Can I pass the Flame? ~by Morris

I don't like exuberance any more. I used to have all of that and more. I used to jump and play and chase like a wild man.
Now I prefer the couch.

On nice days She let's me out with Dixie to hike or play in the yard.
What a nincompoop that young dog is!

Dixie races towards me and leaps over me. "Hey, you wacko, stop that!" I growl.
She shakes her jowls and slobber gobber flies.

"What? What? Hey, wanna play?"
"No, I just want to walk around with some dignity." I snap back. "And don't smell my butt!"
However when she gets close enough I do try and sniff hers.

"How come you don't want to walk anymore? Huh?" Dixie trots around me with those long legs of hers, I duck her tail.

"I can't. I don't want to." Tail wagging, who gave these dogs such long dangerous tails?

Things sort of get a bit serious. I need to train Dixie to watch over Her. I mean, now that I can't do those long hikes, She needs to have company.

"You know you have a new important job now that I can't go," I tell her, "She needs watching over. She needs to be taken care of. She needs A LOT of help in the woods you know."

I explain carefully to Dixie what her new duties will be.
Make sure she can find home.
Make sure not to leave her alone too long.
Help her find the right trails.
Dixie listens. I think.
We walk along and I hope Dixie is getting this. It is important I tell her.

She can lose track of time when she is out walking and hiking.

Dixie looks at me. "How come you won't go anymore?"

I sigh, "I am old Dixie. Very old. I can't hike. My teeth are bad, my ears don't hear well, I can't see hardly any more, and I am so tired all of the time."

"Oh." Dixie sits down. She thinks for a bit and then says, "Do I get your house when you leave? Can I have the couch?

"No Dixie, the year you spent in the house? It kind of was a disaster. I mean you never could get it through your head that you didn't just pee at the kitchen door whenever. You need to ask to go out. And believe me, I recall that She said you damn near flooded the place...a LOT!"

Dixie thought about this. "So I can't pee just whenever?"

I take a big breath. She is a big dog, but Dixie is a smart do too. After all she has learned all the sit, stay, heel, and come commands and excels at doing them. I refuse to do that stuff. Humans are to worship me, not the other way around.

"No you can't just pee whenever or where ever. Especially since the house is remodeled. Besides you have a nice house and you can go potty whenever! You don't have to wake up Her to go potty. That is a big bonus." I'm trying to convince her that a yard dog has its advantages.

"If you live inside, they pet you all of the time. Nag, nag, nag. They expect you to play with toys and entertain them with silly things. Then when they don't want to play any more you just are supposed to be quiet." I shake my head. "It is very complicated, Dixie. So many rules."

Dixie smells where I just marked a tree. "Oh that is interesting Morris, but I wouldn't mine the extra petting at all or being silly. Nope, not at all."

I roll my eyes. As Dixie starts to walk away I holler. "BATHS! She would give you lots of baths!"

"Oh, I wouldn't mind. She gave me baths when I was a pup."

I try again. "Um, I doubt you'd get the couch to lay on anyway. You are absolutely Humongous!"

Dixie ignores me and trots towards Her.

"Dixie. When you are out hiking with Her you have to be more patient. MORE patient. She says you come up and whine in her face a lot. You have to just watch her, okay?"

"I do watch her. I also lean into her and try to gobber smack her with slobber. That way she knows I am not running off after scents." Dixie stops what she is sniffing for a moment. "Morris, I can't be you. I am a different kind of dog."

I shake my head. Dixie is different, she is loyal to a fault, she will love with all of her heart. She will do anything she can to please. She will never growl at Her for disturbing her sleep. I take comfort in that because when my time comes SHE will need exactly that. A big dog she can hug and not one that dislikes that. She will need undying love and unbounded energy. She will need the laughs Dixie's flopping ears and jowls make when she runs.
She will need to Dixie to be a distraction from her broken heart. Ick, even if that big stinky dog needs a bath, She won't care.

