The grandfather tree

This morning, Remi and I visited what a friend of mine calls "the grandfather tree." It's big and beautiful, and I'm sorry to say that I don't even know what kind of tree it is. A poplar of some sort, I think. All I know for sure is that I love it, especially sitting and breathing with my back against its rough trunk. I've taken pictures as it has leafed out this year -- April 10, May 1, and today.

With the drought and the winds we've been having recently, I worry for our trees. Edmonton has lost several over the last weeks -- 130 km/hr winds are hard for anyone to withstand. I also feel for them... with the wildfire smoke we're experiencing, there's no way they can keep up with clearing the air. The air is polluted beyond their capacity, though they continue to do what they can.

And that's a lesson for all of us in these challenging times, I'd say. Be like the trees, and keep on keeping on. Do what we do best, and hope for the rest to work out somehow. 

But I also know enough to acknowledge and appreciate beauty when I see it, and so I am sharing the grandfather tree with you. Come visit, and we'll walk there together.

Two little dogs Part 2

For the past two weeks, Button has returned. My friend  went for an important surgery, so Button, who lived with us the last time Eleanor had a hospital stay, came to live with us once again. And much of what I wrote 5 years ago about Button's visit still makes me laugh, and still applies.

Our own little pooch, Shadow, has been a bit grumpier than usual, mainly because Button is able to jump up on our furniture and claim all his favourite spots (Shadow's short legs and our hardwood floors prevent him jumping that high). Of course, we have done our best to make things fair, ensuring that they both have comfy places to sit, Shadow with Lee, and Button with me.

But when it comes time for food, Shadow definitely has the upper hand. We set their bowls down on opposite sides of the kitchen, and Shadow gulps his down, right to the last tiny morsel. Button, on the other hand, takes her time, and leaves little bits behind. When she goes to check Shadow's empty bowl he moves over to clean up her leftovers! 

On walks, Button takes the lead, and Shadow, the older of the two, doddles along behind. He's never been one to be thrilled by walks, but if you take out her leash, Button bounces on her hind legs until she's harnessed up and ready to go. We've been fortunate that the weather has been good these past two weeks, so she's had some good walks.

The biggest difference we've noticed 5 years on is that both dogs sleep a lot more. And both snore!

Eleanor was discharged from the hospital yesterday, so our time with Button is coming to an end. I've enjoyed having her around -- Shadow adores Lee, watching his every move, and Button sticks with me. It's really nice to be a little dog's favourite person now and then. I'll miss her when she heads home.

Close encounter of the skunk kind

So much for my day lily...

After delivering fresh homemade Easter Bread to my family last night, Lee and I took Shadow for a walk in the 9 p.m. darkness. It was a chilly walk, and Shadow hustled home in a hurry because he just got a haircut on Monday and feels the cold more keenly ever since. 

As we turned the corner of the house to our back gate, he was near the end of his leash... and it looked like there was a cat in the middle of the space between our place and our neighbour's house. Not wanting an altercation, I yanked on the leash, and Shadow paused long enough for me to realize I was looking at a cat with two definite white stripes up its back. 

"Wait, wait, wait!" I told the dog, hauling him closer to me, heart pounding, holding my breath in case we were about to be blasted with that special brand of perfume... 

But no. The little critter backed away, and quickly waddled along our neighbour's sidewalk and under the shrub on the corner of their house. Shadow didn't have a chance to bark or even growl before it disappeared.

Thank God!

I've been smelling a lot of marijuana smells around our house, and thought our neighbours might be indulging in a little cannabis lately. I even asked our nephew if he might be trying the stuff, though he's not that kind of guy. 

Turns out, I was smelling a small black-and-white critter, who has been sizing up my flowerbeds, looking for some tender vittles in the form of day lily tubers. It dug quite a hole, but I'm not sure it managed to sate its hunger very much before we interrupted its plans!

Sir or madam skunk, you can help yourself to all the tubers your little heart desires -- just please don't spray us!

(And to the humans walking around our neighbourhood, I recommend going in daylight hours when you can see our little skunk neighbour a long way off!)

A little more autumn colour

People who follow these moodlings know that I'm a sucker for spring and autumn beauty. I love the shot at the top of these moodlings, taken by my hubby, Lee. Pictures clog this blog because my camera is always in my pocket when Shadow and I go for walks in the shoulder seasons. I don't pretend to be a great photographer, it's just that beauty stops me in my tracks, and Shadow is mostly patient with me trying to capture it. One of these days, I should delete about a million pictures in my computer files. But in the meantime, here's some autumn colour from the last few days.

