A year in the life of a bear marking tree

I'm starting to think that I should not even try to post after physical therapy. I'm so tired every time that I make big mistakes. In this case, I posted the wrong video. I have fixed it. Sorry about that!

It's always fun to look back at a full season at a very popular bear marking tree. It's fun to see the big dominant bears, the female bears, and the cubs all interact with it. This one had a lot of visitors last season, and I hope that you enjoy seeing them all leave their scents upon the tree! 

Our bears are starting to emerge from their dens so they will soon be marking these trees again. That makes me happy! Check out the video if you have time.

Thankful Thursday

One morning recently, a gorgeous sunrise sky gradually appeared on the eastern horizon. I went to get my little pocket camera to photograph it. I stepped out into the chilling air, and a sound stopped me in my tracks. A robin was singing its heart out from the treetops. The sound of his song accompanying the brilliant sky brought such happiness to my heart.

I am thankful for every little sign of springtime and for the morning skies that delight me so often.

Wordless Wednesday

 The desert in springtime makes me smile, especially when it's blooming!

A spot where the moose were as thick as mosquitos!

I've had some time to look through my footage of animals who were very close to our house in Lab Valley over the past year.

In one amazing spot, mama moose and their calves loved to hang out. Soon, it will be as green as in that video, and the moose will be as thick as mosquitos! Check out the video if you have time.

The Hachi Chronicle

Progress with Hachi continued to be slow and steady. Our session with our trainer went really well. Hachi is mostly relaxed around her. We are working toward having our trainer substitute for me in the bucket game. You may remember that the bucket game involves Hachi focusing his eyes on the treats being held by the Runner as a way to tell us that he's ready for me to touch him. After his eyes are focused on the treats, I say "hand", and then I put my hand(s) on him. We use this game for fake vet exams, for looking at any part of him that we're worried about, and even for clipping his toe nails. 

We are preparing Hachi for the trainer to participate by gradually playing the bucket game closer and closer to her. This week, she was about 6' away. After we did a few reps with me saying "hand" and doing the normal routine, the trainer started being the one to say "hand". After saying it, she reached toward Hachi but, since she was 6' away, she didn't even come close to touching him.

We will gradually move the game closer and closer to the trainer until she can reach out and touch him. That will simulate a vet examining him.

 

We are getting closer to our goal, one teeny tiny step at a time.

Shyla Saturday

After shoulder PT today, I am completely wiped out and so sore. So, I'll simply share a photo of my sweet Shyla. She is the queen of silhouettes!

Teeny Tiny Highlights Video

You might remember "Teeny Tiny" the bear cub from last summer. His name is based on the fact that I thought that he was the son of our biggest bear named "Tiny". He was a character right from the beginning showing independence from his mom the very first time that my cams saw him. Then, he started marking trees and stomp marking within a short time of leaving the den with his mother. 

He delighted me and made me laugh all summer long. If his mother is true to her usual schedule this spring, we won't see him before she sends him off on his own prior to her participating in the May-June mating season. Don't get me wrong - I hope that we see him but there's a good chance that we won't.

So, it seemed like a fun to put together clips of his antics from last summer so we can all remember this precocious cub. The final video made me smile and chuckle, and I hope that it does the same for you!

 

Thankful Thursday

I am thankful that I am starting to feel a bit better. I have been working hard at my range of motion exercises, and they are paying off. I can even reach my keyboard with my right hand! I can also reach my handlebars on my indoor bike trainer. 

I am so fortunate to be able to get my shoulder fixed and to have an amazing physical therapist working with me. I'm also so thankful to have the Runner helping me so that I don't have to push the limits more than I should.

It still feels like normalcy is a long way off but I am doing my best to be patient. I am hopeful that I'll be able to ride to my favorite places by summertime. I don't know if I'll be able to handle rough trails on my bike that soon but time will tell. I certainly will try to be strong enough for my favorite trails! This photo was from a long fat bike ride just before I blew out my shoulder.

Wordless Wednesday

I'm learning to turn my photos into paintings. It turns out that painting in Photoshop (using a tablet) is really nice rehab for my shoulder.

 

Bears and cats at a leaning tree

Last fall was when I began falling behind on almost everything, even my wildlife cameras. I just ran across footage from one of my favorite sites - a leaning tree that bears love to mark and cats love to scrape below. It's intriguing to see how our biggest carnivores are drawn to the same spots.

Check out the video!

 

The Hachi Chronicle

We had a week of continued steady work with Hachi. We did multiple visits to the exam room at our vet's clinic. He continued to get upset about voices in the hallway outside the room but he let his tension go pretty fast after reacting. By the end of each session in the exam room, he could hear the voices and not react. That meant that we had great practice rounds of the bucket game at the end of each session.

We also had sessions with our trainer. It is heart-warming to see how much Hachi has come to eagerly anticipate our sessions with her. He loves all the treats that he gets while interacting with her. And, this week, we made good progress on one lingering problem. That problem was that he'd be relaxed around the trainer all of the time except in those unstructured phases in between games. For example, if the trainer was playing one game with him but wanted to transition to a game outdoors. Hachi would bark at her as he moved toward the door to go outside. 

We implemented something called a "pattern game" to use in the transitions. The specific one is "1-2-3". The handler (always the Runner right now due to my shoulder) says 1-2-3. He drops a treat to hit the ground in sync with him saying "3". He repeats this until we get started on the next game. I hope that this is a path toward Hachi feeling better about transitions between activities.

In between all the training, Hachi and Shyla loved playing together. I can't yet photograph them but this one was from shortly before my surgery. I am so grateful for their friendship.

Shyla Saturday

My girl on a spectacular evening...

 

 

Glimpse of springtime

It has been a week of starting to recover my range of motion in my shoulder since my surgery. However, with the work of stretching the muscles, I tend to end up in really bad pain by the evening. For that reason,  I neglected this blog. I usually write my posts in the evening but I really wasn't up to it this week.

We are seeing signs that spring might be sneaking up on us. This photo is from a previous year because I can't even hold my real camera yet. I caught a glimpse of blue the other day that I thought might have been a bluebird!

Enjoy the glimpses of springtime wherever you are!

 

Black Dog Sunday

I remember the day that I took this photograph so well. We were camping high in the mountains, and our Black Dog and I got up early to visit some wildflowers. Our Black Dog was almost completely blind but he enthusiastically followed me through the unfamiliar terrain to a quiet spot. He was eager and happy, just like he always was. We lay in the grass talking and playing with treats. We both smiled.

These days, I am trying to have an attitude that is as irrepressible as our Black Dog's spirit was. He was an amazing example that I am particularly thankful for right now. The dream that I had of him a couple of weeks ago has stuck with me. He still brings me peace and happiness has my mind's eye sees him standing peacefully in our meadow.