Snowy Sunday

Forty years later, I still remember like it was yesterday. Sleepy and hopeful, scarcely daring to breathe as I would raise on my knees to peek out the blinds, only to see...no snow. Time, and time, and time again this moment of delirious hope was shattered by the crushing disappointment of yet another false alarm. The dark pavement and green grass would stare back at me, boring and ordinary, saying "Hurry up. Get ready for school." For years, I harbored the deepest of resentments against Atlanta meteorologists. I also fervently believed (and still do) that some sort of invisible bubble exists over the city, protecting it from every winter weather system crossing the area. Is it any wonder I ended up in Duluth Minnesota for grad school?

Western North Carolina is a happy medium. You don't have to deal with -20 degree mornings, yet there's enough cold weather to justify hot cocoa and mittens. This morning when I let the dogs out, I was surprised by a white landscape swirling with tiny snowflakes. The snow thrilled me and the dogs both. They came racing back into the house, frisky and excited and shaking the snow from their coats. After morning treats for dogs and cat, I started some coffee brewing and walked around opening all the curtains so I could watch the snow.

We've  yet to have a decent snow this  year. And last year there was no winter at all. So this morning's little snowfall was a welcome sight. It's been bitterly cold this week, Friday's wind chill around 10 degrees all day. We've all been staying warm as best we can...

The other interesting thing about living in this part of the country is that you can take photos of snow, icy streams, and daffodils all in the same weekend!

Stay warm ya'll!

Life With An Omnivore

I ask, does this look like food to you?

No? Very good, that is the correct answer! Because it's NOT food. It's a pipe cleaner. This distinction is lost on our little scoundrel Katie, who insists on testing anything found on the floor for edibility. Thus I return to this blog in much the same way I left it, worrying about Katie having consumed something not meant to be consumed.

This particular object was a homemade kitty toy, a pipe cleaner used for some long forgotten craft project, twisted into a little curl that would skitter across the smooth tile floor in the most wonderful way, batted this way and that by little black and white paws. The thing has been around for years - mostly living in the toy basket, but coming out from time to time for a spin around the kitchen. Now, I am aware that some dogs will eat anything they can find on the floor. But I have never had one of those dogs. At least not until Katie.

Fortunately I acted quickly when I heard the odd metallic "crunch." Check out the end of this thing! The rest of the evening was spent imagining various scenarios in which the segment she swallowed got caught in the lining of her stomach or punctured an intestine.

But apparently we have once again managed to avoid disaster. She seems fine, and all cat toys both homemade and otherwise have been confiscated (sorry Lucy). And just to reassure any who might be reading this post and thinking "Why that poor dog must never get any treats. She must be eating strange objects out of desperation..," Katie gets plenty of treats. Santa even brought all the dogs choo hooves, which they'll get to chew at least a few times before I get too worried about broken teeth.

And as far as two of the three dogs are concerned, one of the best treats ever?...

Apples!! 

Katie and Lucky love apples. 

Lady finds apple slices quite hideous. But she can't help herself when the other two get so excited, tails wagging, toenails clicking on the floor in the dance of anticipation, so she will line up for her fair share. It's a riot to watch, although I must try very hard not to laugh. Lucky and Katie eagerly gobble their slices, sometimes getting scolded for chomping my fingers in their haste. Lady then steps forward, unable to resist, and gingerly takes the offered slice between her teeth, lips pulled back to minimize the likelihood of their coming into contact with the apple. Anyone who has ever known a German Shepherd can likely imagine the look on her face at this point. When forced to eat something out of peer pressure, the German Shepherd adopts a facial expression that manages to be both offended and determined at the same time.

Lady chews a little, all teeth, lips still pulled back to a safe distance, and after several exaggerated chewing efforts, spits the mushy slice onto the floor. Katie spies her opportunity and moves in, at which point Lady quickly but reluctantly picks it back up again. Finally, after several repetitions of this cycle, with both Katie and Lucky observing the process hopefully, she manages to choke the thing down.

I usually end up feeling sorry for her, and slip her a milk bone 

while the other two are enjoying their apple slices.

Good dogs!

The "Indestructible" Nylabone

I might as well start out here with a confession. I am an overprotective, "Nervous Nellie" dog mom. My dogs don't run loose (they might get hit by a car), they don't eat raw eggs (they might get salmonella), and we don't hike near steep cliffs (they might fall off). You get the picture. This caution extends to bones and toys too. While all the other dogs out there happily chomp on rawhide knots, cow hooves, and steak bones, Lady, Lucky, and Katie must be content with crunchy rawhide - the type that crumbles and can be easily chewed. Not quite the same, I know. But at least I don't have to worry about a chunk of rawhide getting stuck in their throats or intestines.

