It's a wild life

Another doggy day...of sorts. I am still watching the neighbor's dogs and taking them for morning and evening walks. I took all of these shots with my cell phone. It is a Google Pixel and while it isn't too bad of a camera, I just decided to use it instead of my other one.

When walking the dogs mornings and evenings, it is easier to stuff a tiny phone into my pocket. I asked the camera to enhance the two shots. It added brilliance and colors. I think the shots are more brilliant and colorful than I saw it with my eyes. 
But I'm not going to change it. It is prettier than it was to the naked eye.

 I had a meeting at the bank with one of their financial people, got help from a teller for doing an auto deposit, got a few items from the store. Interestingly enough, I have not been shopping except for milk and cereal since the week before Rich passed away.

He was the ferocious eater in our house. Steaks and potatoes were the meals he requested for the last 6 months of his life along with many special requests. I honored all of them. Now I have frozen meat packages that I can't imagine cooking -- unless my grandkids come up and want steak with their supper.

I probably have a couple of years' worth of food stored in the freezer for myself.  My neighbor gets a CSA box throughout the growing season. CSA= Community Supported Agriculture. The box contains fresh produce each week from local home grown farms. I've had zucchini, squash, onions, peppers, tomatoes, fennel, kale, broccoli, and more stuffed in the boxes from the past two Thursdays from doing my dog sitting.

So my meals come about like this. I cut a bunch of stuff up that is fresh, toss it in a pan with some Olive Oil and sauté it. I eat it like that or make some rice to put it on. In a pinch for some protein, I grab some fresh farm eggs from Olive and mix it in with the rice and veggies.

Viola! I eat!

Anyway.......................

When I got done with my errands, I loaded my bicycle up along with Charlie's pet carrier and decided to try out the trail I'd done two weeks ago. 

Charlie did not seem excited or even happy about being stuffed in the trailer at the trail head, but he didn't whine or cry while I cycled. 

We stopped once in a while so he could get out and look around.

About 3 miles in some ladies were walking and asked if they could see my little dog. Charlie got out and charmed the heck out of them. I learned that one lady had just lost her husband a few weeks ago too. The other lady was also named Valerie, she'd just lost her doggy buddy of 14 years. We chatted on the trial about all the good things in life. 

It really lifted me up to meet them.

By the end of 7 miles, Charlie was feeling quite comfortable in his chauffeured carrier.  I did feel the extra 15 lbs of Charlie and the 15 lbs of the carrier by the time I finished the ride. Not so I'd be sore, but it was a nice workout. We'll do it again as long as I can find good flat trails. Charlie didn't even seem to mind the bumpy trail.

Views along the Pine River Bike Trail.

I will definitely come back in the spring during migration and walk this trail with my camera. I saw Kingfisher birds along with so many cool insects and dragonflies. I'll be heading to LaCrosse to get some things at a craft store and start to explore all of the nature trails that that city has to offer on Wednesday.

We ended the day with another dog walk along with packing up all the old stuff from Rich's sock/undie drawer. It made me sad to see that drawer so empty. So I filled it with my workout clothes. 

Gone to the dogs...and whatnot

 Well, sort of.

My neighbors on the top of the hill had a family vacation planned a while ago. They felt hesitant to ask me to care for their dogs while they were gone.

I've done this for them for the past few years. Their dogs are friendly, fun, and really quite easy to get along with. I enjoy my time taking them for a walk in the mornings and the afternoons. I don't mind feeding them and spending some time with them.

This is Tiyo. They adopted him in Africa and he is a mixed breed Baesenji which is a barkless dog. He does squeak when he is really excited.

Because of his thin coat, he loves hot summers, but doesn't care too much for rainy days or cold weather. 

However, he is a thoughtful dog who is pretty reserved but friendly once he gets to know you. He and I are pretty good pals.

He squeaks when he sees me.

Rupert is the classical mixed breed dog that is impossibly happy and exuberant all of the time. He literally bounces all of the time.

I did catch a shot of him being still. He seems to suffer from quite a few allergies, but that never seems to get him down. He just goes with the flow.

The gals are still grazing in their 'winter' pasture, but have started to eat a bit of hay. Apparently weeds are tastier in the fall?

This is the view of our place from my neighbor's woods at the end of their 5 acres. You can see their fence line in the shot below. We can't see each other's houses which makes it feel pretty isolated. Any other neighbors are at least 1/2 mile away.

The Whatnot...

Well, a friend of mine whose husband was also my husband's nurse is having their son's wedding at their farm on Saturday. I volunteered donate pumpkins from my pumpkin patch as well as help clean up the gardens. 

I actually had quite a bit of fun working at their place on Thursday.

I volunteered to come back on Friday and Saturday to help with setting things up for the wedding and my friend asked me to please bring my camera. Wink-wink.

I assume the groom and bride have a photographer so I would just be the one to get behind the scene candid shots as long as I am not interfering with a paid photographer.

My Grandson, Dennis, is coming in sometime Friday afternoon so we'll have some time together. 