Whew. All that done, Dixie and I go to the summer garden and hunt mice together. I don't see very well, but she finds a mouse and I grab it. I am happy for us things may just work out eventually.
I may be able to pass on the flame to Dixie.
She would be a good candidate for Her next full time hiking pal.

I get tired and go in the house to sleep on the coveted couch. I could see Dixie sprawled across the couch here...or perhaps at Her feet.
Yes, that could work.

Mr. Morris has a new clock

Mr. Morris decided that I needed to take a walk the other day. I wanted to check the mailbox on the ridge and any excuse to get out for a bit is a good excuse. Fresh air is good for you.
However we happened to pick one of those days that the winds were roaring overhead on the ridge.

I put on my fur fox hat and grabbed my camera bag [of course!]. Even though we'd had some very light snows, the overall color of the season right now is dull, drab, and dirty looking.

Dingy ~ Gloomy Drab Dark Dirty Shabby Squalid

This is the view down the private drive of the neighbor. Dull, dingy, dank, dark, and dirty looking. However to avoid the raging winds, I walked this way as the trees protected Morris and I from the biting cold.

Morris keeps having some pretty decent days. Most of his time is spent sleeping. He has a routine that he now keeps.
Up between 4AM and 5AM. Outside immediately. He wears a pet light so I can see him in the dark.
Breakfast must be served between 5 and 5:15 or he gets frantic.

One more outside visit and the couch is his for napping.

Between 2:30 and 3PM, it is time for activity. He walks around the house and grunts until I get dressed. He bounces around playfully and shoots out the door when I open it.

I have been keeping him on a leash since his last little adventure when he went home after about a 20 minute hike into the woods.
I brought the leash but let him off when we headed down the neighbor driveway. He was more of his old self. He'd trot ahead, then stop. Smell. And when I'd whistle he'd come on the run.

Since the view up the driveway seemed SO drab I thought it appropriate to edit it with some grunge textures. I used Topaz Studio to edit my files quickly and very easily. I actually didn't walk past the tree on the right as the winds whistled fiercely across the open area beyond.

I thought to myself that this was so ugly, it was almost beautiful in a way.

I watched Morris sniff around at the coyote tracks and the 'possum tracks. He trotted back and forth. I bent down to pet him and put him on his leash.

And this is what I got!

The little turd!

However to be honest, he does love to walk on leash out to pick up the kids at least once a week between 3 and 4PM. The route is the same as is the timing.
I can now count on this being a part of his routine. As soon as 3:30 hits, he will turn and head home.

I didn't mind this at all as I could see him trot up ahead. He went to the mailbox and made a turn down the hill. He sat on the porch and awaited my return patiently.

When I arrived, he calmly walked inside and stood next to his feed bowl.
He stared at me while I got undressed. As if he was trying to mind meld with me to let me know "food" was urgent.

Precisely at 5PM, Morris will stand in the kitchen and then walk to the couch. He goes back and forth. Eventually he makes a nest and settles in. If we walk into the living room to watch Netflix or something, he sighs deeply and gets off the couch.
He is adamant about laying between the two of us after we settle in.
I think he wants us to know that the couch/love-seat really belongs to him.

Morris still rules.
The Little Old Mr. Morris has a set of rules that must be followed by the rest of the members of 'his' family.

Mr. Morris scares the crap out of me

In the interest of not struggling through my 'point' trail with friends on a night hike, I set out yesterday with my machete and some trail tacks that are simply tacks with a reflective coating on their heads.

Mr. Morris was nagging me and it was about time for his new routine of the 3pm walk. I grabbed a leash and decided to see if he'd come along.
Indeed he did.
The cold air didn't seem to bother him a bit. He ran around the meadow, sniffing everything he could. I'd have to call and wave to him so he could catch up. He bounded past me and down an old mule trail avoiding the long grasses.

The meadow can be pretty even in its winter doldrums.

The Mr. Morris sure enjoyed it.

He hesitated when I dove into the woods on the old cow path that is mostly used by deer now. In places trees have come down and multi flora rose bushes have grown up.

