Shyla Saturday

Shyla and I have started getting out into the world early enough to (almost) see the sun rise. This ritual is part of how I stay happy through the short days of winter. 

Our new place is in a valley (hence the name "Labrador Valley"), and it really is cold here early in the morning. It is below zero many mornings. But, all that is needed to warm up is to pedal up the hill out of the valley. Not only do I generate heat but we also get up into the warmer air!

Up higher, the sun hits the world much earlier so that's where we do a photo session. Here's my girl. She is keeping her eye on things down in the valley.

She's a fabulous model, staying still until I release her. I love when she opens her eyes wide. When I release her, she loves to find a stick for gnawing.

 

It's fun exploring our new land, searching for the best places and light to photograph Shyla. There are still a zillion places to explore, and we're gong to have fun doing it.

During our morning outings, I am often overcome by gratitude that this sweet and sensitive dog loves exploring the outdoors as much as I do.

Happy Shyla Saturday.

Huge variety of wildlife visit a small spring in the second half of summer and fall

You might remember that I showed you a video of all of the animals who visited a small spring for the first half of the spring-summer season. It was dominated by bears who took baths in the spring a lot.

The second half of the summer and fall were different. A lot of birds visited the spring to drink or bathe, including hawks, grouse, and a tiny owl. Intermixed among the birds were a young bear, moose, bobcats, and mountain lions. 

I am not good at bird identification. My best guesses are that the hawks are Cooper's Hawks and the owl is a Flammulated Owl. I'd love to have some input from any of you who know more about bird identification than I do.

I hope that you enjoy the video!

Thankful Thursday - For Play

Of all the new things here at Labrador Valley, I am most grateful for the freedom to let Shyla and Hachi play together outside. We humans get such joy out of watching them play.

Playing and rough-housing has made Hachi so much more content. He will snooze quietly during downtime in the house rather than being hyped. And I think that Shyla has been wishing for the chance to do this for years. When she first joined our pack, she tried to get R to play with her like this but he didn't want to. She seems overjoyed that Hachi will play with her.

They make the fiercest faces when they play but it's all in fun.

After some funny faces and wrestling, they go back to chasing each other.

And we humans smile and smile. We feel so fortunate that our pups love to play together, and that we now have the space to let them play every day.

Wordless Wednesday

 

Female Mountain Lion Finally Catching up with Resident Male Mountain Lion

When I was last at our old place, the female mountain lion seemed to be going back and forth among the marking spots used by our main male mountain lion. I think that she was waiting for him to finally come through that neck of the woods so that they could get together.

At my final check of the cams, they were close together. They'd been within a half mile of each other in a 24 hour period. It blows my mind that males and females of such a sparse species actually find each other at all!

My prediction was that they were about to cross paths. Unfortunately, we cannot know if they will visit one my cams when they're together. I hope that they do.

Here is the most recent installment of their gradual coming together.

The Hachi Chronicle

Hachi is settling into Labrador Valley, enjoying his playtime and off-leash running. He is an incredibly athletic dog who needs daily opportunities to stretch his legs. He got those in the desert on the slickrock and he gets them here.

That doesn't mean that his behavior has been perfect. On the good news side of the ledger, he is getting along beautifully with Shyla (and that's so important!). But, he had a bad few minutes when he saw some people who he's never met before. And, he's suddenly decided that he doesn't like sleeping in a crate. He barked the night away last night - until the Runner kindly took him to the living room for some snuggle time.

He's a complicated dog. The damage from his early days is not easily fixed. But, in general, he's very slowly getting better. We have to keep the faith when the inevitable hiccups happen.

It was ironic that I had a dog chase me aggressively the other day during a snow bike ride. I happened upon some people who had driven back into the forest to illegally cut Christmas Trees. They had their dog loose, and he was worse than Hachi is with strangers (I was the "stranger"). Yet, the people didn't even try to get the dog away from me. Fortunately, Hachi has taught me the best reaction - ignore the dog while moving away from him. That strategy worked while the owners watched silently. Perhaps they didn't know what to do? I know how difficult it is to be the owner of a dog who behaves like that.

We will keep helping Hachi to be less afraid of strangers. We love him so it comes naturally to us.

Black Dog Sunday

After years of waiting to "know" where to bury our dogs' ashes, we finally did it. After moving to Labrador Valley, we both fell in love with a side valley that has a lone pine tree in the midst of aspen groves. That pine tree is a Ponderosa. It stands tall and strong, leaning and bending with the west wind but still flourishing. It is a testament to the power of life.

