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Tag Archives: dog walk

It’s fall. Sky is feeling a little better these days.

This month, most days have been gray with occasional snow. There is barely enough snow for the groomed trails and I have yet to ski. The girls and I try to get out often on foot but this winter, much of the public land is closed to people and dogs in hopes of bringing back the mule deer herd. So space is limited. We were lucky to find one short trail with no one else on it a couple days ago. The beaver pond is much larger than the last time I visited the area.

The day started with a bit of sunshine but by the time we got out, it was gray. Again. We just need to make the best of it.

Sky was off on her own adventure so Willow and I shared some lovely walks last weekend.

The days are getting shorter, faster, it seems. Soon it will be dark after dinner and there won’t be any evening dogs walks. But for now, the weather is perfect and the light is lovely so we enjoy it while we can. Some chokecherries, nearly black, and snowberries still cling to the bushes. The serviceberries and currants are long gone, eaten by birds, coyotes, bears and Willow got some too. This is brown season. We have white season, green season, brown season and fire season. Fortunately, this year, fire season hasn’t been threatening to us, so far. With little or no precipitation in the forecast, we are not out of danger yet.

The snow has a frozen crust and it’s easy to walk across the top of it. This is great because much of our road is covered in ice and treacherous for walking. Yesterday, the girls and I walked to the top of the hill. We haven’t been there in many months. The views are outstanding and sometimes we get to see coyote or deer but not yesterday. We did see new survey markers and new fencing with new ‘no trespassing’ signs along it. A bunch of the land up there is for sale or has already sold so we can expect changes in the future. Change is inevitable.

Speaking of change, Willow looks more and more like a dog but still has a puppy brain. Sky says she is an alligator and maybe we should return her! Willow is quite playful and Sky has never been playful so sometimes the puppy is a bit much. Willow adores Sky and wants to do everything she does, plus have lots of fun. She does stay close and mostly comes when called. We have many training opportunities with her.

We enjoyed the sunshine and cold temperatures and endless views. We also noted that some of the deciduous trees and shrubs STILL have last year’s leaves. Most notably, serviceberry (or Saskatoon), aspen and elderberry. Some of the aspen trees’ buds are already swelling so the leaves need to go!