Over the years the deer and I adjust to different obstacles to get up and down the steep hillside. Last winter the first time I used this 'trail' at night to bring along my hiking buddy, I got sidetracked. There wasn't enough snow to show a good trail and everything looked similar in the headlamp.

Where the trail went straight, it now zagged around a nasty deadfall.  So I marked the tree with a little tack and used the machete to clear the debris above my head. I normally just duck while going through, but I know that one of the hikers that will go with me later this month is much taller than I am.
Mr. Morris stopped and then backed away. I stopped what I was doing and explained to him what was going on.

He was not impressed, but he gave me a glance and walked past me. He eyed the machete.

I marked the next tree where the path made a 90 degree turn. I freshened the small marks I'd made a couple of years ago.
Morris either walked ahead or followed, stopping to smell things and be just like the normal Morris I've always known.

I stopped marking just above the creek. I could see the Mountain Dew can that hung on a branch further down. I wouldn't mark all the way down to there but set a reflective tack up on a stump so a headlamp would catch it from the Dew Can.

I dropped the box of tacks and bent down to pick them up. I realized that I didn't hear Morris's jingling tags.

I turned around.
He was gone.
I called.
Nothing.
I called louder and heard my voice echo off the valley walls.

Okay. Either Morris wandered off, or decided he'd had enough of hiking. We were actually pretty far from home and it was getting colder down near the creek.
Damn.
"MORRISSSSSS"
Yes, there was a bit of panic in my voice.
I should have leashed him.
Dang it.
I called and called.

Then I stopped. I looked down in the dusting of snow and found some tracks. They were his, but they went in circles and back and forth then off into the leaves on the forest floor.

I stood for a moment.  Did he go home? It would only get colder, so I turned and climbed quickly up the hillside trail. My clearing and marking sure made it much easier, plus my feet had disturbed the leaves and the light dusting of snow.

I got to the meadow. Tall grass. Morris doesn't like tall grass. He'd follow a trail. Those trails had a dusting of snow.
I searched and found his tracks heading towards home. At least I hoped they were. I lost them several times and found them again.

Then they were gone.
However I know that Morris has traveled this way for nearly 14 years and he seemed to know the way home better than I did!

Please Morris. Be home.
Be home so I can be angry with you for causing me this anxiety.

Because if you are not.
I had a headlamp with new batteries in it. I would search and call. I couldn't bear the thought of him being out in 'the wild' on his own. Not with all of the coyotes that hunted at night.
Coyotes. Little dog, nasty coyotes.

I hurried and then ran.

When I walked towards the house Mr. Morris was sitting in the sun behind Rich's truck. He finally noticed me and casually trotted up to me and then walked over to the porch, as if to say.
"My how I had to wait for you! You are so slow! Please let me in so you can feed me."

Did I ever say how punctual he has gotten lately for his feed times??

Morris. He wagged his tail as if our hike was just another successful journey

I was happy. He was happy.
The old dog does know his way home. But he won't be going with me on any hikes again soon.
We will be back to leashes and trails, not wild wood hikes.

Friends Forever

So today I was cleaning out Morris's toy box. No worries, he seems to be doing just fine. I picked up Hoppy the Hedgehog, Terrible Tiger, and Crazy Tiger. I tossed the old pull toys but sat on the floor staring at Morris's characters that had been the subject of so many fun stories.

Morris pretty much ignores his toys now. Sleep is a big thing. Sleep and walking to the bus stop are his priorities. Well. Food.
He doesn't play even if I toss the toys for him.
I couldn't bring myself to toss the characters out. However they do need a good wash and a few repairs.

And then I began to think. One more storybook? One more adventure?
What would it be about?

How could I work Morris's aging into it? How would the story evolve?

Friends Forever.
I held the smelly toys and stared at Morris who gazed sleepily back at me.
I felt a welling up of emotions from deep within.

I may have hit upon my next project.

