This & That

I Miss Ollie

There are lots of days that I miss things my kids used to do, but the other day I was faced with the very real fact that there are days I miss Ollie. This doen't surprise me. He was a dog in a million, and got me through my kids leaving home.

Let me introduce you to the new little guy at Eric's house. This is Nugget, and he's getting used to being in a family of four animal-loving kids.

This girl though, she might be Nugget's biggest fan.

Because she was definitely Ollie's.

And Ollie was the sweetest.

I miss him a lot, but I can't help but be ok that I'm not having to potty train a puppy.

 

The Best Dog

Our week has started off on a very low note.

We lost our sweet Ollie-dog yesterday.

He was 11 1/2 years old, the same age as our grandboy, Frederick.

He was the most patient boy with the kids and grandkids.

Calm and smart and loved to chase ducks.

He could also play a mean game of Fetch It Up.

This is my mother. We knew the end was coming and when she was here for Sunday dinner, she just wanted to "sit next to him and give him pets."

My husband and I buried him down on the pond property where they had such a good time hunting together. One of my sweet friends said it best when she told me yesterday, "Whatever time we have with them is never enough." He really was just the best dog.

Just One Thing

When Collin's family came for a visit a couple of weeks ago, there was really only one thing he requested, and that was to spend as much time as possible up at the cabin.

We generally try to be fairly accommodating, so off we went. There were walks to the river for some rock-throwing. The grass was fairly high and damp, so Grandpa gave David a little boost and it kind of cracked me up.

You might notice that despite my husband having a handful of David's shirt at all times, he still managed to get a little damp around the edges. There are water magnets built into kid's shoes. I'm sure of it.

Here's Collin's cute family.

We were lucky enough to have a rain shower or two while we were there. Picture me doing my "rain is falling" happy dance. On second thought, maybe don't.

David helped Grandpa cook sausage for breakfast out on the grill.

And had some pretty impressive bed head on display.

My daughter, who was the only one of my kiddos who wasn't able to come see "Savior of the World," surprised us by driving all the way to the cabin so she could see Collin's family. There was a little fishing. You can see James there. Grandpa helped him catch a few fish, which we ate. David had a shorter attention span for this particular activity. 

Collin and his two older boys.

Now, we need to discuss this little Gus episode. He was in the back of the rhino, while my daughter was driving down the road on the way to a hike. He saw a chipmunk he decided needed chasing, and he hurled himself out of the rhino traveling at around 30 miles an hour. Collin was following and said Gus rolled several times and darn it if that chipmunk didn't get away. You can see he also scraped his nose in the process. He's fully recovered now, and hopefully that's a lesson learned, but I can tell you he moved pretty slowly for a couple of days.

More rock throwing and playing in the dirt. My husband and James took Gus over the river so he could swim a little and wash off after the chipmunk episode. They were able to see a small bear on the other side of the river that ran off as soon as he spotted them, but it's yet another reminder about why my husband always carries a gun when we're in the woods.

It wouldn't be a summer cabin trip without a s'mores evening. Can you see the smear of marshmallow on David's eyebrow?

At home, there was time for trains and dinosaurs.

Collin wanted to see if he could take a picture of the Milky Way while he was in the woods, away from city lights.

The photos are edited some, but I'd say he was pretty successful.

When You Play in the Mud...

My husband and I took a wander in the pasture the other night, checking on things for the upcoming arrival of the horses back from their winter spot.

A storm was rolling in across the valley, so it was breezy and cool, which made it perfect walking weather for me.

Always great to catch this view...

As we were admiring the view, however, the dogs decided to take a run through some muddy spots.

It doesn't show up much on Ollie, but Gus is a different story.

That necessitated a hosing off session which wasn't pleasant for either of the dogs. That's what happens if you play in the mud.

There's a life lesson in there somewhere, I think. Something about choices and consequences....

Pre-Christmas Details

I'm back, and I know you've been pining away for updates here, right? I'll warn you up front and remind you later on, that I'm doing some traveling for the second half of the month and into the first week of February, so posting during that time is likely to be sporadic to non-existent.  But before then I need to catch you up on the holiday happenings around here.

My daughter sent me this one of her and her hubby. Birks have made the comeback, people. When I sported them 20 years ago, it was only the granola people who wore them....forget the fact that they're comfortable as heck. Now they're a trendy fashion statement, and we all know how cutting edge trendy I am.

