Serene Sunday

The juxtaposition of winter and spring continues into May here in the mountains. These days, frost stays on the grass until the sun finally touches it in the morning.

But the sun is strong and warm, inviting us to linger in its comforting rays.

The birds are chirping and singing in the treetops almost every morning now.

I love my morning outings with Shyla. Since my surgery, we've been hiking rather than biking. But, despite my other health issues, my shoulder has continued to heal at warp speed, and I'll soon be able to ride on the trails with her again.

That will be a very happy day!

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!

Hopeful Signs

Spring has been flitting in and out of our lives. I've seen Mountain Bluebirds most days recently.

But the mornings are still very cold when Shyla and I are out at sunrise. Without mittens, my fingers get numb.

But, as the sun comes up, I rapidly start shedding layers of warm clothes. The sun is so strong and warm these days!

Soon, the golden grass from last summer will be infiltrated by green shoots.

I'm so grateful for the tiny signs of spring that are helping my spirits so much.

With the emotional help of my pups and family plus the hope of spring, I think I'll get past this bad phase at some point, although it might not be a quick fix.

I'm sorry that, on some days, I simply am not able to comment on my favorite blogs. I truly hope to be back to my normal level of health and energy soon.

The Healing Power of Dogs

A long day today... the Runner and I went on an odyssey to find some help for my migraines. Despite that, I managed to get out with sweet Shyla this morning. I sometimes wonder how I would manage to get through the tough times without dogs who need me to go out and have fun with them. Because of them, no matter what, I spend some sweet time in our forest each day.

This morning, Shyla played on the boulders, towering over me. I love seeing her standing so tall and confident.

I'm hopeful that we made a step in the right direction today but only time will tell. In any case, I am lucky to have this girl in my life.

My little family makes me very happy.

Now, it's rest time so I stand a chance of keeping the migraines at bay today. Happy Thursday to all of you!

Almost Wordless Wednesday

Are you listening? I have an important lesson to teach you.

Don't take life so seriously.

One Day at a Time

I am still awed when I see photos of Shyla like this one, standing so strong and so proud - knowing how she started - as a scared and completely underconfident puppy.

My head wasn't hurting this morning, although I still had that fuzzy brain that the migraine medicine gives me. Shyla seemed determined to make me smile. When I called her even half-heartedly, she sprinted to me, leaving a trail of snowflake dust in her wake.

Then, she grabbed a stick, having decided that it was time to play. As she brought it to me, she was fully airborne and had incredible hang-time. I smiled!

The elk were moving through our neck of the woods this morning during our hike. To avoid spooking them, we had to go on the route where a neighbor and her large group of dogs run. That group scares Shyla immensely.  When the elk aren't dictating our route, we stay out of the dog pack's way. Alas, today, we had no choice but to see them.

I've finally figured out that Shyla deals best with the swarm of dogs if I get on the ground next to her and help protect some of her personal space. Today, it worked really well, and their human commented that it was the first time that she'd ever seen Shyla's golden eyes. Shyla usually averts her face so none of them can really see her.

I was proud of my girl today. Standing tall while surrounded by nine dogs, no matter how harmless they may be, takes courage.

Later, by myself, I saw the elk up-close who we'd been avoiding on our hike. By that time, it was snowing very hard. All eyes were on me at first.

Some bulls still have their antlers.

And the cow elk still watch over their calves.

I adore having the elk herd, more than 100-strong, spend the winter in our neck of the woods. Sightings like these make me so happy!

It has been a good day so far. I've been able to enjoy Shyla's small triumph with the dog pack and to enjoy seeing the elk. One day at a time.

P.S. Thank you for all the suggestions about my migraines. Your caring means the world to me. I tried to buy one of the electrical stimulation headbands that the FDA just approved (suggested by you) but there are none available yet in the US. Soon, I hope.

Trigger-Stacking

I took Shyla to town today, after skipping it last week. Last week, she was stressed out by having to wear socks around the house to protect her paw injuries. Having her be nervous before we even drove to town would have been a recipe for Shyla's fears to run rampant when she tried to navigate the bustle of town.

By waiting until she'd left the sock fiasco behind her, she had a fairly relaxed time in town today.

I'm learning, slowly but surely, how to handle a sensitive girl like Shyla. On days when she's nervous already, due to sock-wearing or other things, it's much better not to ask her to do something that might make her even more stressed out. Combining scary things is called "trigger-stacking" in training lingo - and it's to be avoided.

It's ironic that the same term, "trigger-stacking", is used when talking about things that cause migraines. I still have a horrendous headache today so this post will be short. I'm not feeling like I can last much longer with this level of pain. I made some appointments to try to get help soon.

