Writing about the natural world, life, and dogs.
Walking this morning with my dogs along a country road in the valley below our home, we witnessed a more traditional Idaho cattle drive using riders on horses and herding dogs to move the cattle from their pastures toward a pen where they would be loaded onto a truck for transport. Consider this an update… Continue reading A More Traditional Idaho Cattle Drive
I think of myself as a runner. Always have, since I first started “jogging” in 1975. Running is a key part of my lifestyle and sense of well-being. I say “I went for a run this morning.” I keep a running log which details how far and where I run, how I felt. I look… Continue reading Sauntering
Maybe you've heard about how atrocious traffic is, in and around Seattle. It's been bad for decades. I was born and raised in a nearby suburb, and from the time I started driving in 1972, I hated driving into downtown Seattle. Traffic and noise in the Puget Sound region were the primary reasons I left… Continue reading Traffic, Idaho Style: Cattle Drive
This past week, I've been far more open and revealing than normal with my posts about introversion and empathy. That's not easy. Although, I admit that once both pieces were posted, I slept better. For balance, I made sure my dogs and I got plenty of time in nature, walking in the valley or running… Continue reading Letting Nature Heal
In my last post, I wrote about being an introvert. It’s estimated that roughly one-third of the population falls somewhere on the introversion spectrum, so I’ve got lots of company. Introverts are also often “highly sensitive people” or HSPs. Highly sensitive individuals make up approximately 15-20% of the population. HSPs have an oversensitive nervous system… Continue reading I Can Read You Like an Open Book
A couple of my recent blog posts have mentioned finding the world a bit too peopley lately, that I needed time in the forest, in nature, to feel balanced again. People wear me out. Nature charges me back up. It’s that simple. I joke – in a serious way – that I prefer dogs to… Continue reading Don’t Knock! An Introvert Lives Here.
I needed a break from peopling. The only creatures I wanted to talk to were my dogs. I wanted to breathe and be in nature, without interruption, without stress. I also needed to go to a place where I could feel the dogs and I were safe from hunters/killers now that it's rifle season. Knowing… Continue reading Just Breathe
Idaho’s mountains host so many birds. Coming from western Washington, I had to buy a book, Birds of Idaho, to help me try to identify those that live here year-round and those that migrate through each spring and fall. I’m still learning. I never considered myself a birder – it seemed such a stodgy hobby… Continue reading An Accidental Birder
Bug (definitions): a small insect; a computer virus; a concealed miniature microphone; to annoy or bother. Entomology: an insect of a large order distinguished by having mouth parts that are modified for piercing and sucking. And then there’s the British use of the word “bugger,” but…we won’t go there. Some bugs are delightful, for example… Continue reading Bugs
It's said that writing is like a muscle; one needs to keep flexing it regularly, daily if possible. I would add that, like so many types of exercise that keep our muscles strong - in my case, running - writing must become a habit so that when you do miss a day, you notice. You… Continue reading Flexing Muscles
