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. 

There and back again...

How do you top a night with a once in a lifetime Aurora Borealis show? 

Go on a mini trip.

So with a little bit of sleep under my belt, I drove to Kenosha to visit my eldest son, wife, and of course Aurora...Rory!
They told me that we were going to go hiking on Saturday and use the drive to the Kettle Moraine State Park as Rory's nap time. 

First I had to get through a night at the hotel. I awoke very early since I dropped into bed very early. But I've always wanted to see the Harbor area along the Kenosha Lakefront early in the morning. I know I posted a quick cell shot on the last blog. 

But here was my efforts with a long exposure in blustery winds.

I've never done cityscapes before but thought it would be fun to get a shot of the Kenosha water plant and part of the harbor behind the hotel.

My intention was to walk along the Art Promenade and take shot from the end of it. But I didn't. The sun was changing the sky quickly and I was afraid that I'd miss the sky shot I wanted by walking to the end. I settled for a slightly different angle.

Next time I'll take the boardwalk to the light house that's in the distance also. So many opportunities! So little time!

Here is where I biffed the shot. I started a 13 second exposure and by accident moved the camera. The cause was a huge windgust. Why not? It ended up being a wildly crazy exposure.

On the way to Kettle Moraine, I got to sit in the back seat with Rory who played peek a boo with me in her car seat. She didn't do the normal peek a boo, but hid her eyes by turning her head and then popping back to look at me an laugh.

And it filled me up with so many wonderful feelings.

With the hike over, we headed back home. I should have napped with Rory in the back seat. I didn't.

I actually slept 'in' on Sunday morning until 5! I made some hotel coffee and packed up. I wanted to go to a more open spot on the lakefront. I went to Pennoyer Park and was surprised to see quite a few fisher people. The salmon run was on and the fisher folks were at the headwaters of the Pike River where the salmon were coming in.

Just as things were brightening up a father and young boy walked past me in the predawn and I could not resist the shot...

My weather app said that the lakefront had high waves and gale force winds predicted for the late afternoon. I regretted having to leave the lake. The wild winds and waves from Lake Michigan are something to see and appreciate.

I was cold, so I wrapped up with another shot or two and headed over to see the 'kids'.

Did I say how much I loved the Lakefront? Yes, I do!

We headed over to Petrified Spring Park, fondly known locally as Pets and took a nice long walk/hike.

The trees were absolutely at high color and gorgeous. River was was up from the storm we had on Saturday night but the skies were blue and it was a picture perfect day with many people out walking and others taking photographs.

There were salmon fisherfolk in the river and others watching on some of the bridges. The atmosphere of the park felt very festive.

We said our goodbyes in the parking lot and I headed west. I was happy to be heading home and sad to be heading home.

I'll miss these guys...

What a great mini trip this was. 

How to make friends at...

the dealership when having a car serviced.

Bring a cute dog.

Subaru has a kids play room and a doggy play yard at the dealership. Charlie enjoys going to the dealer when we do oil changes and tire rotations. 

He makes good use of the yard and then we tour the show floor while I pretend that he is picking out his next Subaru. Over the years, he has posed with sales people in front of some of the displays. 

Everyone at the Service Desk had to say hello to him and pet him. He was a bundle of wagging little joy. The Service Manager said that he'd like to keep Charlie as a greeter. Oh, they would take GOOD care of him!

This time other patrons waiting asked about Charlie and the doggy amenities. They thought it was great that I'd brought a pet to bide my time. I told them that the dealership loved having pets visit. 

They all wanted to know what kind of dog Charlie was. Well, he is a mutt. His dad was a miniature dachshund and mom was a Pekinese dog.

The conversations all revolved around pets and soon I was peering at smart phone photos from all sorts of customers who were telling me what kind of dog or cat they had. Eventually we had about 7 people all in a circle talking about their pets.

One little old lady sat next to me and shared her stories of her dog who was gone. Then she showed me photos of her grandson's cats. She was now living with her grandson and he had cats. She had 8 grandchildren grown up and something like 8 or 9 great grandchildren and they all lived close.

