Wordless Wednesday - Smoky Silhouette

The Bears of our Valley

From the first day at our new place, we saw bears! On the first two days, we saw a sow and her two cubs. We saw them in the evening on the slopes above the creek that runs through our land.

They were eating chokecherries. There are acres and acres of chokecherries hanging from bushes right now. The bears are in their most intense phase of trying to gain weight so they eat about 20 hours per day. It seems that our chokecherries are a delicacy to them.

 I've had cams up at our new place for only about a week yet they already have recorded lots of bears. The closest cam is about 20 yards from our house, positioned to video animals who cross the bridge over the creek. Here are Hachi and Shyla crossing the bridge.

And, in broad daylight, here are a pair of cubs.

I've made a short video of the bears of our valley over the past week. Check it out if you have time! As you can perhaps imagine, I am incredibly glad to share this habitat with the bears.

The Hachi Chronicle

Hachi and Shyla absolutely adore our new place. They get multiple romps per day, and their play is hilarious. 

They run circles around us. Chase is the game of the day.

When they catch up to each other, playful wrestling ensues.

I am beginning to think that this place may heal Hachi's heart.

He is so happy when playing in the meadows with his sister. This may be the happiest that we've ever seen him.

Black Dog Sunday

R arrived in our family shortly before Christmas of 2007. For most puppies, having Christmas celebrations within a week of arriving at their new home would be overwhelming. For R, it seemed to be nirvana. From Day One, he loved people. He wanted to meet everyone and shower them with puppy kisses. As a tiny puppy, that outlook meant that he did truly meet everyone who crossed his path. They could not resist his playful and friendly demeanor.

Samson, R, and K

 

Over the year before R arrived, we'd been dog sitting my sibling's yellow Lab, Samson (left in photo), sometimes for long periods. His family had two toddlers and lived in the city. They were overwhelmed with family life, and were always short of time for taking care of everyone. We'd have Samson stay with us to give them a break, and we loved him dearly.

K adored having Samson stay with us. She was really sad about having no siblings - and seemed to develop fears without an older dog to guide her. So, a few months before R arrived, we officially adopted Samson. He was about 13 years old in the photo.

In contrast, R was about 2.5 months old. Perhaps you can see by the look on his face, that he was not going to "stay" for any more photos after this one. Just after this frame, he leaped off the walkway to do one of his frolicking sprints on the driveway.

R rocked our world when he arrived. His love of *absolutely everything* made him a pure joy but also a whirling dervish of puppy energy. He'd bite Samson's ankles and leap onto K's head, and then he'd sprint a few laps around the inside of the house. His frantic energy was hilarious.

Eventually, he'd fall deeply asleep in the Runner's or my arms. We'd breath in his puppy breath, and we'd know that he was ours forever. And he is, even now. I can feel him nearby.

Feline Friday - A Surprising Bobcat

I've had a trail cam at a pond for spring and summer. Much to my surprise, not many animals have visited it despite the drought and heat. I think that the reason is that the human presence has grown a lot this year. But, finally, a bobcat visited it early one morning.

What does a bobcat do by a pond? First, she ate some grass (and you all educated me to know that this is normal for a cat so I wasn't too surprised). Next, she hunted dragonflies. And, here's the surprising one - she voluntarily went into the water. A cat!!!!! Whoa! After getting wet, she walked out on a downed tree to survey the water.

It was so much fun to watch her go about her business by the pond. This is the kind of view that only a trail cam can give you.

Enjoy the video!

 

P.S. We are going into another period when my posting and online presence may be spotty. I'll be back!

Thankful Thursday

I am thankful for sweet Shyla. She makes me smile, no matter what.

Life is full of heartbreak and change right now. But one constant is Shyla running by my bike and happily posing for my camera. We have so much that we love to do together. We are both grieving but we find joy in our time outdoors together.

What are you thankful for?

Wordless Wednesday - Sunrise Spirit

 

Black Dog Sunday

Our Black Dog arrived in our lives just before Christmas of 2007. He was flown to us in a climate-controlled hold in a jet. It wasn't a long flight but he was only 8 weeks old. 

It was a bone-chilling day in Colorado. We drove into a windswept parking lot near the hangar where we were told to meet R. The attendant told us that he had not deplaned yet. We didn't totally believe her so we scanned the crates that were on a rack nearby. A little black nose and big brown eyes peered back at us. It was HIM!!!!! 

We tried to contain our excitement while we signed the forms to take him. The attendant worked SO slowly. Sign this, sign that... and then a high pitched bark emanated from puppy R's crate. Maybe he knew that we were his people?

When we finally could go to him, we opened the crate and scooped him up. He was so cute, cute beyond words, but he had peed and pooped in his crate. It was all over his fur. He smelled horrendous but we still wanted to pet him and snuggle him. However, a little puppy being wet in the wicked wind chill outside was not good. 