Walkies

Well I heard that description somewhere once upon a time.
My memory isn't as good as it used to be.

I do recall though the time I peed on a lady's shoes under the table. The shoes were so inviting. I was just a little puppy and well, I didn't know it would make her mad. Hopping mad too. I was told not to come back to her house. The older guy laughed and laughed until the Lenise lady gave him a stern look.

Anyway. She decided to go look at fall colors at Jersey Valley. I saw her getting ready and started to be a bit of a nag. I stood by the door and looked at her anxiously. I don't jump around much anymore.
Jumping around is not as fun as it used to be.

However, I knew it was a 'GO' when she got the blue lead line out.
Thank goodness she brings that now. I am pretty sure she wouldn't know her way around if I wasn't on the other end of the lead line.
Seems she needs this blue line more and more. Well, it is good to know that she needs me around still.

Even if She says I see monsters where there are no monsters. However, I know that that flower pot was really a huge threatening raccoon moments before it turned into a flower pot again. Those wild animals certainly are getting creative.

We settled into the Subaru and headed out. I navigated for a while then went to sleep. I was hoping she could find her way to the park. There are some nice trails there that She can follow pretty easily and doesn't seem to need my help.
I guess She has some concerns when she lets me loose. I head back towards the way we came.

She clips the blue line to her belt ...and off we go.

We have seemed to work out a way of walking that works with this method.

I'm glad because I sure would hate to have Her wander off where I couldn't find her.

Then where would we be? I know I'd spend the night lost with her in the woods and it wouldn't be so bad really. But I don't think She brought any of that really nifty dog food I like.

She was kneeling on the side of the trail while I sniffed up a tree. I'm sure a gorilla had just climbed this tree and was waiting to pounce on us. Perhaps it was a really huge Giraffe.

Anyway I kind of woofed a bit and then tried to climb it.

She called me a name, I think. She said "Come here Old Man," in a quiet voice. I looked around and didn't see Rich anywhere. I knew she must have been seeing things.

A really big dog came along the trail dragging a man. I gave that big dog a wink and a nod. "Train your human right off the bat! I wish I could drag mine around!"

Big Dog and Dragging Man stumbled down the snowmobile trail and off they went crashing.

She took more photos as I sat and watched.

I am pretty sure if I hadn't been along, She would have missed some of these glorious colors and photos.
After all, we've been partners for a very long time.

We went to the top of the dam and looked around. I got pretty bored. There were no people or monsters around.
In fact I was pretty tired.

Thank goodness She noticed and started to pack things up. Besides, I knew it was going to rain again.

We paused on the way back to take in the trail and the colors once more.
I do want to come back. It is nice taking her on this new trail.

Besides, I want to see if Big Dog and Dragging Man ever made it out safely.

I hope we get more 'Walkies' in before the temperature gets cold. I don't think I like cold stuff any more. I think She is okay with that. 
I talked to Dixie the other day to see if she'd pick up the slack.

After all, I really don't want Her to go out on her own. She needs a good dog to keep an eye on Her. 

Mr. Morris and CDS

Oh ... wait.
What is CDS?
Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome.

For real? Veterinarians came up with this long convoluted bunch of words for Doggy Dementia? Or Doggy Old Timers Disease.

Whatever you want to call it, Mr. Morris has it. Do you all remember when I said he was acting a bit funny earlier this summer? He got upset when plants were moved or when we parked the Subaru in the 'wrong' place.

A while ago he started this strange new behavior. Pacing. He will walk endless circles in the house from room to room. At first I thought he was unable to figure out where I was so I would call and let him know.

Remember when he started 'refusing' to go on walks or hikes? It is worse but it really isn't a refusal. He and I start up the driveway together as we have done thousands of times in our past years together.
Morris stops and stares at some leaves or...the woods, or the grass. He stands and then turns around and walks towards home.
If I let him go, he returns to the porch and walks back and forth on the porch in seemingly mindless circles.

His lucid moments are full of sweet tail wags and he loves being held.