I learned where she traveled and that she had a home on the West Coast on a beach. Another couple told me about their dog and their daughters, in that order. I learned all about their families just by listening. 

It was fun, another gent shared his thoughts about his son's Miniture Pinchers aka Minpins. He asked my advice on their crazy dogs. [Apparently he thought I was a dog mystic or something!] 

He then told me about his family -- after showing me photos of his dog. A person can learn a lot by just looking interested and curious. But I think Charlie was the ice breaker.

As their cars were ready, the patrons who visited thanked me for bringing Charlie because it was fun to converse with others rather than sit and stare at the large TV in the waiting area. They said it passed the time quickly.

As for Charlie? He was so tired from being such a good little dog that he slept the whole way home.

I 'yam Twila-wila!

I 'yam going to start at the end and go backwards. I mean why not? Or maybe sort of in the middle.

Sometimes I lose my train of thoughts and they get jumbled around.

Chuck, can I call him Chuck? He prefers Char--lie. Any way, my little pal and I rode in the car together and it worked! I sat on my bed in back and he sat in his car seat up front. 

We went back to the Big Reserve.

Oh wait. I forgot about our day of rest and hunting fungi and slime mold. I wasn't interested in it at all but the Grandma showed me how to sit patiently while she fiddled with her camera thing and explored itty bitty things.

I gotta admit. She's weird. Some of the stuff she looked at was boring. I thought the mule poop next to it was delicious but she only let me have a quick bite.

Anyyy wayz.

We went on a trail called Hay Valley. I don't know what that was but there were a lot of deer smells. A crazy man on a mountain bike came down and around a sharp hill turn and almost ran us over. The Grandma grabbed me and Charlie ran in circles. The man apologized and said he was going too fast. His fault.

Whatever. I got scared.

The rest of the hike/walk/sniff fest was pretty nice except when it seemed to get really hot for Charlie. We had plenty of water breaks and rests. I learned to drink out of a large lid that the Grandma put water in for us. I even shared with Charlie!

Charlie gave the Grandma a signal that he was tired so she picked him up and carried him for a while, especially when we had to go through longer grass. Charlie's legs are very short. But since he is so little, he climbs under logs while I have to jump over.

But I like jumping. The Grandma says I have jumping beans in me. I don't what that means either.

We were so lazy when we got home, we just laid around.

This morning the Grandma said we needed to go for a sunrise walk to take some pretty pictures.

I guess my Mom and Dad really miss me, so I am going to go back home. I hope Charlie lets me come again and visit so I can eat his food, push him around, and lick his ears. Mostly I liked hiking with him. He is so brave and unascared. 

Dad called me Twila-wila in a post so maybe I 'yam 

Twila-wila
the adventurer-er.

Happy National Dog Day!!!

But let's not forget CATS!!!!

This was on August 26th. 
I couldn't help but post this video of Mr. Charlie on a hunting mission for voles while I was sitting quietly in the forest watching birds and life go by....

Having a pet is another wonderful thing to have to keep you healthy and happy!

What is your favorite pet?

Dog?

Cat?

Reptiles?

The Big Meet up of Pets

There was quite the build up to Charlie and Twila meeting for the first time. We were not exactly sure what to expect.

When I pulled up to Eddie and Megan's house, Eddie and Twila were at the gate waiting for us.
Charlie sniffed through the gate and so did Twila. 

We opened the gate and let Charlie in. Charlie glanced at Twila and then ignored her.

The Big Meet was as exciting as watching paint dry.

Twila pictured below, was more interested in my toy tossing abilities. Charlie was more interested in exploring the yard. [He is the little black blob in the back].

We went to the Triple 4 so Eddie could show me around his land he'd purchased years ago. He and Megan plan to build their home on this land not too far from where they live now.

Here you can see Charlie's size compared to Miss Twila. 