I got Bryce home from school, and it was his job to put the stalk on the reindeer....

.....and all was right in the Allan Christmas tree world.

We had a tragedy in Eric's family when one of the kittens died. It was Gwen's and she was really heartbroken.

There was a little hillside funeral held.

That said, Santa brought her a new, very sweet little kitten, so she is feeling a little better after a brush with one of life's hard lessons.

It's a Dog's Life

Let's refresh our memories about exactly what's been going on lately in my household, shall we? 

1. My husband has been on yet another "once in a lifetime" 2-week critter adventure.
2. Six months ago he brought home a puppy I didn't really want, waving over his shoulder as he left for work every day, leaving me to tend the toddler dog.
3. It's been canning season.
4. See #1

Don't let this picture of doggie domesticity fool you. You see that bed there? That's new, just purchased this week, because one of these darlings barfed on the old one. The stench permeating the house was unlivable, so I had to venture to the farm store to get this new bed. It doesn't look like the old bed, so when I brought it home, these two circled it like it was some kind of alien life form bent on eating them. They refused to get on it, choosing instead to lie on opposite sides of it, on the wood floor. 

Fine. Be that way.

As the day progressed, Ollie got tired of the floor and gradually made his way onto the bed, but Gus wasn't buying it, and decided to take his own revenge.

Have I mentioned that my husband's been out of town playing for 2 weeks?

We're Wandering....and We're Not Alone

There was some cabin time recently, right before my husband left to try his hand Alaska salmon fishing. You know....a once in a lifetime event....that happens every single year. I don't fault him too much for it, though, because of all the critters he brings home, salmon is probably my favorite. It rained for a good share of the time he was there, but the freezer has some fresh-caught wild salmon in it. 

The morning after the gorgeous sunset I showed you a bit ago, we woke up to a fog settled in low around us. That burned off enough to wander a bit....so we did.

The critters have been enjoying the salt lick.

We took this trail into the woods. Yes, if you look closely there is a trail we were following. 

Apparently, we're not the only ones who follow it. Can you see the deer tracks in the dirt?

There was something a little bigger than a deer on the trail as well, and if you remember the Poop 101 lesson from a couple of years ago, you might be able to identify it as belonging to as moose.

We came across an old stump that a bear has torn apart. A squirrel has also been eating pine cones here. 

We headed over this rusty bridge.

It's the same bridge where we've taken pictures before.

The water was considerably lower then. Now it's several feet deep and running pretty fast.

The access to my favorite cabin view was destroyed by the mega-runoff we had last spring, which made me really sad. I've photographed this view in every season of the year, and just loved it.

But this might be able to take its place. We'll see.

Things are really starting to bloom.

It always amazes me to see the variety.

Some I see every year,

And some are totally new to me.

Gus actually has his own spot to sleep, but after the walk he must have decided he needed some companionship. Poor guy must have been exhausted.

The River

As I mentioned, we spent the Memorial Day weekend at the cabin with Evan and Eric's families.

We went up a little ahead of everyone else after my husband got off work. We were heading into the canyon just as the last of the light was going.

We tend to follow a fairly familiar formula when we are there with kidlets. There's a lot of walking involved. The reasoning behind this that we want to see what's going on, but also that activity=tired kids at the end of the day=better sleeping for everyone. Even I am capable of figuring out that math. There is water everywhere in little side streams at this time of year because of the spring runoff. Here we had to walk across on a series of rocks to get to the other side of this stream. I managed not to fall in up to my knees this year.

The river is really high right now and moving really fast with the snowmelt from the surrounding mountains. 

That means it's all hands on deck with the kids.

They did manage to find stickandrocksandsticksandrocks to hurl into the river.

Some of us just like looking...

...and listening to the sound of the water. At this time of year I can open my bedroom window and hear the river. 

Even the babies went along. 

Their dads use it as training for backpack carrying during the fall hunting season.

My husband and his dogs. He was trying to search out a place along the bank that was sheltered and calm enough that he could start teaching Gus the Fetch It Up game.

I don't think it's going to take much before he gets the hang of it, although right now he doesn't really want to give the stick back once he gets a hold of it.

The New Critter and My Role as Babysitter

I think I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that my husband attended a sportsman's fundraiser dinner. I think I also mentioned that as a result, and accompanied by some pretty heavy-duty begging from grandchildren, that we have a new critter living at the house now.