Saturday morning Dennis is going fishing with Rich's fishing pal, Steve at 6am. I don't know how long they will be fishing, but I can always give Dennis the location I'm at and he can join me [after he does chores!].

I am absolutely thrilled to be helping my friends with such an important day in their lives and their son's life.

I texted my grandson and told him to bring a nice set of clothes as he may end up attending a wedding Saturday evening.

My Whatnot's can sure get interesting!

Visit and experimenting

Ariel, our oldest grand daughter came for a visit. She arrived on Thursday just after Grandpa finished up with his Hospice Nurse and his Home Health Aide. He was like a little kid in a candy shop. He was excited and beyond happy. 

Thursday night and early Friday morning there was a one heck of a noisy thunderstorm. The lightening shook the house a few times and the storms just kept coming through 8AM.

I grabbed this shot while on the porch just as it was getting light. I tried a composite of the clouds and the storm, but it was too dark and I had to retreat when the winds blew the rain under the porch roof. 

The color is bit off. I had it in the mode I shoot for starry skies which is a cooler temperature. The storm was pretty exciting for a while.

The really bad stuff with huge hail went south of us. We got 1/2 inch of rain which we really needed.

I had volunteered once more to care for my neighbor's cat and two dogs through the weekend. I love their pooches. Their pets are so well behaved. 

So when the storm was all done, Ariel helped Grandpa with his coffee and breakfast while I ran up and took care of the pets.

Here is the sun breaking through the fog
from the cold rain hitting the
warm soil.
The black dog is Rupert.
He is the happiest dog I've
ever met!

 

This is Tijo. I don't know if I am spelling his name right.
He is part Basenji. He has no bark.
He does squeak though.
I adore this guy. He seems to be 

standoff-ish. But once you are

pals, you are really pals. He is so

dignified.

No goofy wagging or 
bouncing. 
Just quiet closeness.

I don't recall this cat's name, but he is really quite striking.

I think he is also a special breed of cat. My 
neighbors ended up with him

because a friend moved and
her new place didn't allow pets. 
I think this cat likes me 

now, he no longer hisses 

at me. He wraps himself

around my legs.

My buddy Rupert.

See?

He is goofy and so darned lovable.

Ariel and I went to the indoor Flea Market just a short jaunt away.

We always like to walk around and browse at the things people want to sell. It is our thing. There are two indoor Flea Markets and a Resale shop in close proximity. 

Some of the stuff was pure junk. Some stuff was interesting. Over the years I've picked up a few neat things.

This time I purchased some toy related things and Ariel got a beautiful insulated water bottle thingy for a friend of hers.

I also found a unique metal chicken for my flower garden. We decided to do the other shop on Saturday morning.

Ariel wanted to make a cake for Grandpa and cook a special dinner. Boy was it ever good!!!

Since no one slept well with the storm on Thursday night, we called it quits early and went to bed.

This morning I got up before everyone else and went out to do chores. I noticed that the morning sun looked stunning on the daffodils next to the house. 

I thought. Goodness. I wonder if I can do an in camera Double Exposure? Like Anvilcloud!

I figured out how to do it. 

This is a shot of Virginia Bluebells and a shot of blades of grass with water droplets.

We hit up the other Indoor Flea Market and then headed home in time to make lunch for Grandpa. He had cake. Why not? Life is short. Eat cake first.

Ariel got ready to leave and both Grandpa and Charlie had the longest faces. She had planned her trip to see us for two days and be home in time to go to her church on Easter morning and join her family later on.

The visit was really quite nice. Grandpa was worn out but all smiles.

Tonight he sat at the table and kept saying how much he missed her and he couldn't wait to see her again. So sweet.

Charlie is pouting on the couch.

My friends

Some days I get the best of jobs to do.

Two of my neighbors on the ridge were not home for part of the weekend. I got to visit with their animals and help out with them.

Rupert and Tijo belong to the neighbors at the top of our hill. They are friendly and such well behaved dogs. My neighbors sometimes take trips where they don't take their dogs [and cat] so they ask me if I don't mind helping out. I'm always happy to take care of their pets. 

They have tried to offer me money or some sort of compensation for caring for their critters. I've refused. After all, the husband has helped out by doing chores when we went to Kenosha for the weekend and when large dead oak fell down over the fence last year, he was right there to help cut it up.

Be good to your neighbors and they will generally reciprocate. 

Years ago we had folks that lived in that house that were not nice neighbors. We've had 5 different families live in that house in the past 28 years. Only once for 4 years, did we have folks we didn't get along with. I'll leave it at that. We ignored them, they ignored us.

Anyway, here is Rupert on our sunny Saturday morning walk:

Rupert is carefree, he is the essence of doggy happiness. He is joyful at all times. He bounces and just begs to be loved and show his undying love for humans.

Here is Tijo, the serious one. Although he seems reserved and aloof, he really isn't. He is a Baesenji mix. They are known for being a barkless dog. He is curious, quiet, and very affectionate. I've never seen him have the zoomies like Rupert. 

He is stunning.

