Thursday, July 06, 2023

Yesterday, I said goodbye to twelve-year-old Ranger, my Treeing Walker Coonhound. He was one of my best friends ever. I spent last night recalling our adventures together, and today woke up feeling the heavy loss of his nearby presence.

Today’s header photo shows Ranger shortly after he appeared on my street as a young stray, frightened and needy. When I called the pup, he bellied toward me. I popped him into my vehicle and drove to a veterinarian friend. She guessed him at four months old and didn’t find a microchip. The puppy’s eyes never left me, and she said, “He’s made you his person.” She was correct, and that never changed. I was happy that my ad about a stray puppy ran without any responses.

During his puppy years, Ranger was a handful. The nuisance chewed and destroyed most of the furniture on my deck. Also, he was somewhat timid of other dogs and sometimes tried offsetting that by bullying but never pursued or fought.

Throughout most of Ranger’s years, he was my horseback buddy. On trails, there were some especially wonderful things about him. Although a hound, he had a “cold nose” and never left me to go hunting game. Whenever he got too far ahead to see my horse following, he backtracked and checked to self-reassure that I was coming. Also very cool was that Ranger could find very old trails, overgrown and invisible. If I felt somewhat lost, a good gamble was having my horse simply follow Ranger.

Dear Friends: R.I.P., my finest companion through some of my best years. Diana

Wednesday, July 05, 2023

Last night went as anticipated, with loud noises frightening my dogs. This year, the noises were worse. A nearby neighbor, entertaining guests and setting off rockets, created many very loud bangs. I coped with nervous, worried dogs and felt thankful that my floors are covered in manufactured viny and easy to clean. Also, I’m thankful for this year’s 4th being history.

It’s the anniversary of my having rescued a Robin baby a couple of years ago. It had fallen from the nest and was helpless. Raising that fledgling was one of my most fun experiences. The bird and I developed a close, trusting relationship. Seeing it grow and develop to independence became memorable. I hoped the mature version would hang around, but one day it flew. Then, I hoped it would return someday to visit, which hasn’t happened far as I know. I keep looking for it anyway.

I wouldn’t recognize “my Robin,” but I hope it would remember my call. So these days, I spend time outside saying, “Bird?” in the tone and voice which I used to call it to me. In its baby days, the bird came immediately, at first from perches in the garage and later, flying from various trees. Until one day, my bird was gone.

I am a “bird person” and struggled about making this Robin a pet or letting it go wild. I’m glad I let it go, but I always wonder how its life has been.

Dear Friends: On my way outside now to make some calls for “Bird?” Diana

Tuesday, July 04, 2023

Happy you-know-what holiday. This isn’t among my favorites. I fear even tiny explosives and don’t have any affection for skyward-shooting rockets. Plus, my dogs fear the sounds associated with this holiday. Tonight’s nervous dogs will have me trying to calm them through this community’s public fireworks displays.

Okay, enough of the ranting.

In these dog days of summer, I’m happy to have a couple days off from work. This beautifully-dawning morning makes me eager to go outside and address the early chores. Otherwise, I’ll play this day by ear (an unintended pun for what the evening will bring).

Dear Friends: Regardless of how you may lean have a good holiday. Diana

Monday, July 03, 2023

In yesterday’s late cool afternoon, I hiked with the dogs, and this time, Miles came along. I’ve avoided including the elderly Border Collie in our outings because Matcho Chase recently tried to fight with Miles. When the attack occurred, Chase was leashed, and got pulled the heck off!

Since then, Chase has worn an e-collar and regularly gone hiking with me on public trails. My finger rests on the collar’s stinger when he meets other dogs, particularly males older and weaker. Our hikes are accustoming Chase to these meetings. He’s been responsive to verbal warnings and avoids stinger hits.

Yesterday, Miles was beyond excited when invited to join our hike. He leaped into the Jeep, and during our ride, Chase was inoffensive. While we were hiking, the wide-ranging Miles outdistanced Chase, and otherwise, he tolerated badgering from the younger dog to play. Chase, as usual, played aggressively but didn’t pick fights. Everybody got home safely!

Regular trail experiences seem to be socializing my aggressive pup. His Rottweiler/Shepherd mix makes him cautious and protective and encourages him to be an alpha. Eventually, I hope Miles safely can be in the yard with Chase, without me near for protection. That would be a great outcome for this complicated and loveable young dog.

Miles, twelve years old, is big and beautiful. He’s a deeply-committed Border Collie. Yesterday, here, wet from the canal.

This shot brought Miles close up. He’s actually poised at a distance, focusing intently on me his “Border Collie herding eye.”

Dear Friends: Progress often follows the taking of one slow step after another. Diana

Sunday, July 02, 2023

A guy came into HD wanting several feet of rope and leading a big doodle-type dog. He told me that he would transform ten-foot lengths of braided rope into dog leads, to accommodate his growing puppy. He showed me her leash, explaining that he had parted and rewoven rope strands to create its handhold loop. That loop was beautiful, smooth-looking, and professional.