My good friend Amanda worked for years for a veterinarian and mentioned that this behavior was a thing older dogs sometimes did. She mentioned that it is like Doggy Alzheimer's or Dog Dementia.

Well Morris is being a good sport about it. Our group went hiking with him in the creek bottom yesterday and any time we let Morris go, unattended, he simply turned and started to walk towards home.
He didn't respond to his name or a whistle. He just slowly put one foot in front of the other and headed towards home. Period. That was that.

However, he does know his way home. He will always retrace his steps and walk the path he has taken over and over on countless hikes for the past 13 years. Same path, same way. Always home.

He dutifully wears his bell and my hiking/photography friends accommodate Morris.
Their dog Scout checks on Morris and I suppose he may wonder briefly why Morris is not chasing him around like he did last year.

My good friend and sidekick Morris is slowly fading away.

But I am pretty lucky. I get to dote on him and be at his side. He is not in pain right now and is eating well. It is hard enough to watch a loved one go through this when they are human, but for some odd reason, it seems to hurt much more when it is a pet.

I am lucky to have this time to spend with Morris. We've been best pals for years and my only regret is that he won't see me into my last years of life.
However he has added so much to our lives just by being his funny little self.

So we approach each day with a smile and a lap warming session.

The End Game

I took Morris in for his follow up appointment and a SubQ hydration treatment. Dr. Grimm declared him stable as of this time.

We discussed Morris's medical future. He has Kidney Disease/Failure along with a very bad tooth. He isn't stable enough to have surgery on the mouth nor will he likely ever be. Plus, that surgery is very expensive and not recommended for dogs his age and in his condition.

As long as Morris is stable we won't be poking and prodding him a lot. As long as he maintains weight with his new Kidney Diet food and continues to drink water and not begin to vomit and have diarrhea, we are doing well.
There is a BUT in this.
But Kidney Disease is Kidney Failure and it will take his life. We don't know when or how quickly. It can be weeks or months, but Morris will succumb to the disease.

There won't be any heroics when Morris succumbs to the next crisis. That may sound cruel but I don't want to promote suffering.

So yesterday after the visit with the Doctor we went for a drive. We then walked a new trail in Jersey Valley County Park and just enjoyed the autumn afternoon.

I'd like to say that I had a philosophical discussion with Morris as we sat on a rock overlooking the lake. But we didn't. He smelled, sniffed, and was basically a dog enjoying the walk. As long as we can, we will continue with these walks, they won't be hard or demanding as we used to do, but just nice simple walks at his pace.

Morris napped comfortably in the car on the half hour drive home. He was alert and perky when he hopped out of the Subaru to oversee his farm. After he checked things out, he asked to go in and get fed.

Life is simple for him. When he feels good, he wants to be on the go. When he is hungry he lets you know. When he'd like to get up at 4am to survey his "Kingdom" he also lets you know.
Nap time is preferable if he has a lap to do it on. Otherwise his couch will suffice.

May the rest of his days be pain free.

Vet Visit

I thought after the last post that I'd best update how Mr. Morris is doing. First, thank you for the concerned comments and yes it is hard to have aging pets. I've had dogs as pets since I was a kid. The fact that our pets age faster than us has always been tough for me.
I have loved each dog that I've had so fiercely and totally...

Anway I called the vet's office and got a message that he was closed until Tuesday. I decided I wouldn't wait another day for Morris to see someone. So I called another office. At first the secretary said that she couldn't fit Morris in, then she asked what was going on and then after I told her she said she'd call me right back.

I paced the living room after hanging up. Morris was on his blanket on the floor and stared painfully at nothing.
The phone rang again. Can you come right now?

I was out the door with Morris's crate, leash and Morris. Off we went.
I met Chip a beautiful young and mild mannered German Shepard when I entered the office. He nosed Morris and stood politely back giving us space.
Dr. Grimm examined Morris quietly and with very gentle hands.
Blood work was in order.
She whisked Morris off to the back room for blood work and to subQ him with some fluids.
The blood work told us a lot. Morris had an infection and he had an issue with his kidneys. Kidney failure. Well, kidney issues, kidney problems, and dehydration along with a high white cell count.
Morris was indeed pretty sick.

