How the Weather Does Turn!

To be honest, I had planned to post yesterday, as I had some wonderful photos to share.  But, alas, I forgot  to upload them, and ran a wash on my phone, which deleted the treasures - at least it seems that way.

A week ago, we had our freeze and thaw.  From there we had rain.  And more rain.  And some sun.  Yesterday, being Presidents' Day, we awoke to rain.  I looked out the nook window and saw the drops falling heavily in the kiddie pool, the birdbath and the pond.  Not a great start to a day where the dogs needed to get out!  The front windows were awash with water, as the rain usually hits them relentlessly when it's arrived.

So, around noon, when the sun finally peered out, I grabbed the dogs and ran them to Commonwealth Lake in Cedar Hills - where my first house was.  Gorgeous!  They  chased a nutria, Skally and Simon both went into the wash, drinking the water and relishing the coolness of the dunk.  Samson and Rusty stayed as clear of the wet as possible.   This was followed, later, by a rambunctious romp in the park near our current home.

Today, we walked through the coolness of the damp morning before I fed them and headed off to work.  And this evening I came home and found them calm - but in need of attention.  Skally, though, seemed rather reluctant to move much - it appeared she was in pain from arthritis, or something was bothering her.

You see, Skally is now approaching 15.5 years (March 2 marks the date, and her 15th anniversary with me.  Yesterday, at the park, she found herself skulking around a 14month old, intact, male, who threw himself at her lusty advances.  There was a cry of pain from her, as her older bones couldn't really handle the slight impact they once enjoyed.

So, this morning, I put a doggie aspirin in one of her pieces of beef that I add to her food.  It didn't seem to have helped her this afternoon, and I began to fear for our time together.  

After I caught a short glimpse of Judge Judy, I changed and packed them into the car, in the falling slight rain, and we went to the park - which was deserted after the not long earlier downpour I'd seen once I arrived home (that's one reason we waited).

Well, Skally still seemed stiff - but she was happy enough hanging out the car window on the way down.  While sniffing about in the park, she wanted to play, but it didn't appear her body would allow this - until....
A 2 year-old terrier came into the small dog area, adjacent to ours.  He began to bark at my girl and boys.  Skally began running up and down with such zeal and aplomb it was difficult to remember her not a half hour earlier, walking stiff-legged.

And yet, there she is...having the time of her life!

And it continues - especially with the help of Trusted Rusty (Sammy comes into the fun for a short time, and Simon is too busy chasing his ball around the rain soaked landscape....).

After 15 minutes of this, the little dog left, and we played a little more...but found no one else on the horizon.  So, we took a hearty walk around the neighborhood, through the woods, and looped around back.

Tonight they are quiet and tired, having had their dental chews, dinners, beef/chicken/pork hides, and other assorted treats.  It won't be too difficult to retire this evening.  Nor for me.

INCIDENT ALERT!!!!!!
Just so you don't believe these guys are incapable of anything disgusting or naughty (or that I'm anything but daughty), this morning before we headed home, we cut through one of the neighborhood greenspaces.  Of course we stopped here and there for sniffing, peeing, etc.  Well, my defense is that at 5 am it's sort of dark - especially in  a thicket of trees.

We walked home, and maybe I was too engrossed in my audiobook, or a little tire, or something, but it wasn't until we arrived on the front doorstep I noticed that Rusty's mouth looked odd.  'Hmmm!' I thought to myself.  'I wonder what that is that's stuck to his chin.  Poor Rusty - he probably doesn't want to bother me.'  I reached down to relieve him of the long object that seemed to be projecting from his chin on the other side of his face.  I pulled- and discovered it was a feather that wasn't locked into his chin - but to the rest of the bird firmly lodged in Rusty's mouth.

