Happy Friday!

Forgive me if this is a short post. I feel like I'm teetering on the edge of a migraine. Holiday season brings a lot of stress with it with too many things that need to get done.

I had my quiet time in the forest this morning with Shyla. The sun was especially rose colored, like it often is during the solstice. And at that magical moment when the rays first hit us, the entire rest of the forest is still black. Shyla shined in darkness beautifully.

Shyla wanted to show you that she still remembers how to cross her paws - a trick I taught her last winter. As I've been teaching her new things with my clicker, it seems as if she wants to show off both old and new things all the time!

We played with her new small Wubba later in our snow bike ride. I decided to get one that is very small so I can keep in my pocket for easy access when I want to reward Shyla for good behavior. She likes the Wubba almost as much as treats!

However, today, I managed to capture the incredibly wide-eyed but fleeting look she gives me when she thinks she's about to get a treat. I think that treats still rule!

As we travel through the forest, I feel so lucky that I know that there's a bear snuggled in a den not too far away. I smile every time I think of it.

I am not planning to go near the den for at least another few weeks to give the bear plenty of serene time with no humans nearby. I've realized that there's a chance that a cell-based trail camera will work at the den site. It would send me a thumbnail photo whenever there's action in front of the den. That would be very helpful because I'd love to go to the den only when the bear has been completely inactive for a while. One of my goals the next time we visit will be to check for cell phone coverage to see if one of those cell phone trail cameras would work there.

Happy Friday to everyone!!