Dr. Grimm went through the test results with me and then we went through some things that might help. He received an antibiotic and a medication to help with nausea and stomach cramps. We talked about his diet and she recommended some special Kidney Diet dog food.

I've always poo pooed this sort of thing, but holding Morris in my arms and listening to this doctor quietly explain what we may be able to do to help Morris feel better, I decided that indeed if I had to buy special prescription dog food I would.

So Morris and I left with medications and a case of Kidney Diet dog food. Dr. Grimm was careful to point out that the prognosis could go either way with kidney disease. I was painfully aware that Morris may not get better. However we live with hope. Right?
Dr. Grimm expressed that many dogs don't 'tell' you what is wrong until it is a serious issue. She calmed my feelings of guilt a bit. However as I drove home with Morris silent in his crate [he who usually protests loudly about not being able to ride shotgun], I still felt bad.

Rich, the ever tough hearted fellow has been extra attentive to Morris. He helps Morris onto the couch and pets him gently and speaks softly to him.

Morris has always affected our lives in a positive manner. He has made us laugh, made us angry, made us frustrated...and in general has done his job as a pet.
Now we care for him.

This morning he is has more life in his eyes. He has taken his meds and had plenty of water. He has so far ignored the new delicious food I put in his bowl. But it is early yet.

We have to leave for a day of appointments for Rich at the VA. My wonderful neighbor will come down and take Morris out and check on him. Her 3 year old son loves to take him out to go potty. She said she'll visit a couple of times to check on him.
I am amazed by the outpouring of love both on the internet and from those around my small farming community for Morris.
Indeed, I am so lucky to have had this amazing little fellow in my life for so long.

His prognosis is guarded. He will more than likely show improvement. The Dr. did say that some dogs do well for quite a while and some go down hill very fast. We don't know where Mr. Morris falls in that scenario.
But we continue to hope for some more time with this funny little guy.

Adventures still await us.

Mr. Morris has a Bucket List

My long time pal Morris is showing more decline as the days go on. He can't see well any more. He isn't sure how far down in his bowl the water is, so he starts to drink in the air and carefully lowers his face down into the bowl.

If I move my buckets of flowers around he will either growl at them or walk into them at night.

We smile and assist him in most things because that is what we do. Treat the elderly with kindness and love.

Yesterday I was working on a an old milk can. I spray painted it white and left it near a stump in the yard to dry.

Morris came out and growled. He walked towards it with stiff legs and all his hair raised on his back.

I was amused but realized that it was probably not funny in his world.

He is losing weight gradually but still is eager to walk the neighbor kids home from school. He asked to be carried our last time out on the last leg of the walk. I obliged. He is enthusiastic with the children and conks out on the couch when he gets home.

More and more he starts out a hike with me and turns around and goes back to the house and to sit on the back step or the porch. Our outings will involve a bit of assistance from now on.

His mobility is just fine.

He likes cuddling or sitting in my lap more often. In fact every morning he asks to sit on my lap while I browse the news and have some coffee.

In the past he always entertained himself by dumping all of his toys out and spreading them throughout the house.

So the other day he laid out his plan for his own personal Bucket List.

Morris ~~~

Car rides. More car rides. I like car rides. 

Mule Rides. I want to take some more rides on mules.

Hikes. I like hikes. But I get tired like when I was a pup. So I want a doggie back pack.

Tractor Rides. I like them too. 

A good book to read. Or someone can read it to me...

Another sleep over with my best life time friend...

NO more puppy training! Please!

A ride in the new skid steer with the Grumpy Guy.

Cookies. I like cookies. Lots of dog cookies.

A nice quiet place to sleep. Oh wait. I have that.

Another cool trip with Her.

Lots and lots of love.