But one day recently, I decided to purchase a pack of those indestructible hard plastic (or nylon, I guess?) Nylabones for Katie. She loves to chew, and had discovered Jessie's 10 year old Nylabone at the bottom of the toy basket. Jessie found the concept of a plastic bone ridiculous, and after giving it a sniff and tentative lick, never went near it again. But that rejected Nylabone had remained there in the toy basket all these years. When Katie discovered it and seemed to enjoy gnawing on it, I decided to spring for some new ones. And not just the boring plain type, but the beef flavored variety!

It took less than a minute. One loud chomp, and by the time I registered what that sound was and got to her, the end of the Nylabone was gone, and Katie was working on sawing off the next hunk. Eeeek!! I grabbed it away from her, and frantically began reading the back of the package. PRODUCT IS INEDIBLE. The instructions go on to assure you that if a dog consumes a piece about the size of a grain of rice, it will often pass through the intestinal tract without incident. Anything larger - "consult your veterinarian." Oh, GREAT. As you can see from the photo above, the hunk that was chomped off was considerably larger than a grain of rice.

Katie, Katie, Katie...Nylabones are indestructible, don't you know? You gnaw on them because they're too hard to bite through. Ugh. Thus began a vigil, with various doggie emergency room scenarios playing out in my mind. I passed the time by reading every word on the back of the package, searching for some hint that these bones aren't always indestructible. And then I saw that Nylabones have weight limits! See?...

What, you can't see the weight limits? Well, that's because they're hidden behind the white bone in the package! Apparently you're supposed to rip the package open in the store in order to determine if a certain size Nylabone is safe for your dog. How about now, can you see it now?

No? Well, let me enlarge the photo even further...

There it is, plain as day - "for dogs up to 35 lbs." Hidden behind the bone inside the package, and in a microscopic yellow font that I had not noticed even when I took the bones out. Katie weighs 50 pounds! Grrrrrrrrrr..! Boy was I mad. Even Lady, who watches over Katie always, and tries to keep her safe, could not save her from this. We just had to wait and see.

All I can say is that it's a good thing Miss Katie apparently has an indestructible gut, because I would have wanted to sue the company had anything happened to her. As it is, I think they owe me for worry, lack of sleep, and 3 days of dissecting poop in a futile search for the missing piece of bone. Take heed any of you who let your dogs chew on these bones - Nylabones are NOT indestructible!

"So, can I have the rest? That plastic is delicious!" 

Wordless Wednesday

(Well, this was supposed to be wordless, but I can't help commenting now that I've got it up - this photo taken last weekend looks so much like the header photo from a couple of years ago! Even that little tuft of white hair in his ear is in the exact same spot and angle. Too funny!)

A Lap Desk Has Many Uses

Such as, a kitty platform.

My nephew gave me this lap desk for Christmas last year, and within 10 seconds or so of settling down on the couch with it - before I could even reach for my book - I had a cat perched in the center of it. I came across these photos recently, and even though they weren't very high quality and are now months old, they still make me laugh!

Silly Lucy. 

It is all about the cat, after all. 

Sometimes I forget...

...but Lucy reminds me. 

High Elevation Adventures

Dogs may not use words, but they can talk.

This is Lucky saying: 

"Let's go for a ride in the truck. Or for a hike. Can we?" 

He's so unassuming with his requests, and so seldom asks for anything, it's hard to say no. With the hint of fall in the air lately, I had to admit the mountains have been calling. So off we went - this time to Black Balsam Knob. This is a spectacular higher elevation hike, which made it a great destination on a day that would otherwise be almost too warm to take the dogs hiking. The truck's temperature display dropped from 81 to 68 degrees as we climbed the Parkway.

Lucky had done this trail as a young dog, but neither Lady nor Katie had ever been to the area. Excited faces crowded the little window in the back of the cab, and a trio of tails wagged joyfully. When we arrived, the dogs were like pups in their enthusiasm to hit the trail - despite the fact that two of the three are 12 years old!

The path to the summit starts out winding through thickets of blueberry and blackberry bushes, and patches of spruce forest. As you might imagine, this is a very popular hike when the berries are in season. Rising higher, the vistas grow more expansive, providing great views of a dense spruce-fir forest that skirts the edge of a meadow.

Black Balsam is one of my favorite places to hike. The mountains in this area are grassy balds due to logging and forest fires in the 1920s and 40s. It gives the entire area a unique and "faraway" feel.

Katie takes a good sniff of the higher elevation air.

The late summer wildflowers were so beautiful - both sides of the trail were lined with a kaleidoscope of purple, green, and yellow. Our hike proceeded at the pace of about 1/4 mile an hour, because I kept stopping to take photos!

Cow parsnip grows in great profusion along the trail. This tall herb was used by Native Americans to make poultices, with the dried stalks used as drinking straws for the elderly, and as flutes for children.

Eventually the trail becomes a winding path through a wide mountaintop meadow.

Can you spot the people further up the trail?

It's hard to gauge distance without trees or nearby objects as reference. From this point, it's still about a quarter mile to the summit. Even though this was a short hike, the plan was to play it by ear. If going all the way to the top seemed too much for the older dogs, we'd stop and head back. But Lucky said "Let's keep going!"