Yes.  Rusty had grubbed a bird he'd found.  Seconds later, he was trotting through the house dropping his prize on the hallway carpet, where he began to munch and crunch.  I ran by and grabbed some TP, and grabbed the little fat body on the floor and swooped it up and out the door to the garbage.  I won't begin to tell you what Rusty called me after that.  It broke my heart - but better that than having some odd disease running rampant through his body and my house!  <sigh>

Winter Wonderland

Every once in a while, we in the Pacific Northwest are hit with a decent snow shower. The past few years we've had small hits of snow, which didn't amount to anything but one or two days of inconvenience. Hence, the dogs never really grew used to slogging their bodies through the white stuff - except Skally; she's known a few episodes in her many years on this earth, and she rises to the challenges they've brought. But not Rusty!
Rusty seemed interested in the snow. At first. Our first walk, Thursday afternoon (as a teacher, we were let out early when the first winds and flakes began to tumble about us - with the ice on the roads, it was a good call), all four pooches were eager to venture out in the wind and blowing snow. It wasn't half bad. We had already been out in the morning, and it was quite frigid - to the point my fingers were aching.
We had to keep stopping, every two blocks, or so, as Rusty was collecting iceballs in his paws. This was a note I made - chapstick or vaseline on his paws before walking! But we managed to get around just fine. We watched the neighborhood children sled down the hills of the schoolyard below us, and the four romped about enjoying the weather. In fact, they were more energetic that day than they had been previously on walks or in the park.
That night brought more snow, which meant another snow day at school. The pups liked this. So, we went out, again, in the morning - but even though he had the lubrication on his paws, Rusty was not very willing to venture out. In fact, for a whole block - going down our hammerhead to the street - he pulled back as hard as he could. He seemed to be asking me, "Why are you torturing me, Pops? What did I do to deserve such punishment????!!!!" Eventually, though, he came round, reluctantly. He wasn't even much willing to go out in the yard to take care of his "matters". It was as though I had to pull his teeth! He obviously doesn't like the snow much!
So, Friday came and went, with a couple of walks. Then came Saturday. Ice. I took them early morning for a walk, which was the same - Rusty not very willing, and the others slogging their way through the mounds of snow that had piled up on the street (on our hammerhead of 6 homes, 1 is a vacation house, two are bank owned and empty, and the two at the far end, closer to the street, are occupied) from lack of anyone driving or using them. Poor Sammy was up to his neck when he went through the snow. Skally and Simon just dragged their feet through, and Rusty kept glaring at me with pitiful eyes.
Later, that same evening, the ice had come to stay, putting a glisten and crust on all the snow. Now, they slid upon the mounds, then "crunked" through it - making it much more impossible to navigate with any sort of grace (which all my dogs take quite seriously!). Skally was the only one who was determined to go anywhere - front or back yards, and she has bad hips - yet when she re-entered the house, she was tired, but her gait was much improved! Of course, Aspirin and Spunky Level II helped, as well.

So, I was not at all surprised this morning, when the pups, much more eager to do something with Pops, talked me into a walk - well, three of them did. Rusty remained out of it - until I got ready, then he chimed in!
It was quite difficult, at first. Rusty pulling from not wanting to go any further than the front walk of the house, and the others pulling and sliding down the hill. I, wearing my Yaktraks, kept stomping about everywhere to break up the ice and create a more navigale pathway for Rusty and the others, for when we returned. We finally made it to the road where it was clear.
We walked the streets, which were devoid of vehicles, save the ones parked and dripping icicles from lack of use the past few days. I wished we could be on the sidewalks, but they were too slick, or hand't been trod upon, so they would be quite difficult to use for the pups. I kept thinking they were going to be quite tired from all this exercise, and I was gladdened by such thoughts.

We discovered that under trees, the snow was devoid of ice. They liked these breaks. We did chance upon more used sidewalks, and used them, until we came to a part where someone had generously shoveled all the snow, clearing the way. But - - - it was coated with ice. Now, being the epitome of human nature, I decided to continue on, rather than make the dogs slog through the icy snow which was deep to the side of the street. But then saw that Rusty was sprawled out, immovable. Skally, too, had slipped, and was sliding her butt to the far end where she could get some traction. The other two were sliding, but fine.

I ended up pulling Rusty to the side, where there was some icy snow, breaking up the snow, and getting him some traction. From there, we moved back to the street, and continued on until we hit home. I was glaringly aware of Rusty's evil eye upon me the entire way.

Now, tucked away in home, sleeping in their own little niches, my pack has some dreams which, sadly, may never be shared....
But I can keep something of a chronicle, which may, in part, be something of their reveries....and my memories of them.