May the 4th Be with you...

 Some of my favorite Star Wars
May the 4th shots....

Enjoy

My name is NO, no, no by Hannah

 I think...

NO, no no no no...or Icky icky icy might be good names 'cuz that is what SHE always says. I like to bite things with my amazing sharp teeth. When I do that, she shoves a toy in my face. 

Then I bite that instead of her hands.

I like picking up treats in the yard that the pony leaves. Then she calls me Icky icky icky. Sometimes she calls me Leave it, Leave it, Leave it! 

She only says Hannah once in a while, so that must not be important.

Charlie says that Hannah is my name and the other words are just what she says when she is not happy. 

I get so confused. I just wish she'd settle on one name. 

No no no no is fine. Hannah? Icky? Leave it? 

Other times she just laughs and laughs at me. I think I like that much better than NO, no no no.

She says I am

cute when I am

sleeping.

Yesterday I learned a new trick with no No's!! She just watched!

I gotta go. She asked if we want to go outside. And she picked up her keys so that means an adventure for Charlie and me. No, no, no?

Play time is required

I got a nice reminder the other day in the comment section from DeniseinVA regarding my toy photography which looks like I had abandoned lately. 

I sort of had in a way as my mind has been hyper-focused on taking care of business at our place and hunting for spring plants. I decided that even though the day was cold and overcast that I'd leave things for a little while and take some items out for 'play time'.

The dogs and I ended up in one of the dry runs exploring what the latest heavy rainfalls had done to the area.
The water had rushed down from the ridge so hard that it removed all the fallen leaves and cleaned some moss off the rocks.

The creek and this spot are some of my favorite places on our land.

I really wanted to try some shots in the creek with toys. I enjoy trying to get reflections in the water.

The ducks kept floating away too quickly. There is actually some flowing water in the creek this spring!

Oh hello.

Shark Duck?

To do some of my playful toy photography, I generally load up a backpack and ... well, you guessed it, the dogs come along. They like inspecting my work. 

I had to stand in the creek [rubber boots on!] and stack tiny rocks up in the water to set the Lego kayak on. I must have done it a dozen times or so. The kayak kept tipping over or sinking. [It doesn't float]

Twice, Hannah jumped in the water and knocked them over. 
Patience is the key. Hannah will learn to just observe.

I didn't have the best light and I didn't have the best angles, but I shot these anyway. Just to enjoy the challenge of it.

There is mini-me in the middle and the two dogs. My Life in Legos.

This is the final shot. It is okayish, but at least I have the reflections in the creek.

The fun shot I took of the day was the one below of the Titan 13 'action' figure and his robot dog jumping the creek.

Hannah is starting to figure out I don't want her to knock my toys down.

She will get it eventually. Charlie was the same way when we started doing things like this together.

The difference between these two dogs is that Charlie is focused on everything else going on in the forest.

Hannah is always watching me.

I often wonder what Hannah is thinking. 

We spent the early chilly morning exploring and the afternoon doing yard work.

Dirty Dishes...

Shhhh. Don't tell anyone. I left dirty dishes in the sink, clothes strewn across the unmade bed, and a mess of papers tossed on the table next to a half filled cup of coffee I abandoned.

Why?

Spring Ephemerals. You know the flowers that come up in the spring for a few days and then disappear until next year.

If I miss them, I am sad to have to wait for another chance at it again in the spring.

My friend Pat wanted to come along and see these flowers for herself. She has caught the bug of  finding flowers, native plants, and of course mushrooms. Great minds think alike. 

We decided to meet in town at 7AM and head out.

I haven't had anyone else like my early morning hikes [I do them a lot in the warmer months to avoid the heat]. So I jumped at the chance.

Here is a shot of Pat taking a shot of a trillium. We seem to enjoy shots of each other from behind...

Here is her shot of me and Hannah...

Charlie stayed home. He was informed that he needed a rest day. 
[He was not impressed and held a grudge against both myself and Hannah when we got home! A pouting dog!]

Below are Bishops Caps

I know, I should link to the scientific name

but I like the common names better.

They are easier to remember.

 Another favorite one of mine.

Ginger

The flowers are under the foliage 

like they are hiding!

Mayflowers. Mayapples.

As a kid I called them Umbrella Plants.

I think that describes them well.

They have not flowered yet.

I'm not very good at telling different ferns apart. 

These were ferns unfurling.

Yellow Rocket. 

I've always

seen this as just a weed but found 

out it is edible. Not that I have 

tried it.

We found this flower too, but it was hard

to figure it out.
Swamp Buttercup
I think years ago I just called it a buttercup and

left it at that.

This plant is easy to overlook.

It is tiny and grows in very shaded areas.

I believe it is a False or Wild Lily of
the Valley.

The green in the middle will have tiny white flowers.

Oh... last but not least...

There was this wild Thing we had with us. Her energy was boundless and she showed off by leaping up on logs and diving off from them with wild abandon.

We applauded her achievements and laughed. She handled the hike like it was second nature to her.

I was surprised when I got home that the Dirty Dishes were still there, as was the other messes I'd left. Apparently the Dish Faery and the Housekeeping Faery had also taken the morning off.

Controlled Chaos

Some days I wonder why I thought 2 dogs were better than one. The extra demands, the extra attention, the extra training, and the extra effort along with considerations seem in some moments --- a stupid decision.

Then after a day of yard work, play, and walks, the 2 of them fall sound asleep next to me as I read a book on the couch.

And I know... 

 My blood pressure drops low, my heart rate slows, my heart fills with something warm. 

My longer hikes are slowed to an older dog pace while the pup races back and forth on her line that is tied to my belt.

The slow, quiet walk allows me more time to stop and look. There is no hurry. Charlie doesn't hurry when the weather is warm. He even asks for me to carry him so his short legs can take a rest [or he is tricking me into giving him a ride!].

Hannah bounds into quite a few photos that I try to take of the wild spring flowers. But she is learning that usually what I am looking at is nothing that is interesting enough to chew on, eat, or roll in.

Bellwort

Fern Curls

Jack in the Pulpit

Wild Ginger

The Crooked Kickapoo

Mayflowers

We take about 4 hours to explore the trails. I keep thinking I should hurry up and then I remember that I don't have to rush.

There is so much to look at on these out of the way trails.

The dogs get a drink and a dunk
in the foundation of an
old artesian well house.

We head back to the parking area and I think...

Maybe the chaos isn't so bad. 

It is keeping my mind busy and my body active.

Charlie goes to his side of the car and waits. I put him in his car seat and he settles down for a nap. Hannah tries to climb into the car too, she is ready to fall asleep in her crate.

When we get home the two dogs get up on the porch bench and watch me do yard work and hang out laundry.

I eventually join them on the bench and open my book on Hiking Wisconsin. I turn down pages of trails I am interested in and are labeled 'Dog Friendly'. 

Maybe this two dog thing is really worth it.