A month ago I wrote about how an injury prevented me from running and forced me to slow way down throughout the spring and early summer. Even walking was painful for a long time. Today, I'd say I'm almost back to normal, resuming running regularly, mostly pain-free. Yay! The irony, though, is even though I… Continue reading Slowing Way Down = Seeing Even More
A New Cairn for the Girls
The photo memories dished up by Amazon – via my Kindle Fire – and Facebook in my newsfeed are often bittersweet. Every June I’m reminded of the passing of my Alaskan Malamute Maia at age 14 in 2013, and then six weeks later in July, my Alaskan Malamute Meadow, age twelve. Oh, the girls. So… Continue reading A New Cairn for the Girls
Dog Photobombs X – August through December 2021
It has been over a year since I last shared some of the photos my dogs bombed. Since then, we moved to Vermont. The landscape is so different than Idaho's, as are many of the wildflowers and plants I try to photograph. The one constant is my dogs' faces, feet, or entire bodies moving through… Continue reading Dog Photobombs X – August through December 2021
What’s Invasive?
When I sold my home in Idaho, I befriended the couple who bought it. I was sad about leaving my beloved wildflowers behind – mostly Lupine and Columbine – but I was most upset about the day lilies. My father had dug them from his family homestead in Kansas in the 1980s and planted them… Continue reading What’s Invasive?
Slowing Down = Seeing More
I've always feared the dreaded slowing down. Whether from injury, illness, or aging. I know. Aging is inevitable. With aging comes aching muscles, stiffening joints, reduced muscle mass and loss of endurance. And, if we're unlucky, injury or illness are added to the challenge. Knowing all that doesn't mean I have to welcome any of… Continue reading Slowing Down = Seeing More
Stories About Dogs, Nature and Wildlife
I love dogs. I also love how my dogs have interacted with nature and wildlife over many years, helping me observe so much I would otherwise have missed when we venture into the wilderness. I have so many stories. And photos. Even a few videos. I decided to create another Kindle Vella. An e-book in… Continue reading Stories About Dogs, Nature and Wildlife
Wildlife Warning Calls
Twice this month, while walking with my dogs through the woods on the neighbors' acreage, we heard wildlife warning calls: Stay away! In both instances, the calls came from a few yards off the path, well into the trees. I couldn't see the animal issuing the call, but the first one I recognized, a call… Continue reading Wildlife Warning Calls
Blue Flags and Green Frogs
There is a beautiful iris that grows wild here, in marshes and wet meadows. It's called Larger Blue Flag Iris (iris versicolor). I found some blooming recently, in a marsh and along the edge of a pond where my dogs and I spend many mornings exploring. Irises growing alongside a pond, June 17, 2022. "Versicolor"… Continue reading Blue Flags and Green Frogs
A Rose by Any Other Name
The phrase "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet’" usually means things are what they are, no matter what name they’re given. The phrase is from William Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet, one of several lines spoken by Juliet Capulet (Act 2, Scene 2) to herself on her balcony but overheard by… Continue reading A Rose by Any Other Name
Green and Flowery
Ah, May. You do deliver the spring goods. After a long winter, Vermont is once again vibrantly green and lush with new growth. So... sensual. Wildflowers are shyly appearing. Trees are leafing out, full of songbirds announcing each day's opening and closing. Fields are exploding with grass, dandelions, and clover, giving the bees sustenance. The… Continue reading Green and Flowery