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Tag Archives: labrador retriever

Eastern Oregon Spring

The girls and I spent a few days exploring the basalt covered landscape of eastern Oregon last week. The weather was ok, sometimes too windy and rarely was the light good for photos, except at night. We walked three to six miles everyday and the dogs got to swim at least twice each day. Sky is doing really well on her new arthritis med and nothing seems to slow Willow down. She is obsessed with the water wherever we go. We were a little early for wildflowers. I love the way that so many plants grow right out of the basalt rocks. There were bighorn sheep on the canyon walls and Chukars and Ring-necked Pheasants called relentlessly from the hillsides. I did see a couple groups of Yellow-rumped Warblers decked out in their finest spring plumage!

A Fine Day for a Hike

The girls and I. How many times do I start one of these posts with that phrase? Well, once again, the girls and I had a lovely hike under blue skies. Wildflowers were starting to fade and water was scarce where I expect to see it most of the summer. This is the case everywhere right now. Fire season is upon us and our skies are smoky. We wish for rain but so far, nothing measurable.

As for the green hat, Willow found it. She took a hard right off the trail and went about 30 meters and ran back with it. She had smelled it and was so proud and happy to find it! She played with it and tossed it in the air and did no damage to it despite how it looks. I got it away from her and I need to get it to a lost and found. Later she found a folding saw that was rusted shut.

We attempted an old fashioned selfie with the camera’s timer but I think we will need to try it again, maybe with a remote instead. Willow has little patience for staying while I fiddle with things. The girls were super happy to find the last snow field and rolled and played in it for quite a while.

Winter Dog Walking

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!

Good Girls

Willow got to romp with the curly redheads of the Good Girls’ Club the other day. They had lots of fun running on our muddy roads. Willow hopes to get her official invite into the Good Girls’ Club soon. Next time they get together, Willow will be taller than Rozie, that for sure. Sky felt old, watching them run up and down and refused to be in any photos.

We have had a January thaw with rain and permanently gray skies, giving us a premature mud season. This morning, everything is frozen so winter should get back to normal soon.

She Won’t Be a Puppy For Long

Little Willow is growing and changing so fast! Her body has grown long and soon she will be all legs. In these photos she looks serious and thoughtful. She’s still a puppy in that lanky body though.