Forest Archives: New Camera, New Puzzlement...
Category: Life
My new camera arrived today and after I spent some time trying to figure out how to turn it on, and annoyed Kai with taking pictures while he snoozed in the window....
I was off to shoot anything and everything.
And when I can figure out how to use it, it may be pretty cool.
But these are my first shots with the new Canon for what they're worth...
I have never had a single reflex camera before.
It was a dark day in the forest but I was determined to stretch the limits.
Ripley my girl is the hardest subject of all because she is a big fur ball!
And Charm who is usually never still for a moment.
Or dry for a moment either....
The turkey vultures showed up to skim low over the lake.
There were 7 total but I could only catch 5.
So we climbed up into the sun to see what we could find.
And Domino surpassed himself by perching on a boulder out in space.
The lilacs were opening up more and more.
And another tree was springing into full bloom.
A small lilac bush had the lighter blooms.
And odd little wildflowers.
There are so many blooming trees right now.
It's just endless.
But the best part of the day was when the haunting sounds of hawks cut through the air and a pair of hawks appeared to challenge the turkey vultures.
Absolutely breathtaking they drove the turkey vultures away and soared unchallenged around the lake.
So lots to learn about my camera. I was happy to be a little challenged though...time to sit down and read the manual!
Forest Archives: Fur Kids Can be Frustrating
Category: Life
I think its time I consider taking the dogs for TWO runs a day. Because today I stopped to take a picture and POOF! Where did Domino go? Well after much panic, Domino came trotting along the trail and back on the leash for him...he was more than pitiful about the whole thing.
He walked abjectly at my side while Charm pouted which is more than enough to make anyone feel bad because Charm pouts over any type of upset...so intensely and convincingly that you would think she is beaten on an hourly basis and I have to tell her she is good a thousand times before she stops sulking.
Domino was free again and sticking a bit closer.
And even I think debating swimming.
Charm continued to sulk along and I tried to change my energy and we were all just off kilter.
I decided a climb was a good way to shake it off.
But when any of the dogs gets in trouble for something, Charm is glued by my side and won't wander at all. She is always the "I'm the good child" dog.
If anything Domino's current desire to chase every bird and squirrel in the forest has made Ripley stop wandering.
I just worked with Domino for awhile rewarding him every time he came when he was called.
And we made some headway. There's not much trouble he can get into but I err on the side of caution.
They have to know the boundaries of where they can and can't go.
Some days we are all in sync and others it takes an effort.
Domino is such a sweet soul and he loves the woods so much that he forgets himself.
The pack was finally under control when we reached the top.
And Domino occupied himself by exploring the edge as usual.
Ripley and Charm posed for a picture.
Charm still sulking. Then Domino and Charm.
While Ripley decided to keep her distance.
No one sulks better than Charm.
So we headed down and I concentrated on relaxing. I stopped to take a picture of a bee.
And climbed out to try to get this shot.
Domino went back on the leash as soon as we hit the spot he likes to take off... he just dashes off in hopes of seeing something, so he had to stay on a leash until we went by. Then he was fine. No chasing the forest creatures...they are not there for his amusement. He'll get it eventually...Its an unnatural thing to learn to not chase birds and rabbits. Summer will teach him excursions off the trail mean mosquitoes! Right now it is too tempting to run through the underbrush.
Forest Archives: Wishcraft and Watercraft
Category: Life
We got a really late start today and I was thinking how to get the boat which was in a kind of precarious position so we took a hike on the high trail today while I mulled over the problem.
The dogs are always excited by a change of route and stick closer.
It is a much more overgrown trail with fallen trees and forest debris.
But I happened upon a lone bee which made the detour worthwhile.
These leaves reminded me of palm trees.
And still the color touches the forest.
The moon appears late in the day small in the sky.
We were just at the first stages of the evening light for Charm's swim.
And after hectic races through the woods at breakneck speed, the dogs relaxed on the water.
Ripley enjoys watching everything from the sidelines these days.
Trees continue to bud along the water.
A lone fall berry hangs tight while new leaves have grown up around it.
We climbed up away from the bugs who are just now becoming annoying.
It is a bug free zone for now up in the warm sun above the lake.
I took a few moments to try to get all three to sit for a photo.
But the look on Charm's face tells the story of that photo shoot.
Domino as usual skirted the outer edges of the rocks.
So back to the boat and I called the dogs and sat on the rock where it is tied up and just wished it would come back...and it did. And I tied it securely and fed the trout, mission accomplished. The dogs played in the water and Domino was so pleased he found a stick he took it home.
There's been lots of picts of Domino's adventures in the great outdoors...but how is life at home for Domino? Well there's always his favorite girl, Charm.
Domino loves, loves, loves Charm.
When Domino is tired of playing he leaps onto the loveseat and fixes me with this disconcerting stare....it actually means he's ready for a belly rub.
Then he promptly falls asleep like this...
Pretty soon relaxation sets in..
And Charm tries to wrangle a spot.
Charm usually pursues her cat obsession when Domino relaxes.
The life of Domino...
Pits should be most famous for their ability to chill.
"The maelstrom was made of a kind of bravura and exaggerated origami, a funnel of scissored and foaming navy-blue paper with spiring silver coils and feathery snipped and streaming froth." - The biographer's tale, by Anita Byatt
Even in the calm of my usually serene self, storms must arise and there are only so many places to compartmentalize my self inside myself. This week has been about sorting thru all those boxes I stuff things in for later consideration. I am easily distracted by things, like a pair of mourning doves .
I left aside the sorting of self to enjoy the outdoors.
