A Decade of Love

Ten years ago today - October 21, 2000 - Princess came to live with me.   I picked her up about 9:00 a.m.,  she jumped happily in my car and never looked back.    We spent the afternoon playing in the back yard, raking leaves, with friends dropping by to meet her.   They pronounced us perfect for each other.  We were - and still are - very much alike:   loving, independent and strong-willed.    Now a senior citizen, Princess often comes to work with me, as she did today.   She is friendly, but not pushy;  never barks at anyone but happily greets our guests, her little stub of a tail wagging.   People love her.   When the vet checked her over last week, she commented that Princess looks about half her age.  (I wish the same could be said of me!)   She is a wonderful companion and SOOOO very loved.   Happy 10th anniversary, my sweet girl. 

Mid October Musings

 This past month has been a blur.  Three weeks of fundraising at work were followed by an Extreme Home Makeover right across the street from us!    It was a crazy week with streets blocked off, porta-potties along the curb, hundreds of volunteers working 24/7 and more activity than I'd seen since the Flood of 2009.   Despite the noise, floodlights and dust, it was fun to be a part of it, and it was all for a wonderful family that has done much for disabled children in our community.   The show is supposed to air in late November or early December.

When it was all over, I was exhausted, and glad for a week of vacation.    I canceled most of my original plans, and we stuck pretty close to home.   The Fall colors have been exceptionally brilliant this year, and we enjoyed some day trips to area parks, and I did some biking on several of the MN state trails.   I had hoped to do more, but on Monday I had a little rollerblading mishap.  Princess was chasing me around a parking lot when my legs went out from under me, and I fell - hard - sustaining a whiplash and bruised tailbone.   I was pretty sore for a few days.

I got my leaves raked this week and other yard work done .... windows have been washed, gutters cleaned out, and the garage is looking better than it has in a long time.   My neighbor changed the oil on my mower for me.    You're supposed to do that more often than once every ten years???    Who knew?!?!  
Yesterday the girls went to the Vet for their annual wellness exams and shots.   Dee Dee has a tooth that needs to be pulled, and Princess has 'mature cataracts' on both eyes.   I'm a little perplexed by that since she can spot a squirrel or rabbit from 100 yards away!   Dee Dee put up quite a fuss while she was being checked over, and provided an unsolicited stool sample right there on the exam table.    That ended up costing me another $60 when it tested positve for some parasite.   Overall,  the girls are in excellent health for their age.  

   

Nothing Gold Can Stay

Nature’s first green is gold,

Her hardest hue to hold.

Her early leaf’s a flower;

But only so an hour.

Then leaf subsides to leaf.

So Eden sank to grief,

So dawn goes down to day.

Nothing gold can stay.

 

I was reminded of this beloved poem of Robert Frost this week as I turned the calendar page from August to September.    As if on cue, our weather made a dramatic shift from hot and humid to cool and crisp.   Some are complaining, but I don't dare.    I whined about the heat most of the summer.  I'm just not a 'hot and sticky' kind of person - and neither are my girls.   I hate having to carry water for them on even the shortest walks, and having to mow my lawn before 7 a.m. because that's the only time I can stand it. 

 

So bring on the cooler weather.  I love Fall.   I love sleeping with the windows open; the cool breeze pushing me down under the comforter and snuggling up close to my girls.   I love cool evening bike rides, Honey Crisp apples, the sound of crunching leaves underfoot (not yet, thankfully!) and the aroma of scented candles burning in my living room.   I love seeing school buses in the morning, wearing sweatshirts, and checking out the new Bible Studies in the church bulletin.  I love the smell of autumn air.  

 

Speaking of smells .... a few weeks ago my brother was traveling through Michigan's Upper Peninsula with his dog, Elvis.  Tim's favorite place to hang out (in the whole world, I think) is Au Train Beach on the south shore of Lake Superior.   It is a beautiful beach, and he recently purchased a parcel of land just a stone's throw up the Au Train River.   Making the trek north from Holland, Elvis slept most of the way.  When they got about a half mile from Au Train Beach, Elvis suddenly woke up, stuck his head out the window and sniffed the air, turned toward Tim and smiled.   He knew where they were.  My girls remember every park we've ever been to, and it doesn't matter what way we go, or where I park the car.   Familiarity is in the smell, and it always amazes me.

The last few weeks have brought sad farewells to some of our canine friends.   Einstein, the common link between my girls (Princess' brother and Elvis and Dee Dee's father) was put down a week ago.   We also lost Dee Dee's nephew, Scooter, and another corgi pal this summer.   And a few weeks ago I got a call from my friends, Phil and Val, telling me that their little Einstein (a charming little terrier who was obsessed with chasing balls) had died.   As Phil put it, Einstein 'helped them raise their five boys' and was with them through some major life transitions.   Only another dog lover can understand the bond that exists between canines and their humans.  These losses remind me that my girls are getting older too, and that I need to cherish each day that I have with them.   Nothing gold can stay.  

The Dog Days of Summer

The Moorhead Park District sponsors a 'dog swim' event at the neighborhood wading pools the night before they are drained for the summer.    It was a cool evening for swimming, but in a way it was nice, as there weren't as many people there as there might have been otherwise.