The dogs became best buddies very quickly.

Charlie got to meet Aldo. He is one of Megan's cats. Around home, all the cats we see are feral cats.
Aldo doesn't seem to understand he is a cat at all. 

Charlie had no idea what to do. He just stood next to the cat that was taller than him and let Aldo sniff him. Twila was something he could deal with. Aldo? He had no idea.

Aldo:

Elenore hid from us most of the time, but I got to meet her finally on Sunday morning.

Perhaps Aldo told her about his early morning cuddle with Charlie and I. Ever have a cat come and sit on your chest to wake you up???

Maybe he told her that we weren't dangerous. I'm convinced that Aldo has no idea he is supposed to be a cat.

For a birthday present I got a Lego Minifigure! I was so happy! Now Acorn Guy...

can meet with ...

Acorn Girl!

My weekend was wonderful. I can be happy just watching the dogs play in the yard and reading a book on my son's deck. Or taking a walk along the lakefront ...

We took a guided night hike at Hawthorn Hollow, walked the beach, watched the Kit Festival, and took the dogs for a Sunday walk at a new favorite park called Poerio Park which I never knew existed. Kenosha has so many great places to go.

The puppers were worn out by the time I decided to head back home. 

Whew! It was in the 70's when we left. When I got home, it was 92 and stinkin' hot.

Charlie and I put one more K-town visit behind us. 

We will look forward to more adventures and chillin' on the patio watching Aldo in the Catio. [A cool outdoor cat patio!]

One more shot of Twila.

What a beauty!

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.

Totally Unexpected

 

I was having a very hard morning. The end of the year blehs. The things I couldn't to do because I am the sole caregiver to a person with frail health were weighing on me. Maybe it was just the culmination of so much sameness in the past year. Or...perhaps even deeper yet was the question I'd asked myself the night before.

 ~ Who am I?~  [Deep thought is not for the faint hearted in the middle of the night!]

Today I asked Rich if he'd mind if I hike the Valley of Ice. That is what some folks call it. I hadn't really explored it yet. 
I set off. The day was dreary. Dreary.
It fit my mood.

I hiked the trail and noted fresh human and dog tracks. 

I started exploring and found my way to the first ice cave. I wondered if the tracks weren't from someone who had tied the blue ribbons up. But as I climbed around a snowy hillside and over downed trees, I heard a woof. And a "Hello there!"

I met a younger than ME fellow. He used to be a Geology teacher in Madison. Eventually we ended up in a larger Ice Cave where we sat down and talked about rocks and rock formations. He told me about his dog, who doesn't love talking about their loyal pets? He explained to me the history and make up of the  different layers in the rock that were were sitting in.

There was an area at the bottom of the ice where other older icicles had formed and dropped because of warm weather.

And as we admired the rock formations and the ice, I set up my camera to take a quick time lapse of the water seepage over the ice. The video is at the top of the blog and is 12 seconds long. I shot that just in front of where he was sitting.

I enjoyed his conversation and it was pretty fascinating. He explained the geology of this place in a way I could grasp it. Although, truth be told, I won't recall all the terminology he used.

We both joked about liking Lichen. He knew Lichen too! He didn't mind me taking his photo while he sat in the cave just enjoying nature. He said it would provide good perspective for the cave. He was right.

He is exploring all the Wisconsin State Natural areas and noting their specific and interesting formations his intent is to map them out so others can enjoy their natural beauty.

Eventually we parted and I went on to explore more of this valley. It is steep and rugged. 

I found the third formation.

There is a 4th but I didn't have enough time to climb around the deadfalls  to take any photos. I found an old equine trail and followed that on the ridge while stopping to peer down on the Kickapoo River.

By the time I reached my Subaru, I was the only vehicle around. My phone went off with weather alerts for our area. 

Just in time then.

By the time I got home, I was UN-bleh. I'd met another nature lover and interesting person.

I still hadn't answered that nagging question from the middle of the night.

But I figured I'd get to that ... next year.