Monday, February 7, 2011

If more days were like this one, I'd live here.

Just got back from a LONG walkie with Ghost and LB. It was one of those outings we do from time to time, where I set out to go to a particular place and come back, but when we get where we were going we just keep going thataway. After the first half hour or so I was peeling off layers, grumbling at myself for not remembering that at walkie time you always dress at least one layer cooler than you think you need, because you're gonna sweat.

We went up the wash to the canyons, took the left fork to the kettle, then up and around to the next one, up and over that one, further up the canyon until it turned east at which point it's shallow enough that an easy climb puts you on the plateau. Since the point of entry is a bit...random, one does not at that point know exactly where one is. But it's awfully hard to actually get lost, because the peaks of the ridge are clearly visible and that's where you need to end up if you ever want to get home.

Gorgeous morning; soon I was walking along with all my thick clothes tied around my waist. We haven't been doing walkies much lately, and the boys were in no special hurry to get home. Of course they rarely are, but after the second hour I was sure ready.

I'm getting a little concerned about Little Bear's left front paw, which seems to be giving him some chronic trouble. At first I thought it was just bad luck with tumbleweed thorns always hitting the same paw, and it's true he isn't too bright about staying out of them. But he's been limping on that paw off and on for the past couple of days when the cause clearly isn't road hazards. It's weird, though: He'll limp like an old arthritic fart one minute, then dash along like nothing in the world's wrong the next. Not quite sure what to make of it, but I'm keeping an eye on it.

Either way I've gotta go do some chores now, because the weather forecast says this lovely spell isn't going to last past today. Need to see if I can fill some water bottles. Yesterday the pipe was still frozen, but I have hope for today. I've still got plenty in bottles, but you never know so it's best to keep them all full.

3 comments:

The Grey Lady said...

I almost burst out laughing when I saw the title of your post.

I KNOW exactly what you mean, here I am a good Canadian girl eh? I hate winter with a passion, it's cold, it's long, it be a long cold grey endless stack of days one on top of each other and it happens every ding dong dang year. What's up with that?

But in the spring or on one of those rare winter days when the beauty is not marred by inhospitable "freeze your tuckus off" temperatures, I love where I live. I love and somehow fall for the lies those days whisper to me. It's like instant amnesia washes over me and life is perfect for that one contented, all is perfect, deluded moment and it falsely promises to stay that way for ever and I buy it every time..

Mayberry said...

My old fart dog is the same. In the same day, she might limp like a razor was imbedded in her foot, then romp through the daisies like a pup. Short attention span maybe?

Grey Lady, believe it or not, my sentiments are exactly down here in south Texas. To put a finer point on it, a guy from Minnesota told a co-worker of mine that he'd found the coldest place on earth: Port Aransas. But we usually get a break between fronts once a week, and we'll hit the 70s. Then it's cold city for a few days...

suek said...

Any possibility that your dog has a dewclaw problem? If you don't watch them, they'll grow around and back into the flap of skin they grow out of. They can also get torn off - very nasty...lots of blood.

I had a dalmation that had puppies once, and was told that I should snip off their dewclaws when they were 1-2 days old. You use a nail clipper(human type) and a blood stopping powder. It didn't seem to hurt much, although they yipped, but put them back with mom and all was good. I think I'd do it with any pups we might have (not anticipating any) of any breed or no breed - we've had one dog rip the dew claw out entirely, and it was majorly bloody and painful. Slick legged is better, imo.