled to a huge meadow where most of the snow has melted. I had fun playing with slow shutter speeds so that I could capture Shyla running past me in a blur! It's a joy to have a young dog who moves with such ease and grace.

 In the end, although my body wasn't feeling good, our morning outing made me smile.

That's almost always true, which is the reason why I push myself out the door around sunrise to ride with Shyla almost every morning, regardless of my health or the weather. Finding a smile in each day is a gift. Happy Friday.

Letting Go

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You probably noticed that I changed my banner photo a few days ago. You probably also noticed that I had a banner photo of K up for years after her death. She died of bone cancer at age eight in July of 2012.

You probably have figured out that I'm not good at "moving on". I'd known for years that I should change the banner photo - but I couldn't bear to let go of that tangible reminder of K that I saw every time I opened my blog. I've found that "letting go" of K has been a multi-year process. For me, "letting go" has meant that I've gradually accepted that, although K isn't here physically, she's still in my heart.

Just recently, I consciously acknowledged two things. First, K was far more than what can be seen in a photo. Her true essence was in her loving heart, and that spirit is now in my heart. And, the spirit of K is what I want to keep alive rather than the physical reminders of her. Living the journey of her life, including the poignant final months of her life, changed me forever.

The second thing that I realized is that now is Shyla's time. She's in the prime of her life, and her bond with me has blossomed like I never truly expected that it would. It's time to celebrate Shyla.

R knew that it was Shyla's time right from the start. I took this series of photos of the two of them, in a sun puddle, during Shyla's first months with us. Obviously, they were immediately smitten with each other.

For those of you newer to this blog, just so you don't think that R is neglected, let me explain that he and Runner have an incredible bond. R's heart belongs to the Runner, and R spends most of his outdoor fun time with the Runner. They run on the trails behind our house daily. They share an exuberance for life that makes me smile.

Regardless of whether I have K's banner photo at the top of this page or not, she is still with me. She taught me so very much about the kind of bond that's possible with a dog. She helped make me a better human for Shyla.

Shyla is her own dog with her own heart. She does things her way... and I love her for it. In the next photo, she is standing on the perch where I took K's banner photo years ago. My two girls...

I cannot imagine how I possibly became so lucky as to have K in my life and now Shyla.

Yes, Shyla it's your time. Angel K is guiding both of us but I celebrate your unique spirit.

Wordless Wednesday - Quiet Sunrise

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A Winter Bobcat Pair

I just returned from a sunset hike with the Duo, made possible by our longer days!

The light is changing so fast, and I am cheering it on!

But I guess the later sunset is keeping R up past his bedtime!

We hurried home after sunset so I could finish this post. The first part was about an innocent trail camera attached to a huge old aspen tree. It has been pointed at a bear marking tree for a couple of years. The bear marking tree is the small pine tree in the center of the photo, just above the bobcat's head. Many other species, like this bobcat, also pass this spot and often sniff the tree.

In the next photo, you see the entire world starting to tip as the old tree toppled in high winds.

Then, I got approximately 3700 photos of the forest canopy, some at night and some during the day. Lucky for me, the tree didn't fall onto the camera, and the snow cushioned the camera's impact. So, it still works!

Around the same time as that tree toppled, a nearby trail camera was capturing bobcat activity. Very early in the morning of 1/16, a bobcat sniffed the area in front of the camera and then paused to look at it before departing.

A few hours later, another bobcat (maybe the same one) showed up to sniff that spot.

This one was also mesmerized by the many markings this spot has received from mountain lions and bobcats.

But, this bobcat was also concerned about something behind him/her. The bobcat kept turning and staring up the gully.

This next photo looks very "kittenish" to me, so I started to wonder if this bobcat was waiting for his/her mom.

The bobcat shook, making a funny photo!

And then another bobcat arrived. There are definitely two bobcats in the next photo but I don't which one is which.

 The pair reconvened at that interesting spot.

They rolled around together.

It looked as if they were leaving their scent marks by rubbing their faces on a rock that was jutting out of the snow. At the same time, they appeared to play with each other.

At times, they looked like one big ball of fur. I could barely distinguish two separate bobcats.

Then, one of them briefly focused on the trail camera, before the two strutted off into the forest together.

I am assuming that this is a mother-kitten pair. But, it is conceivable that it's a mating pair. Bobcats are said to mate in "late winter", giving birth to kittens 50-70 days later in early spring. For us, 50-70 days from now would be very early spring, with our biggest snow storms likely to occur after the birth of kittens. For that reason, I tend to think this is a mother-kitten pair. Kittens stay with their mothers for the first 8-11 months of their lives.

In any case, the Duo and I wish this pair of bobcats good luck for the rest of the winter!