 A view from Strathearn hill...

and here's a retaining wall near Mill Creek... love the wood pattern...

Heading down into the "Camel Humps"...

Enjoying a zillion different shades of autumn...

The tamaracks are just starting to turn...
same tall one in the middle of the last picture,
from the opposite direction...

A golden grove...

Shadow loves beach combing at the accidental beach...

while I love watery reflections...

and offroading...

with my good walking buddy.

A gorgeous evening walk

Lee and I took Shadow for a walk this evening, and what a golden evening it was. Pictures can't quite do it justice, but Lee took a couple anyway that I'll just leave here... so I can look back on a golden autumn evening in the dark winter evenings to come...

#holyroodbenchproject update #4 -- one year later

Shadow-dog and I have discovered a couple more #holyroodbenchproject spots during our neighbourhood walks. The carpenters at SEESA have made and sold 80 benches beyond the 20 they built for the original project, so people who like the idea of a neighbourly bench have been able to buy and set out their own, and not just in Holyrood. A neighbour I spoke with yesterday said that she saw a painted bench on the north side of the city, so word of this brilliant idea has gotten around.

It's a wonderful thing when neighbours offer hospitality to neighbours by providing a spot to sit, especially in neighbourhoods with seniors who like to take walks. I was delighted to see that the First Church of God recently put out a bench... churches are definitely places that attract seniors!

My new favourite bench has a bit of a story that goes with it. It's situated on the boulevard where the "Dog Lady" lived. She was known to a lot of dogs and their owners who ambled past her home on 95th Avenue.

Jane's love for meeting neighbourhood canines was such that, on the corner of her lawn, she put out a few rocks inscribed with permanent ink: "Doggie Rest Stop, "Paws" for a Drink." There was also a little airtight container marked "Two Treats per Tail, love Grandma" filled with dog snacks, as well as a dutch oven pot filled with ice water (she must have taken the pot in every night, refilled it and set it in her freezer in order to supply passing pooches with water that was cold all day long).

I remember the Dog Lady's delight at meeting Shadow on one of his first walks around the neighbourhood as a puppy five years ago. If she was outside and we happened to walk by, she always greeted him by name, and though I'm sure we humans probably introduced ourselves at some point, to me, she was always the Dog Lady, and to her, I was Shadow's Mom. Shadow definitely knew the doggie corner of her yard and went straight to it without fail, hoping that we would give him a treat, which we often did.

Last spring we noticed that the "Two Treats per Tail" container had disappeared, though the pot of water still made its appearance. But it wasn't replenished as often, and eventually filled with brackish water and rain. We wondered if the Dog Lady had gone on holidays. Finally, the watering spot for dogs disappeared completely, and we wondered if Jane was okay.

When this bench appeared this Spring, I asked a few of her nearer neighbours about it, and one of them told me that Jane had died. Apparently, her children were the ones who designed and painted the bench, and they put it out in her honour just a few weeks ago. The stones are gone from the corner, and the house is shuttered, likely awaiting a new occupant.

It's always sad for a neighbourhood to lose kind people like Jane. She never asked for anything in return for her kindnesses, but simply enjoyed connecting with her community through her love for dogs. Thanks to this wonderful bench, built by SEESA carpenters and decorated by her children, her legacy as the neighbourhood Dog Lady will last for years to come.

Thanks, Jane, for your consideration for our pets. May you meet all sorts of four-legged friends on the other side...

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

For more about the #holyroodbenchproject:

The #holyroodbenchproject
The #holyroodbenchproject -- an update
#holyroodbenchproject update #2 -- special edition
#holyroodbenchproject update #3 -- two blue benches

Two little dogs

Button and Shadow

A friend of mine had her back surgery date bumped up earlier than expected, so for the past week, Button, her little black dog, has been our house guest.

Button is much like Shadow when it comes to size, sound, colour, and appreciation for stroking and snuggling, and that's pretty much where the similarities end.

Button is long and lanky. Shadow is short and stocky.

Button has energy to burn at a moment's notice. Shadow prefers to laze around.

Call Button, and she's Button-on-the-spot. Call Shadow... and he gets there... eventually...

Button goes up stairs in leaps and bounds. Shadow's short legs mean he takes one step at a time -- front paws, back paws, front paws, back paws...

Button jumps onto my lap or onto furniture no problem. Shadow whines to get up.