When I think of more...
I will add some.

Oh Morris...

Some days he can be found on 'his' couch resting like this. In fact this is most of the time now.

I took him with me to check the trail cam in the woods two days ago and we got to the meadow and he turned around. He looked at me and turned back towards the house. He ignored my calls and as I followed him he began to trot.

He went to the back door and sat next to it.

"You have got to be kidding me Morris!" I said.
He stared at the door and ignored me.

I let him in the house and with a sad heart walked away to take care of the trail cam and check on the cattle.

Yesterday afternoon I got out his leash and his collar with the tags on. He came trotting to me bright eyed. I brought his travel bowl and a bottle of water. We were going to walk with the neighbor to fetch her children from the bus stop.

Rich asked if I thought Morris could make the whole walk. I said if he didn't, I'd carry him. Off we went. When Morris saw Logan he was full of his normal Jack Russell self. A wagging tail and wiggly body.
He trotted with Logan for a bit before Logan ran back to help his dad do something.

My neighbor and I walked on. It is about 1 mile to the bus stop. She could drive to pick the kids up, but we thought it would be a great way to get a bit of exercise and conversation in at the same time.

Morris walked along sniffing and being just fine. I had one of those leashes that allows the dog to 'unwind' and walk out ahead. Morris was content, his little ears flapping and tail up.

We got to the bus stop just before the bus pulled up. Allie and Carson came out and we could hear Allie's voice as she departed the bus.

"MORRIS!"
Allie is one of the many of Mr. Morris's favorite kids. He perked up and his little stub tail literally vibrated.

Allie and Carson pet Morris and said hi to us. Allie wanted to hold the leash and off they went walking towards home.

Part of the way home we ran into our ridge neighbor, Linda. She stopped and had to talk to the kids and ask how Morris was doing. She inquired as to how old he was now. I said he was 13. She remarked at how sleek and bright eyed he was. I replied that he wasn't quite the young dog he used to be and was slowing down quite a bit.
Linda offered to give Morris a ride home in her 4 wheeler. I said he would be fine.

We walked on towards home and Carson took a turn at walking Morris. We stopped at one point to give Morris water and he lapped it up. He drinks a lot more water now and the vet said he could have issues with diabetes.

I must say for an elder dog, he still likes to go for walks especially when he can be with children.
When we got home, he got another long drink and then curled up on his spot on the sofa with a huge sigh.

Morris has trouble seeing some things we think, we know he is getting more hard of hearing...or he is more selective. When he asks to go out, it means right now...don't wait.

My neighbor asked what would I do if something happens to Morris? I'm always thinking ahead.
First my heart would break, ... terribly.
Then I would be so sad.

And then there would be Dixie to pick up the slack for hikes and walks. But eventually I would get another inside pet.

Nothing will ever compare to Mr. Morris.
I've had too many dogs in my life to even try and compare them.

They were all incredibly special characters in their own way.

I'm thinking of developing some sort of sling or carrier for Morris when he wishes to go with me on some fall hikes. When he tires I can carry him.

He still has very good days.
And I hope they continue for a very long time.

The Flurry is Over

When a grand child spends a week here, it feels as though the house is lacking something when they leave. 

Morris takes it to heart.
He wanders the house and makes frequent trips up the stairs to see if his pal is really gone or perhaps he can find a sniff of them somewhere.
Eventually he ends up curled up on the couch and will spend most of the day there.

On Saturday afternoon I went for a walk and he started out with me and then turned around and went to the house. He sat in front of the door and looked at me. This had me worried. Morris refuse to go for a hike? Impossible!
Yet he did.

Sunday I took advantage of the free day and picked produce from the garden.

I had a bounty of food. A garden cart full of beets and turnips along with two buckets of green beans and a sinkful of red lettuce [thanks to the cooler temperatures ~ it didn't bolt!]

I spent all day Sunday blanching and freezing the green beans and the beets. I used my vacuum sealer. I also dried lemon basil herbs with my old dehydrator. I finished one jar for the neighbor and am working on another jar for my step daughter.