Since they know I carry mini dog biscuits, I am also their best friend on our morning walks. I walk with them so I don't loose them. Since we are surrounded by hundreds of acres of farmlands and forest, I don't feel comfortable just letting them out.

They walk with me along a dead end road and do their business. I give them plenty of time to sniff and explore and then shake my baggy of treats and they come running to follow me back to their home.

I think the neighbors think it is a burden for me to do this. It isn't. I enjoy their company.

My other neighbor on top of the ridge was in the hospital giving birth to their second son. Could I check on their mini cow, Doreen?
Of course!

Doreen is a tame little cross between a mini bull and a Jersey, I think.

Say hello to Doreen:

I pulled grass out of her mouth to take her portrait, but as soon as I grabbed the camera, she grabbed some more.

Well, now ... this is her nature. Eat. Eat. Eat. 
She is doing what she does best and was giving my camera the stink eye.

This was my Saturday morning in the Dairy State. A walk along a dead end road with my pals who were great company even if they had nothing to say.

Sometimes, animals can be the best pals.

Dog Watcher/Walker and Cat

My neighbors went to Oregon to visit relatives and asked if I was able to care for their pets while they were gone. I've done it once before and found their pets to be lovable and very pleasant so I said yes!!

Rupert is the black dog and he is just a huge goof ball. He is permanently happy.

Tio was adopted in Africa and brought home to the US. He is reserved and once you become buddies with him, he is your best friend. I've never heard him bark and he moves with such incredible grace.

He doesn't care much for the cold either.

The photo below is of my house across the hollow. I'm on my neighbor's acreage north of their house.

Cat:
I guess this is a rare or pricey special breed of cat. He has a name but I don't recall what it is. He was given to our neighbors years ago by someone who couldn't keep him. Cat hisses at me a lot and then I pet him when he is eating.
This summer they left him alone in the house while they went camping and took the dogs. Apparently the cat got sick from anxiety and lack of company. So I am making sure Cat has human time at least 3 times a day while they are gone.

My walk in the woods with Charlie was pleasant and I was surprised by how much green there is out there yet. With the coming frost it should change quickly.

I guess I'm getting a lot of extra walks in this week. This is fine, I'm really enjoying the time with the neighbor's pets.

Taking care of the neighbor's pets.

 This is Cat. I don't know Cat's name but he/she was not pleased to see me on Sunday night. Cat just hissed at me. 
But apparently I was in better graces with Cat this evening...when Cat figured out that I provided the food.

I've never seen a reddish brown cat with black highlights. It is the most beautiful cat I've ever seen.

15 seconds. I really just wanted the first 5 second of hissing. 

This is Tiyo. He came home with my neighbors from Africa. I guess they adopted him while they were in Africa with the Peace Corps.

He is the most interesting dog I've ever met.

He is aloof and not aloof at the same time. He likes to be petted, but seems very cautious about it. I had to put eye drops in his eyes and he was a champ about it.
When I took him for a walk Sunday night, he tip toed through the snow as if it were almost distasteful for him to walk in.
Everything he does seems methodical.

I think I'm in love with him!

Rupert is their other dog. A larger mixed black dog with lots of hair that reminds me of a setter. His attitude is LOVE ME! He shouts without words and seems to be the epitome of joy. He prances around in the snow and dashes about willy nilly. 

Yeah, I love Rupert too. He apparently loves Everyone even Hissy the Cat.

I had to give Rupert his Lyme Disease medications. I opened his mouth and stuck the pills on the back of his tongue. He swallowed the pills and still was pleased with me being there.

These dogs were so well behaved! They came when I called them. I carried a leash with me the other times I took them out, but they stayed close and didn't wander off. Off course it was pouring rain and nasty out so we didn't spend much time outside.

Tiyo was not impressed by the icy driveway and tried to avoid it while Rupert ran across and slid like a cartoon character.

The dogs let me give them their meds without any fuss what so ever. Just call me floored at how good these two were. 

Meanwhile....the ice Monday morning was terrible. Olive texted me to tell me how bad the gravel roads were. Rain on cold frozen gravel roads = instant ice.

The driveway from the bottom of the hill:

The hill doesn't look steep from here. I set my little camera on the ice and shot this. YakTraks were the theme for the day. My camera slid down the incline. Good thing it is a waterproof pocket camera.

The temperatures rose all day long up to 40 degrees with heavy rain. I spread grit, sand, and hay chaff on the driveway Saturday and Justin had township sand/salt mix that he spread on the hill also.

By chore time the salt and grit with the warm rain had done a pretty good job on the hill. 

By evening, our area was socked in by thick fog and 39 degrees. Plus more heavy rain. The township finally came through and dumped a lot of gravel our little backroad. Sure, I could get out by late afternoon, but who wants to drive when you can't see more than 50 feet?

I need to get out on Tuesday and get milk, groceries, take the other half to his doctor appointment. Wednesday we are to get 4 to 8 inches of snow. Hmmm.

I like snow, especially if I don't have to drive about in it!

I hope I get to look after Tiyo, Rupert, and Hissy Cat again in the future. I enjoyed time with them and they loved the attention.