Regardless of what storms we brew, nature continues on unaware.
There are many times I regret that there is a separation between life and the natural world.
Unlike life, you don't have to understand nature to enjoy it.
Except maybe if you're a dog.
Nature is always unfolding.
Without any thought given to the process.
It prevails.
Charm emerges from her daily swim.
And Domino ventures a little deeper.
He always stops to take in the view.
Which was pretty in the early evening light.
As we continued up around we caught a glimpse of the one of the old catholic churches.
And stopped to smell the lilacs.
Domino walked along the sheer edges until I called him back. He just loves heights, but he gives me a heart attack sometimes.
The trees along the top are so varied.
And little wildflowers are scattered in the rocks.
We headed down to feed the trout but someone had cut the boat lines and set the front of the boat adrift out of spite.
If there were unicorns, people would just hunt them, sell them, breed them and exploit them. There is no safe place for unicorns. Some things it is just better to be without.
Forest Archives: Bribery Works Best
Category: Life
Its been a quiet Mother's Day with my mom so far away and my daughter so far away. And such an odd one too because my daughter and her husband came home to find a burgler in the act. Three calls to 911 later, he was finally hauled away. But as a mom, I imagine all the scenarios....!!! What a crazy world. But I had fur kids to spend the day with so we bundled up for a long walk today.
The past few days Ripley has been wandering and I was about ready to put her on a leash. Then I got smart and stocked up on dog treats for the walk. Every time I called a dog who wandered and it came, they all got treats. Soon I had lots of close company.
In fact Ripley stayed glued to my side. The way to a chow's heart is through its stomach.
In fact I think food is the only motivation for chows. If you have ever owned a chow they will wag their tails just as furiously when they are being scolded as praised. But show them a treat and they will do anything.
So I wandered and took pictures and doled out dog treats.
It was one of those gray days with little sniplets of sun here and there and I never knew if it was going to rain or shine from moment to moment.
Domino lumbers along with bowlegged determination and Charm scouts from side to side while Ripley trots daintily by.
I am on and off the trail as much as they are.
Stopping now and then to pick up some piece of litter, or toss fallen branches off the trail. Sometimes I collect rocks along the way and drop them off at our growing rock wall.
There are always birds and smaller animals in the trees and underbrush, but I have long learned those pictures are impossible.
We all listen though, for sounds that don't belong.
Domino and Charm play up and down the trail, the leaves crackling in their wake.
Sometimes I think that I should make a note of my thoughts when I walk, but my thoughts are just random and wordless, impressions upon impressions.
Domino likes to play in the bog which is now technically a pond after all the flooding.
He spends more and more time wading.
Charm has skipped a couple of days of swimming.
Domino always comes to sit beside me and stare out across the water for long moments as though wondering what I am looking at.
And Ripley just sat patiently wondering when the next dog treats were coming.
So we took a long leisurely climb.
Domino played in the rocks like a mountain goat.
We stopped to feed the trout while woodpeckers drilled the trees and vultures skimmed through the clouds above. I think these walks are my "Calgon moments".
"Boredom is the feeling that everything is a waste of time; serenity, that nothing is." - Thomas S. Szasz
The Lazarus Fund Animal Rescue is named for their first rescue dog, Lazarus. Lazarus was in the process of being incinerated after euthanasia...the only problem being, he was still alive. It happens more than you know. I volunteered at a shelter years ago when I was in college and things are not always so hunky dory. The euthanasia guy was cruel, cruel, cruel and tormented his victims. And those dogs were still moving as they were loaded into the incinerator. It happens and sometimes speaking up gets you booted out the door. Its always stuck with me, the unseen torture and cruelty going on every day behind closed doors. And for every wonderful caring shelter worker out there...I am sure there are those who are reincarnated nazis.
It just is sad that wonderful, healthy dogs, who are rescued from such dire situations end up on death row, and to me there is no way, shape or form euthanasia is humane for these animals. They think they are being rescued only to face death as a reward. Both Missy and Red think they have been rescued, but they have a death sentence hanging over their heads.
So I am posting some of the Colorado pits because Theresa of the Lazarus Fund would like to save more dogs. Some of you think Colorado doesn't allow pits, but that is not true...only some areas don't...like the city of Denver itself. So don't get confused. Anyway, here are my two pits for today...Missy who has only four days left and Red, who has a little time but is still urgent.
MISSY:
Missy is a pit bull who came in as a stray, very emaciated. She is now urgent. There is pull and some transport available through the Lazarus Fund. Contact Theresa of The Lazarus Fund for info: 719 778-0947, animallover78@comcast.net
Missy is at La Junta Animal Shelter in La Junta, Colorado. She is very sweet and loves everyone. Her adoption fee is $70.
Contact La Junta Animal Shelter in La Junta, CO at: Phone: (719)-384-0347 http://www. petfinder. com/petnote/displaypet. cgi?petid=10752161
RED'S STORY...
Red was abandoned behind an old trailer house. He lived in his own feces and never got fed or watered. We got him in and he turned into an amazing dog. He is great with other dogs, and loves all people. He is such a great little companion, and he would make a great family dog. Please help us with him, he really will make an outstanding dog.
Red is a pit bull/ lab mix who is now urgent. He is neutered, up to date on shots, good with kids and dogs...cats, not so much.
Contact this shelter to adopt Red ... Logan County Humane Society Pet ID F2007006 (970) 520-2804 info@loganhumane.org http://loganhumane. org
Theresa of The Lazarus Fund Animal Rescue is available to pull and for limited transport for Red. Theresa 719 778-0947 or animallover78@comcast.net
