Where Did The Yard Go?

BrownStone Cascade Mt. Klah,(Liaka) is in training to be a service therapy dog. Here is link to a video of her class's stress assessment. (Some day I'll figure out how to post a video in the blog). The video courtesy of James Collera and Paws'itive Teams - Service and Therapy Dogs   http://youtu.be/KWEazxz0m5I

Yesterday I finally tired of playing on the internet and went outside to start the year's weeding chores. I can't believe it is January. The weeds certainly don't know it. They are flourishing in the warm, damp weather. One hard freeze and Ma Nature would do much of the weeding for me but the weather predictions are for continued warmer and dryer weather. After filling my 4'x8'x4' trailer to the brim and getting soaked by the enveloping cloud, I dried by the fire and grabbed my camera.

"PR" BrownStone Cascade Mt. Trask (Trask)

 Such a goofy, handsome boy and he knows it.

 "PR" BrownStone Iditarod Koyuk, CGC, TT, WSD (Koyuk)

 Such a "Koy" girl.

 CH "PR" MoonSong Cedar River Touchdown, CGC, WSD (Cedar)

Sweet Cedar. Last weekend we had visitors who wanted to meet Chinooks. Like everyone else they too called Cedar "such a sweet girl".

 Team Nookies without snow to much on.

Today is another day in the clouds. If possible, even thicker than yesterday.

It is a good morning to do - ugh - housework and hang around inside.

 "Where did the front yard go?"

Five Mornings

Still no winter around here. On the plus side, the high pressure zone sitting over us and the clear-cut next door have afforded me great photo-ops. Monday morning the thick clouds concealed humanity in the valley below and the surreal roar of morning traffic obscured nature’s sounds in the wakening forest.

The dogs ran hard and fast Sunday so I planned a day of rest. Not so for Trask. When I got back from my photography hike, he was waiting by Ferrari and ready to jump into harness. Since it was already 55 degrees and much too hot to run, Ferrari sat idle. (Day high 69 degrees)

All day Tuesday we were in the clouds with viability less than 50 yards.

Wednesday morning my three-canine-tongue-alarm awoke me to a brilliant sunrise. It is so much better to be above the clouds than in them like yesterday. I walked around in the clear-cut for some of these shots.

My photo, someday to be tree house, platform.

Yesterday it got to 65 degrees all the way to over 11,000'. Someone forgot to tell Ma Nature this is winter. Today it is foggy up here. A good day to sit and type a blog - and run the dogs.

Even tough it means getting up earlier than I might want, I think I will never tire of taking pictures of the 3 Sisters from my yet-to-be-built-treefort tree. This morning the valley was again socked in with fog.

After my photo session, I took Ferrari out to get the Sunday paper.  I slowed the rig so I could hold my camera before we careened around the corner. Trask was having too much fun and did not want to stop.

The dogs waiting while I went across the road to the paper-box.  They were a bit winded after our fastest 1/2 mile ever.

Trask drinking post run.

Mug Shots

I took these pictures a few days ago but the dogs have been brown-nosing (and pawing) daily.  With new cattail shoots to dig and eat; a nutria that has moved in; vole holes to explore and Chinook tag to play while running through the muck, my lap, floors, and bed comforter don't stand a chance to remain clean.

"Mom, why won't you let me up on your lap to kiss you?"

Trask with the look of innocence.

Fortunately the Chinook teflon coat makes paw and muzzle clean-up easy.

Tree Fort

I am the quintessential eccentric aunt. I turn 65 in a couple of days but still love to play. I grew up on the edge of an ever-expanding 1950’s housing tract. The world as far as we knew was new houses on one side and a never-ending forest of fruit and nut trees on the other. As a kid, I requisitioned building site materials and built tree forts.  When trees were cut down to build another house, I just moved on. Building my new “fort” was most of the fun anyway – that and pelting neighboring tree forts with scavenged fallen fruit. 
I have been eying this tree as a potential tree fort ever since we moved here years ago...

but, it was in the middle of a thick stand of trees. A view-less tree house was moved to the back of my fun list. Then the "natural resources extraction" company brought the property next door and clear-cut it. Suddenly I had a view. I put up a ladder and checked it out.

The Three Sisters have always been my spiritual refuge.  I have journeyed up there as often as I could during all seasons of the year.  I even spent my 22nd birthday on the slope of the North Sister and my 23rd on the col between the Middle and South Sister. As I got older, my trips have become shorter and less frequent.

The other day, I climbed up the ladder and took pictures of the Sisters above the fog shrouded Willamette Valley. My Alaskan friend, Lisa, then took one of my photos and made it into a painting.

Tree house has moved to the top of my fun list. I will be able to enjoy the Sisters with coffee and chocolate in hand. (Actually I want to enter a contest to win a tree house from TreeHouse Masters show on the Animal Planet, but I need a video presentation. Video Help anyone? I'll let you come play.)

Happy New Year from Muku and Bramble

BrownStone Muku and Bramble live in a family that loves pictures as much as I do. They are great about sending me updates.  Unfortunately I am poor about posting.

Getting ready to celebrate the end of the year.

Ben and Muku starting the new year.

Muku and Bramble sharing the new fireplace and hearth they knew was built just for them.

All Packed Up...

Both the dogs and I were full of excited anticipation this morning. We were going to find snow and mush. Rain wasn't predicted until evening; the sled was secured: and the van was all packed up. I even threw in my downhill ski stuff to catch a few downhill runs after our sled run.
When I heard the rain in the night, my dreams were of fresh snow. Dave left to Ski Patrol at 0530 - not an hour I frequent. An hour and a half later as I was locking the house up, he called to say it was pouring at the ski area and water was running down the almost bare pavement where I planned to mush. I got the disappointed dogs out of the van; re-heated a mug of coffee; and read the Sunday paper while still in my ski clothes.

I was so bummed I even washed the muddy van - not a chore I frequent.
Now bored and bummed, I took down and put away the last of Christmas...

and decorated the fireplace for winter.  Maybe Ma Nature will take a hint and bring us snow.

I have always lamented that Trask and Koyuk did not have more dark masking. They took it upon themselves to start the new year with fulfilling my desire. Usually when they get this muddy, I throw them into the pond to rinse off but the pond has 2" of ice on it today.

"It was all Trask - honest."

Twenty-five degrees out. Trask and Koyuk found the only non-frozen ground. My raised garden beds, home to voles trying to stay warm, have now been roto-tilled a few months early.