So, let me introduce you to Gus. He's a 10 week old yellow lab puppy. Now if I'm being totally honest, and I do try to be, I'll tell you that I didn't want a new dog. I lived through the whole puppy thing once with Ollie, but he was a little older and a LOT better behaved, but nobody really listened to my opinion. Ollie's not even that old yet. He's 8.....which makes him fairly close to my age in dog years, and I'm not quite ready to be put out to pasture. But my husband has been pondering about getting a new puppy for a while now, theoretically so Ollie can teach him stuff. (???) 

So I'm just putting it out there that I really wasn't on board with this whole thing. And neither is Ollie. 

Oh sure, all puppies are cute, and I can just hear you saying, "Awwwwww....." as you look at these pictures. 

They're just adorable as they bound around exploring their world.

And being played with by the kids and grandkids.

In my head I know he's cute, but in all honesty this is the reality of my life lately. The puppy is not housebroken and doesn't show any inclination to be picking up that skill any time soon. My husband set up this modified corral in my kitchen, which now perpetually smells like...well, not like I want my kitchen to smell. My grandchildren, who begged and pleaded for this dog do not live here and don't have the job of taking care of it. My husband, who brought the darn thing home, still works full time and is not around here most days to take care of it. Nope. The person who didn't really want another dog is the one doing the lion's share of the puppy-sitting, and I can honestly say that a lot of the time I'm struggling with the whole situation. My husband said it would be "good for me" to have this job. My mother said she was really happy that I have this upheaval in my nice little life. That wasn't a good day.

Me and Ollie, we're trying to be nice, but some days it's a wrestle for both of us. 

Day 1 1/2--Wherein I Learn the Value of the Boy Scout Motto

Let's commence the stories about last week's trip into the woods, shall we? I have to say, it was a really wonderful few days....peaceful, quiet. There was no one back in there except us. We did exactly what we wanted, when we wanted. We slept late, or at least my husband did. I have an internal alarm clock that has me up fairly early most mornings, but one morning I made it almost to 7:30, which doesn't happen often.

It was an absolutely gorgeous day to travel in. Despite having a few storms between now and when we did our overnighter last month, we just weren't sure what the snow conditions would be, especially in the sunny spots, so we decided to take the rhino so we wouldn't have to sweat it if there were long patches without snow. 

The other advantage, is we don't have to haul a sled for Ollie and/or the ice chest and anything else that needs to to in. It can all be put in the back of the rhino. The only problem we had this time around was that we didn't get away very early, so we didn't arrive at the cabin until about 4. Dinner plans had to be tweaked a little since the meat was still frozen, but we made it work.

The next day was also gorgeous, and my husband and I like to go for a wander every day when we're in the woods. It's a little more complicated than just going out the door and taking off in the winter, but we have snow shoes up there to help things along. 

Off we went to the river. 

It's just a silent trickle this time of year. Pretty soon the warmer temperatures will start the run-off and things will be booming.

Ollie has to get a couple of good snow rolls in when we walk.

Now, it was somewhere between the cabin and the river that I learned the value of the Boy Scout motto which is....Be Prepared. Because at some point along the way, despite having not one, but two walking sticks, I got one of the snowshoes stuck and I fell down. It took a few minutes of wallowing on my knees to get back to an upright position, because snowshoes aren't necessarily conducive to easy maneuverability, but I did manage it on my own with my husband giving me really helpful advice like, "Get your feet under you...." "Rock back to a sitting position and just stand up..." If it was just that easy I would have done it already. You try it with two boards strapped to your feet. OK, well the bottom line is I found my own way to make it work, and IF I had put on the waterproof snowmobile pants, which I didn't because it was so nice out, but IF I had prepared myself adequately, I wouldn't have trudged back to the cabin wet to the knees. Probably a life lesson application there somewhere.

In the meantime, my husband and Ollie handled the trek like they were out for a nice Sunday stroll down a sidewalk. #mountaingoatgenes In all honesty, I've never seen my husband fall...ever. He on the other hand, just plans on it happening when he walks with me.

We headed back to the cabin....carefully. This is my usual position when I hike or trek in the woods with my husband....somewhere between 50 and 100 yards behind him....because he's just out for a stroll, and I'm trying to stay upright.