Bright Spot of the Day

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Today hasn't been my best day ever. The discs above and below the surgically fused section of my low back are giving me pain. I was "worked over" by my physical therapist, and it was bordering on agonizing. Shyla comes to my appointments because my PT loves her - but even Shyla seemed worried about all the needles being put into me. I'm hopeful this will help so we don't have to even consider any more surgery.

But, on days like today, I'm so glad that I get outside bright and early with Shyla so I can look back our morning fun as a bright spot in my day.

This weekend, I was looking for something in my closet, and I came upon a toy that was a favorite of Acadia, a chocolate Lab who lived two generations before Shyla. I pulled the toy out, and I thought it would be fun to have Shyla play with her departed big sister's toy.

This morning, the two them watched the sun rise together.

And then Shyla jumped around in the boulders carrying her new treasure. She has that wide-eyed look because she'd just leaped off a boulder and was getting ready to land.

I had the feeling that Shyla really liked her new-old toy! As for me, I love the toothy smile on the face of the ball!

We even made it all the way up to Hug Hill, thanks to a recent thaw that has reduced the snow depth to some extent. Shyla and I played retrieving games with her toy up on our local peak.

I love having links among our generations of dogs. The most important links are the dogs themselves - the ones who span generations, like R has done with K and then Shyla.

But, the toy that I found this weekend was a fun link. I know that Acadia ran around carrying that toy just like Shyla did today! For some reason, that makes me smile.

Tomorrow, I'll share a couple of trail camera stories. One involves a tree that was blown down by high winds - and it had my trail camera attached to it. And another involves a mother bobcat who is still hanging out with her kitten from last spring! Their playful behavior, captured by a trail camera, made me smile!

Siblings Snoozing in a Sunpuddle on Sunday

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After a good romp in the snow and breakfast, the best thing to do is snooze with your sibling.

Can you see R's right paw? This Labraduo is so intertwined.

The title was inspired by the Wordless Wednesday titles by our friends at A Tail of Two Cardis.

Letter to Shyla

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My dog, Shyla...

Dear Shyla,

You came into my life 2 ½ years ago at a time when each of us was in the throes of tough times. I’d lost my beloved K, way too young, to cancer shortly before I met you. And, you were a young dog who was filled with fears of almost every aspect of our world. When I first saw you, you had bite marks on your face and unknown aches in your heart.

You needed me to teach you how to stand tall in our world, and I needed you to let me cry in your fur. We weren’t ideally suited to each other at that instant in time but I knew that we’d somehow find our way, dancing among the obstacles like you do everyday in the forest.

The level of your fear of everything in our world was incomprehensible to me. With lots of help, I learned how to guide you so that you can happily live in our world. Along the way, I learned patience, patience, and more patience. I know – I still forget to be patient sometimes, and I apologize for that.

But, despite my shortcomings, you’ve grown up into an amazing, loving, and sensitive dog. I feel lucky that we have you in our lives.

I’m starting to feel as if you watch over me like I watch over you. We've become like sisters who have each others' backs. I'm savoring every day we have together.

Now, you are my constant companion. You're the one who endures the cold to see the alpenglow on the snowy mountains at sunrise with me and then endures the cold again to watch the sunset with me. You join me on snow bike rides in the winter, mountain bike rides in the summer, and lots of hikes all year long.

You've recently become comfortable with snuggling - which I adore. You love to crawl from the foot of the bed and put your head on my shoulder as I hug you. There was a time, soon after we'd met, that I didn't feel sure that you'd ever trust me enough to let me hug you tight. Now you do.

Now I know that our bond is forever. You're my girl and I'm your human. You can count on it.

The Duo at Sunset

I had the chance for a sunny and relaxed sunset hike with the Labraduo yesterday. That meant that I could take photos of my favorite black dog, R, in the sunset light.

For the first time since winter really hit, the sunset rays were shining on an open area, rather than a tiny section of the forest, so we played out in the meadow. I love the small signs that spring will eventually get here, like the gradual changes in the angle of the sun rays at sunrise and sunset.

I played recall games with the Duo and took photos as they sprinted toward me. The synchronized tongue flicks are becoming a trademark of the Duo.

The area where we were playing will be the first spot where our wild crocuses (Pasqueflowers) sprout in a couple of months, probably because it gets both morning and afternoon sun. The day when I see the first one is a day of rejoicing. It always feels as if it's the beginning of a long stretch of glorious entire spring and summer.

The area is a mixture of meadow, patches of forest, and the "rocks" that give the Rocky Mountains their name. Both of the dogs are very agile as they dance among the rocks and boulders.

I just adore seeing R so happy and puppy-like.

He's a puppy at heart. Many people still ask me if he's a puppy when they see us for the first time. My reply is a happy, "Um, no. He's seven years old but he has the spirit of a puppy.".

The Duo was pleasantly tired and curled up to sleep together when we arrived home.

It's a sight that I adore. These two are truly brother and sister.

Happy Friday!