Monday I decided to do some wandering in the woods. I gathered some items in my back pack and grabbed the Nikon with the Nifty Fifty [50mm prime lens]. 
Morris perked up. He bounced in his usual manner and came with me. 
Apparently it takes him about two days to get over missing kids.
Though he still checks a few times a day by going upstairs to look in the bedrooms.

I let him hike with me without his bell on at first.

He keeps getting 'lost' in the thick undergrowth, so I eventually put his bell on so I could hear where he was.

For fun, I'd brought my Flea Market tea cup and saucer. I found shelf fungus on a dying tree and thought it would be fun for 'outdoor' Still Life. 

Faerie Tea Time

In the creek I thought it would be fun to try out the tea cup and saucer in a long exposure with water running past it.

The overcast day was perfect for some flowing water photos. I added a polarized lens to get rid of water reflections. I took quite a few shots to get the one I was happy with.

Personally though, I sort of like the tea cup on the shelf fungi best. I think it is odd enough and unique enough to satisfy my tastes.

I spent yesterday working on my flower garden and the vegetable garden. I purchased some black bark mulch and I really like how it looks. Seems I will need to go back and get some more to properly cover the area I want.

Last but not least, I took an afternoon break and sat on a stool in the garden between my malva flowers and zinnias to watch bees and butterflies. Of course, I had my camera.

The grand kid flurry is over, only to start up again in another week or so. 

The Kenosha gang will be coming at the end of the month with their dog Scout. 

My Flurry of Fun Summer has not ended!

I can say I am certainly enjoying this beautiful summer.

Old dog

Most mornings I can find Mr. Morris like this. He prefers to sleep on HIS couch snuggled up with his blanket. He feels he has reached the age where he can dictate when he wants to get up and do something and when he should be left undisturbed.

On the mornings I go out to watch the predawn sunrise or those nights I go out to look at stars, he simply watches me walk out the porch door and lays his head back down on his blanket.

He never let me set foot outside of the house in years past without trying to go with me or voicing his displeasure with a bark.
I know it. He is starting to show his age.

We did go for a late afternoon walk together on Friday afternoon. I took him with me to the Merry Meadow to check out the wild apple trees.

I had to convince him that he wanted to go. Once we were out the door, he was his old self for a while, running, sniffing, and trying to 'water' everything he could.

Saturday morning I woke up and asked him if he wanted to go out on the porch with me and check out the *Moonset*. He yawned and dropped his head back into his blanket. He never even looked at me a second time as I gathered the keys for the Subaru.

When Ariel and her family arrived late afternoon on Saturday, he was happy and trotted around the living room for a few moments. Then he jumped up on the couch and promptly laid down in between Ariel and I. He dropped his head on Ariel's lap and shut his eyes.
We all sighed. Morris was surely showing his age. Our conversation leaned towards him and how the grand kids have grown up having him underfoot all of these years.

My biggest fear of time and age creeping up on my wonderful pal, was happening. I put my hand on his back and softly ran my fingers down it.

When Ariel's family left I asked Ariel if she'd like to take Morris for a ride in the Jeep. It was something I knew that Morris deeply loves. Car rides.

She said sure and off we went. She helped Morris into the Jeep and we went exploring the back roads.
We went down to Tainter Road and drove passed the Road Closed sign. The bridges and culverts have been out and under repair since the floods last September. There are only two places on the road. We drove down part way and parked to take Morris for a walk. Since the bridge/culvert is out and this road has no real year round residents, it is safe to walk down the road.

Morris was loving it. So many things to smell and stick his nose into! He trotted along and once disappeared into the tall grass. We found him digging out a rabbit nest.
Good ol' Morris.

We got back in the Jeep and let Morris enjoy his ride.

And he did.

What more could a dog ask for? A quiet road, a chance to hang out the window and let the breezes blow back your ears while you sniff the world going by.

Life is good when you are an old dog!