Here is a view of it from lower down in the valley. It's in the middle of the photo almost at the top of the valley.

We decided to bury the ashes of the dogs who came before Shyla and Hachi at the base of that
beautiful pine tree. Here's a closer view of it.

It is a peaceful oasis to serve as a final resting place. We waited for decades to choose a spot so you can imagine how special we think that Lone Ponderosa is. We go through the Lone Ponderosa's valley almost every day so we'll feel as if our departed pups are part of our new life here.

Because our Black Dog's death was recent, it was especially hard to say a final goodbye to him. But we know that his ashes belong out in nature, where they can become part of the cycle of life.

Our Black Dog sprinting like the wind across a mesa

Rest in Peace sweet dogs. We wish that all of you could have been alive for this chapter of our lives. But, we are comforted that we have your ashes here with us in a glorious spot.

Our Black Dog would want all of us to find a reason to smile today. I am smiling at his memory with eyes full of tears.

Shyla Saturday

Our Birthday Girl.

I feel so lucky to have her as my best friend.

Happy Birthday, Shyla!

 

Nature and Feline Friday - Female Mountain Lion Following behind a Male

Shortly after that male mountain lion marked his territory in daylight, a female entered the same area. She first got a big drink, and then she went to the same marking area where we saw the male.

I think that this female was out looking for a mate, and she picked up on his scent after he marked.  She's a beautiful creature, probably one of the mothers who we watched raise her kittens over the past couple of years. Her last litter of kittens probably stayed with her until they were 18-24 months old before they headed off on their own.

This is part 2 of 3 of the story of these two lions getting together. Check out the video!

Thankful Thursday

I am thankful for the beauty of Mother Nature.

 

 

I am thankful for the slices of history in our world. This is an old mining cabin, probably close to 100 years old. Can you imagine living in that cabin way back in the early 1900's?

 

I am thankful for my pack. Where ever they are located is my home. Do you see our LabMobile in this photo? It was almost engulfed in shadow. I call the LabMobile "home" while we are camping.

 

 I am thankful for peace.

What are you thankful for?

Wordless Wednesday - Autumn in the Desert

Male mountain lion out scent marking in daylight

 At our old place, mountain lions have been out in daylight. In particular, my trail cams have picked up one male and one female. The female is hitting all of the "scrape" sites where male mountain lions leave their scent. I suspect that she's looking for a mate.

This short video shows the male marking in his territory, and then the female approaching the area where he scent marks. There will be a couple more chapters to this story because they seemed to track each other for a while.

I love knowing that these creatures are living out their rich lives in the midst of this increasingly human-dominated world. They go about their lives while remaining invisible almost all of the time. They are like the ghosts of the forest.

The Hachi Chronicle

Nothing makes Hachi happier than playing with his sister.

We camped in very quiet parts of the desert with almost no one else around. This was a "wash" which is like a river bed that fills with water only when there's a flash flood. It has a sandy bottom and goes on for miles. We love to hike in these washes.

On a dry day, it's a perfect place for the pups to play as we walk.

Hachi is transformed by play whether it's with us humans or with Shyla. He gets loose and goofy. Nothing fazes him while plays.

I began playing with Hachi almost a year ago. It continues to be a daily thing. As soon as we wake up, we humans play with Hachi for 10 or 15 minutes. He rolls on his back and acts like a silly puppy. It's so much fun!

Life is still pretty frantic around here but it feels like Hachi is settling into Labrador Valley. It's a place that soothes all of our souls - but it makes Hachi the happiest of all of us. It's a place where he can run and play just like he did in the desert.

I think that we're getting back on track.

Black Dog Sunday

Our Black Dog lived each day as if he knew that you don't get days back just because life hasn't gone perfectly.

Back in the fall of 2018, he had to have an eye removed due to glaucoma. His surgeon gave us permission to take him camping in the desert just a couple of weeks later. We were amazed by his exuberance on that trip. He sprinted across the top of Shyla's Mesa on our first day there.

He raced with his sister as if his vision was still perfect.

His refusal to be dragged down by the hurdles that life threw in front of him was inspiring. His joyful approach to life can perhaps guide us all in this moment of crisis due to the pandemic. There are no "do-overs" in the journey of life. Our Black Dog would say to try to find joy in each of these days despite the hardships that we all face.

Happy Black Dog Sunday