Button likes to chase and fetch her toys. Shadow watches things get thrown around.

If you say the word "walk," Button is at the back door five minutes ago, trying to put on her own leash. Shadow is hiding.

On walks, Button follows her nose. Shadow's eyes are always on the lookout for jack rabbits, squirrels or magpies, and he's ready to chase a car at a moment's notice. This confuses Button.

Button daintily picks a few kibbles from her food dish, sets them on the floor, and eats them a few at a time. Shadow inhales his.

They both seem a bit wary, or maybe slightly jealous, of each other -- Button of the somewhat grumpy dog who was here first, Shadow of the waggy interloper who seems to have won the affections of his humans.

I'm giggling as I type all this. It's been fun to have two dogs for the past week. They keep us laughing! And in spite of their differences, they both have loving hearts. Thanks, Eleanor -- we've enjoyed this experience!

It's another cold winter day, so we three just took a short walk (Shadow wears boots -- Button doesn't), and now I think I'll take Shadow and cuddle on the couch. Button will jump up and join us, no question!

Simple Suggestion #269... Take an evening stroll

One of the side benefits of having a dog has been our daily after-supper stroll. My hubby and I have gotten into the habit of setting out shortly after supper for at least a 20-minute walk with Shadow-dog. He seems to need it, or he paces the house and drives us a little crazy. Sometimes we opt for longer walks, and when it's really cold, they're shorter, but it's not the length of time that's important. It's that it happens at all.

On Wednesday night, Lee got home from a business trip to Ottawa/Toronto at about 9:30 p.m., just minutes before I returned from a L'Arche Board Meeting. Shadow hadn't had his walk yet, and we looked at each other and said, "Well, he needs a walk." And we put on our coats and boots and headed out, two hours later than usual. To be honest, we were the ones who needed the stroll more.

An evening walk is a wonderful way to unwind, a good place to review the day and let go of its stresses. Our routine stroll around our neighbourhood gives us a chance to catch up with ourselves and each other after a busy day. Even when Lee isn't here, Shadow and I walk without him. It settles the food in our stomachs, gets the blood flowing, and slows us down for the evening. Sometimes we opt to go a little further afield than our own neighbourhood just for a change, like last week's walk around the Legislature Grounds. Shadow loves a change in routine.

Even when it's cold and icy, we dress warm and head out for a stroll. And we recommend it to anyone who can manage it, all year round. Even if you don't have a dog who needs a walk.

Autumn beauty

The weather is turning, and the leaves won't be with us much longer. So today I am looking at the beauty that has surrounded me on walks in the last week or two, the photos I can't help but snap every year. This past weekend, Lee and I had a couple of really fine walks in nature even though the weather wasn't great, simply because the colours were. If you haven't had time to enjoy autumn beauty, this is for you.

When the snow is up to your belly

Apparently it's World Puppy Day, hence the video below. It has melted a lot since last week, when Shadow had a couple of pretty long walks, and by the end of them he was pretty worn out. I guess that's how it is when the snow is up to your belly. All that delicious snow to bury your face in and eat, and definitely a good cardio workout by the time we got home! Happy Puppy Day...

A foggy winter walk

I've never seen fog this thick in our city during the month of January. We're just back from a walk, and if anything, the fog seems thicker than when we left. It doesn't usually stick around this late into the day, either. Traffic noise was deadened, and the usual view of the river was missing, but we enjoyed ourselves, and Shadow had a marvelous time chasing his tail on the hard-packed snow. A few cool and foggy pictures for your enjoyment. Looks like we'll be having a foggy Women's March on Washington here in Edmonton. More on that tomorrow...

A perfect day for a walk

Back to snowy walks with a small dog

Winter arrived this week. I'm happy to see snow, and don't generally mind the cold, as long as it's a bit warmer than -30 C (the coldest thus far this week was an early morning -20 with windchill to -26). Shadow and I have been waiting until after lunch to go out this week, though I prefer to get the day's walk out of the way earlier.

Here are a few images and a video from this week's walks:

Mountain ash berries are pretty with snow...

The river is slowly freezing (when it isn't thawing -- 

our cold snaps keep getting interrupted with temperatures

in the pluses... 

It's hard to see, but Shadow has a white beard

from licking snowbanks as he romps along...

Gallagher Park -- arguably the city's best tobogganing hill...

We love living so close to the river valley...

No ducks left here...

and long shadows at two p.m....

If you've never walked a small dog in the snow, this is what it's like, minus the cold fresh air... Have a good weekend, friends!