Swimming in a pool is an entirely different experience for dogs than swimming in a lake.   For one thing, they have to step (or jump) off the edge into the water rather than run into it as they do at a lake.  Getting out is a little different too.  They have to push themselves up out of the water onto the concrete.   And then there is the chlorine - which, I suspect, stings their eyes, just as it does ours.   Both of the girls were nervous, and needed a little coaxing to get in the water.  For Princess, watching the other dogs splash around and chase after the ball was enough to make to conquer her fears.   She stood on the edge, leaning toward the water, trying to muster the courage to take the plunge.   I finally gave her a little push and she fell in.   Once she realized that she could swim, she was hooked.   I pushed her a couple more times and after that she did it all by herself.   I was so proud of her, and she had so much fun.   She is a brave girl. 

Dee Dee - not so much.  For one thing, she hates commotion, so just having so many other dogs around made her nervous.   I picked her up and put her in the water several times - even pulling her on a leash while she swam, but she just wanted to get to the edge and scramble back up to solid ground.    People were incredulous when I told them how she charges into Lake Michigan and lets huge waves swallow her up and absolutely loves it!    It's hard to imagine being afraid of a little wading pool after facing the waves of the Great Lakes.  

Itasca State Park and Walker Bay

The heat and humidity have made it hard to sleep this summer, so what better way to relax than head to Itasca State Park for the weekend.  Lake Itasca is the source of the Mississippi River.   There's a lot to do there.

We pitched our tent at Bear Paw Campground and, I'm happy to say, didn't actually 'see' any bear paws other than the engraved ones on the sign!   There was, however, a skunk who found his way into the campground the first night.   Our food was safely stored in the trunk of the car, so we were bypassed, thankfully.

On Saturday we went to the Mississippi headwaters.  I'm sure I've been there at least a dozen times over the years, and I've never seen the water as deep as it was this time.  They've had a LOT of rain this summer; one ranger told me they'd had around 14 inches - just in July!    We waded across, none-the-less, and the girls enjoyed cooling off, although the congestion was a bit too much for Dee Dee.   She was happy to head back to the car and move along to the next spot - which was a stroll along Mary Lake and the Red Pine Trail.   My eyes were peeled for glimpses of the Minnesota State flower, the showy lady slipper, and I wasn't disappointed.

It was a hot day, so in the afternoon we took a drive to Lake George and on to Walker, which is one of my three favorite Minnesota resort towns (along with Grand Marais and Lanesboro). Leech Lake is a much prettier lake than its name would make it sound (I have yet to actually see a leech there), and the public beach on Walker Bay is just wonderful. We had a great time cooling off there.  When it was time to leave, Dee Dee put up a fuss.   As soon as she realized we were walking toward the car, she stopped in her tracks and looked at me with pleading eyes:   "Please, Mom, just a little bit longer ..."   I gave in - three times, in fact - before I decided that we really did need to leave!    In the evening, I went to a show at Jaspers Jubilee Theatre in Park Rapids.    By that time, the girls were worn out and happy to nap in the car.    I got this picture of them sharing the shady side of the back seat.   Dee Dee woke up when I slowed to take the picture, but they had been lying almost on top of each other, sound asleep.   

Dee Dee is Ten!!

Happy birthday, dear Dee Dee!   Happy birthday to you!    Tim and I sang that song to her this morning as we were rolling out of bed.   Tomorrow we will sing it to Elvis.   They were born an hour apart - on different days!   

We are in Michigan this week visiting family and will be stopping to see friends in Illinois and Iowa on our way home.   I've been very busy helping my parents with various things, but I've managed to get the girls to the beach to swim every day.    They LOVE it.   Especially Dee Dee.   

Last night after a wonderful dinner at the Everyday People Cafe in Douglas, MI, we watched the sun go down over Lake Michigan.   The waves were huge but Dee Dee was completely undaunted.   I'd throw a stick into the water and she'd charge in after it; the waves completely swallowing her little body.  Then she'd emerge, allowing it to push her to shore.   If she lost the stick along the way, she'd go right back in and look for it some more.   I was amazed - both at her courage and at her strength.  Princess was a little more cautious.   She's a year and a half older, and she knows her limits.   (The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.)   Elvis, of course, is an old pro .... he goes to the beach several times a week.    We attracted quite an audience of people who were watching and taking pictures.  One family actually clapped as we walked by!   When I told them how old the girls were, they were amazed.   We head for home tomorrow.   It's been a good week ... a nice mixture of work and play. 

Sheyenne River Valley

The girls and I went camping for Memorial Day weekend at Fort Ransom State Park in North Dakota. It's a quiet, peaceful place nestled in the Sheyenne River Valley, which is quite pretty. We hit a weekend of record-setting heat though (97 degrees yesterday!) so came home a day early. I turned on the air conditioner and all three of us crashed!  

Fortunately, the air was dry so it cooled down at night which made the evenings quite pleasant and comfortable for sleeping. Early mornings were lovely as well, and we did a little exploring. We even saw a bald eagle - a rare treat. The entire area is a bird sanctuary, and I enjoying the chorus of brown thrashers, western meadowlarks and morning doves as I awoke each morning.

The girls enjoy camping and love to sleep in the tent, but the first night we were there Dee Dee was clearly frightened of something and wouldn't get out of the car. At first it seemed to be the tent, as she wouldn't walk in that direction, even to get her supper. But when I carried her to the tent, she eagerly went inside. The only thing between the car and the tent was the firepit and a lawn chair, and to my knowledge, she's never had a bad experience with either of those before. Oh, to get inside her little head sometimes! I never figured it out, but after that first night, she was fine.

North Dakota doesn't have mountains, canyons or coastline, but there are some hidden treasures waiting to be explored, and you don't have to contend with crowds. The Sheyenne River Valley is one of them.