Now, I'm going to lie down with my pups, including the cute brown-noser named Shyla.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Serene Sunday

I spent last evening with family. While the boys launched rockets from a snow-covered part of the meadow, I saw a beautiful sunset "magic hour" unfold to our east.

My migraine went wild last night, and I lay there thinking about how to best approach this new hurdle in life. I think that perhaps, while I keep trying to get answers from doctors, I should start to accept them as a part of my life.

I am taking a page from my history with this approach. When I first had terrible spine pain, I obsessed over it, worrying incessantly about the pain. It wasn't until I accepted that the pain was going to be part of my life that I started to heal emotionally and find happiness again.

Perhaps that lesson from my past would help me now - help me to stand strong and vibrant, even though these evil things seem to have become a regular part of my life.

There's always a chance that they will dissipate or that a doctor will find a cure. One of you kindly sent me a link to a forum where many people reported going through an extremely tough time with migraines after being under general anaesthesia. I've pursued it further, and my reading suggests that it happens more often than I knew. Moreover, most people emerge from the fog with time.

Springtime is around the corner - a time for new beginnings. On my outdoor bike ride today, I saw two willows that had begun to grow catkins.

I also saw bluebirds and red-winged blackbirds, avian species that only live here in the spring and summer! My spirits were buoyed by the thought of the new life that spring will bring.

Nothing Stays the Same

Smart Shyla won a round yesterday. I noticed that she was frequently holding up her left front boot. Her left front paw is not one of the injured ones so I thought that maybe the boot was too tight. I loosened it.

Within 10 minutes, she'd lost the front left boot somewhere close to the hiking trail, but I couldn't find it. So, now, I only have boots on her injured paws, and she seems happier.

Unfortunately, after I gleefully posted yesterday that I hadn't had a migraine in 9 days, I got an aura and then a migraine almost immediately after posting. I'm starting to come out of it now but I needed Miss Shyla to cheer me up this morning. She was up to the task despite the gray skies.

I guess I need to take it one day at a time, not getting overconfident that I've "beaten" the migraines. Because I was becoming overconfident that the problem was gone, I let myself try to do too much and I didn't rest enough.

As I hiked with Shyla today, I went over my life with a fine tooth comb, trying to figure out what I'm doing differently than before my surgery that might be causing the migraines. Foods? Medicines? Sleep? Exercise? The only major difference I could find was that I'm not going on my long outdoor meditative bike rides. Perhaps I'll be cured when I can do those again - that would be stupendous. However, I doubt it.

The truth of the matter is that we are always changing, in invisible ways, so I'm not the same as I was three months ago. None of us are - not even young Shyla.

The constant change in life is something to contemplate and learn to adapt to. Nothing ever stays the same for long. That's a truth worth learning to embrace.

On that note, Happy Saturday!

See Beautiful

It's See Beautiful Friday - one of my favorite blog-days. We started it in my favorite way, at sunrise.

The past month has been a tough one. I had surgery in early February, tried to recover, and then had a chain of migraines that was completely debilitating and scary. The migraines have been absent for nine days now, probably due to lots of rest and tweaking my medications. During the tough days, the incredibly supportive comments that I received from you helped more than you probably can imagine. This community is beautiful.

Through it all, my Shyla and I wandered the forest together each morning, helping me find my inner peace despite the feeling that life was out of my control.

 

So, I wouldn't say that it's been an easy month. Yet, when I look back at it, I remember the beauty most of all. 

I moved more slowly than usual so I could soak it up.

Yesterday, I got a great report from my shoulder surgeon who says that I am recovering very fast. I am now allowed to slowly return to riding a bike outdoors, with the caveat from the surgeon that I "should not fall on my shoulder". That instruction made me chuckle. Crashing is never a conscious choice.

But, being allowed gradually return to my mountain biking passion is beautiful!!!!!! I've started taking rides on the road, with both hands on the handlebars, and it feels great, even if my shoulder gets tired easily!

Another beautiful thing this month has been to see R get stronger after his major elbow dysplasia surgery a couple of months ago. He's now running on leash every day with the Runner, and he can be off-leash a little bit during his evening hikes with me and Shyla. Yay!

His contentment with life seems to be growing as fast as the days are getting longer.

And his sister is thrilled to have her brother able to play and hike a little more each day.

I think that "Seeing Beautiful" is a state of mind that is most important when life doesn't go perfectly. Indeed, this past month has been one of many unexpected hurdles. The "beauty" was in how the small things - reading your comments on this blog, hikes with the Duo, learning new things about photography, seeing mountain lion tracks, or finding great photos on a trail camera - could help me to "See Beautiful" despite everything else.