So, after we'd both met him, I put the stinky little guy inside my winter jacket to walk to the car. The Runner drove, and I sat with eight pound R inside my jacket all the way home. His nose was outside the jacket, and he kissed my chin whenever he had a chance. 

When we arrived home, he had a bath and a nap. Then, he met his big sister, Angel K.

They loved each other almost right away.

Thus, our love affair with our Black Dog began. We'd go on to have almost 13 years with that wonderful little puppy. Despite the heartbreak of the end, we would do it all over again. The love of those 13 years by far outweighed the final heartbreak. His gentleness, fun-loving spirit, and love made him such a special dog.

 

As an aside, I will probably be offline for a couple of days. I will be back.

Shyla Saturday

We always felt that, when the time came, R's death would be very hard on Shyla.

Dark Smoky Days

R was Shyla's rock, back in the days when it felt like Shyla could barely function due to her fears. Soon after Shyla came to live with us, it was clear that R being present raised her confidence immeasurably. Whenever possible, it was Shyla's choice to be close to R - whether it was during a hike or when snoozing in the house. In fact, as many remember, Shyla loved to snuggle up to R very closely.

Indeed, losing R is very hard on Shyla. Shyla has a variation on separation anxiety that has escalated in the past week. She cannot stand to be kept away from me and the Runner when we're at home with her - and starts barking continuously when that happens.

We are sorting through solutions that let Shyla be next to us but also give Hachi some freedom within the house (we are keeping them separated). I will spare you the details but it involves an ex pen around Shyla's bed which is placed right next to us. Shyla is totally content when she's close to us, and Hachi is totally content when he's able to be free. So, this is working so far.

On the happier side of the ledger, Shyla completely adores our new place which we've been visiting regularly. It has a big creek, and Shyla joyfully splashes and swims in it. She also is working on perfecting her belly flop into the deeper parts of the creek. Then she comes up, nose high, ready to sprint out onto the bank to do it again.

When she comes out of the water, she and Hachi play joyously. I am so glad that she and Hachi are such great play buddies! 

I think that Shyla will be okay. All of her frolicking will help her heart to heal. But she will never ever forget the big brother who gave her the confidence to walk through this world happily.

A bear and a mountain lion visit a cool spring

As many people know due to our wildfires, Colorado is in a state of drought. I cannot remember the last time we had a plentiful rain storm. Most wildflowers have wilted in the heat. 

Also, many water sources that wildlife rely upon for drinking and bathing are completely dry. Fortunately, a few nearby springs are still bringing water to the surface. In those spots, wildlife quench their thirst and cool off in the water.

Recently, at one cool pool, a bear took a bath and a mountain lion lapped up water noisily. Check out the refreshing video if you have time.

Thankful but Sad Thursday

I am both thankful and sad all at the same time. We found a place that instantly feels like home. We closed on it yesterday.

We took a hike there, and we saw seven gorgeous elk, including a calf. Here are four of them.

Hachi and Shyla zoomed and played. They splashed in the creek. They were so full of joy to have space to romp.

But, our Black Dog isn't here to start this new chapter with us. It's like a gut punch every time I realize it all over again.

Wordless Wednesday

Panicked moose calf searches for mom

Our moose calf usually walks on her mother's heels - so close that it looks like she could accidentally get hit by a hoof. Then, one day in early August, the calf was wandering a bit, not sticking to her mom like glue. I don't know exactly how it happened by the calf lost track of her mother. Here she was as she started to search.

Pretty soon, slow-paced searching gave away to panic. The calf sprinted back and forth while emitting high pitched sounds.

Check out the video of this pair. No worries - it ends well.

The Hachi Chronicle

Hachi has been a bit subdued since R's death.  We managed to whisk him out of the room as the scene unfolded but he saw some of it, and he certainly knows that R is not here. Over the lives of our dogs, I've come to believe that some are not ready to witness the death of a sibling. Fortunately, so far, Hachi seems to be okay.

On R's last evening, he bumped into the outside of Hachi's ex pen when Hachi was in there. Hachi's reaction made us smile. He licked R's nose through the fence  and wagged his tail. That is a far cry from how he reacted even just months ago. Hachi's heart is healing, which seems to make him able to act lovingly toward all his family members, even if he's stressed out.

That being said, we are being really careful right now. The dynamics of the pack are in flux, and we want to be sure to keep the bond between Shyla and Hachi strong. For now, that simply means continuing to keep them separated indoors and looking for opportunities for them to play together outdoors.

We are closing on our new place this week, which doesn't mean that we're moving right away. However, it does mean that we can spend time there. With its wide open and private spaces, Hachi and Shyla should have lots more chances to play.  

Hachi's heart has grown so much that I feel as if he brings us mostly joy. That is how it should be.