After another 15 minutes or so of hiking, we arrived at the 6214' summit. A bronze plaque embedded in the rock honors Art Loeb, for whom the trail is named -

"An industrialist, conservationist, and hiker who deeply loved these mountains."

Lady seemed to understand we'd reached our destination, and stood majestically for several moments gazing out over the Shining Rock Wilderness area below. Too bad she's the same color as the rocks. This would have been a great photo, but she was almost perfectly camouflaged!

Numerous campsites dot the summit area. I can hardly imagine a more beautiful place to camp, with 360 degree panoramic views. On a clear day, they say you can see 70 miles into the distance.

However, I would not want to be up here in a tent during a thunderstorm!

The Art Loeb trail traverses several peaks in this area. In addition to Black Balsam, you can hike to Tennant Mountain (6040'), Pilot Mountain (5095'), or to the base of Cold Mountain (6030'), which became quite famous with the popularity of Charles Frazier's book and the 2003 film. Another popular trail in this area is the Ivestor Gap trail. There are so many branching and spur trails on the broad summit of Black Balsam, you have to pay attention so you don't get lost!

I missed getting a photo of picturesque Mount Hardy, but this photo borrowed
from www.hikewnc.info shows its 6110' dome looming over the trail to Black Balsam.  

After exploring the broad summit for awhile, we headed back. Lucky was a bit wobbly on the way down and had to be helped over a few of the steeper rocky areas. Seems like his enthusiasm for the hike might have exceeded his physical abilities a bit. He wasn't too bad off though - on the ride home, while Lady and Katie were out of sight resting on their beds, Lucky was up, his happy face in the window, and his nose taking in all the passing smells.

Lady, Lucky, and Katie all agree - when the mountains call, go.

On Rainbows and Being Alive

Have you ever touched a rainbow? And no, I don't mean in the spiritual, poetic sense... I mean really, reached out and touched the colors. I did that last night! What an exhilarating experience! It all started with a train and getting stopped by a cop...

It was the start of Labor Day weekend. In trying to be good and squeeze in some exercise before going to a Friday night movie, my walking partner and I decided to head to the nearby Oaks Greenway, for a super quick 3 mile walk - sans dogs (they slow things down considerably). But wouldn't you know it, a slo-o-o-o-o-o-w train had traffic backed up right before we needed to turn. It was only 25 yards or so further to our turn, and no cars were coming, so I helpfully suggested a creative traffic maneuver that would help speed things along. And it did, for about 10 seconds, until the blue lights appeared in the rear view mirror. Arg!

Fortunately, this turned out to be a nice officer, and he let us off with just a warning. We drove the additional few feet over to the parking area and hopped out. Eager to make up for lost time, we opted not to take the umbrella and instead just scurry on up the road. Big mistake. Despite the fact that it was sunny, blue sky weather when we started, we got caught in a downpour. Hopeful that it would just be a quick shower, we took shelter under some trees and waited, and we talked about Marti.

Marti died yesterday. She was young, only in her 50s, and full of life. A few months ago, plagued by indigestion and stomach issues, she went to the doctor. It turned out not to be a food allergy, but pancreatic cancer. You hear these stories from time to time, and they almost become cliche. But the thought that someone I know, someone just a little older than me, someone who just a few months ago was worrying about work, finances, getting the "to do" list done - is now gone... it seemed surreal.

The rain went on and on, and pretty soon it became obvious that the "hunkering down under the trees" solution wasn't working. So off we went, into the rain, laughing and squishing and remembering how much fun it used to be to play in puddles as a child. Just for old times' sake, I jumped in a few of the biggest puddles. And then this rainbow appeared - which in and of itself was a treat. But as we continued up the greenway, suddenly the rainbow was right there, next to the path! You could actually reach out and touch it! Amazing! It's also amazing that these photos turned out, since it was really pouring at the time. I guess it's hard to drown an iPhone.

Even though getting stopped by the police and getting caught in a downpour weren't at all convenient or in keeping with getting to the movie on time, it was fun. Fun in a crazy, go-with-the-flow kind of way. And I felt very alive.

There's something about getting drenched and touching a rainbow that makes you feel very, very alive. I think Marti would be happy to know that we were laughing and jumping in puddles and thinking of her and touching rainbows all at the same time.

The one who wasn't happy was Lady. Even though she can't talk, it's always quite clear when she's displeased. She acts out by stirring up one of the throw rugs.

And if she's really, REALLY unhappy, she stirs up two rugs. 

It's hard not to laugh when she does this, but of course I don't. Because to her, it's serious business.

I just feel lucky to have a dog who expresses herself by stirring up the rugs, and not be eating furniture, wallpaper, or sheetrock... like in this photo I found tonight on the blog life in the dog house.

Oh yes...it could be much, much worse.