Always needing more dog leashes and horse leads, and asking about his weaving process, I became introduced to the concept of “fids.” Those are used for rope weaving. He was enthusiastic and went to his vehicle, retrieved a set of fids, and showed them to me. He encouraged me to watch YouTube demonstrations of using fids in rope weaving.

Early today my online education began. Reweaving with fids is interesting to see but being new to the process confuses, for fids are available in numerous sizes. One must identify which to use. In contrast, selecting rope is easy as HD carries lots of it.

I’ll continue pursuing metods of reweaving rope. Besides its potential usefulness the process seems relaxing (or maybe not for an OCD type [no telling where I fall on that scale]). Anyway, for now, I’ll leave possibilities alone and focus on grasping more on the doing.

Dear Friends: I am laughing because, who’d-a-thought, fids! Diana

Saturday, July 01, 2023

That’s my house-hen, “Wellsummer.” She’s thirteen-years-old, and outside enjoying the nice weather. This last surviving hen from my first flock continues doing well and, although eating less, keeps good weight and spirit.

This week at HD, I’ve worked in the afternoons from 4-8. It’s been very tiring after having handled all sorts of work at home before showing up at HD. This month’s schedule has me at HD during the afternoon and evening hours. I will think about readjusting my activities during the morning hours at home to save energy for my obligations at HD.

We’re more than halfway through this year, and now I’m imagining the daylights becoming shorter. Right now, after spending late hours at HD, I’m arriving home with enough light to care for my animals’ needs. Soon, I’ll be strapping on a headlight before joining the critters. Meanwhile, may we have continuing nice weather. Last fall, our winter arrived early, and with such snow and vengeance, I quit my outside job.

That actually worked out well when HD became my next workplace. It’s been fun learning about gardens, tools, hardware, and shelf stocking while interacting with customers (and often, too, their dogs).

Now, about my Zoom camera. I’ve finally worked through its bugs and can resume a favorite and too-long neglected activity. Today, I will carry the camera outside and look for wild bird-photo ops. Stay tuned for (hopefully) some beauts.

Dear Friends: Meanwhile, my sweet elderly hen nicely fills a “bird gap.” Diana

Friday, June 30, 2023

I’m following analyses of The Wagner Group’s leader’s recent march on Moscow. The extremely complex situation obviously stressed Putin. Although he still appears to be in charge, he’s embarrassed and stressed. There’s no telling what an intensely focused, threatened (and I’ll add crazy) individual might decide to do.

There’s a long history between the head of Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, and Russia’s President Putin. They grew up together on the same St. Petersburg streets, very ambitious individuals and long-time collaborators. They have a history of teaming that’s complicated and which recently culminated in Prigozhin’s march on Moscow. That apparently caused Putin’s sudden disappearance.

Prigozhin, after quickly quitting his march, was exiled to Belarus, a country where Putin stores nuclear weapons under the protection of its leader, Lukashenko (a puppet to Putin). Prigozhin’s exile is creating a trio of stressed and perhaps failing leaders with a cache of nuclear weapons.

Has this happened accidentally or because of a plot among that leadership trio? Were Prigozhin’s moves a decision to rebel, as analyses suggest, or a way of becoming more threatening to Ukraine and the world?

Even remotely, like here in Central Oregon, what happens in the battle for Ukraine feels close. Any threat of releasing a nuclear weapon frightens. It ties everybody, everywhere, near to what’s essentially a world battle.

Dear Friends: My rant comes on the heels of America’s increasing shift to the right. Diana

Thursday, June 29, 2023

I couldn’t resist posting this photo of my wonderful friend, Ranger, in his prime. He showed up on my doorstep years ago, a lost four-month-old puppy. Now, he’s an old guy with a gray muzzle and arthritis.

For the past couple of weeks, he’s taken twice-daily antibiotics to fight a sudden and unidentifiable infection. It’s causing a persistent fever and reducing his white blood cell count. His meds have made Ranger peppier and happier. Next week, he’ll receive another CBC to re-assess his fever status and low white blood count; these are conditions that suggest leukemia.

Yesterday, I hiked with my 60x zoom camera to refresh myself on using it. I’ve been carrying only an iPhone, which captures decent images, but now I want better accuracy and more details. All my new photos are disappointing because the camera wasn’t set correctly. Nonetheless, that was a start and sends me to re-read the instrument’s instruction book.

Dear Friends: Today’s ins and outs are later at HD, so I’ll hike early with the pups. Diana

Wednesday, June 28, 2023

This summer, while I worked in HD’s Garden Dept., the ease of obtaining plants encouraged me to create a home garden. I’ve gardened a bit in previous years but without real and lasting interest. This year, my efforts are more vigorous. Perhaps learning more about plants in HD’s garden environment lead me to a healthier respect for them.

This summer’s growing warmth and my care for the little garden are showing more hoped-for gains. Yesterday, my blooming butterfly and bee attractors, Lily of the Valley and Lavender, invited visitors. A couple of Monarchs fluttered long on the Lavender.

This capture doesn’t duplicate today’s header photo, it’s of another butterfly.

This unexpected, delightful sighting reveals my garden inviting Ladybugs! Here’s a little fella circling on the birdbath’s higher edge.

Wild birds and chipmunks are plentiful visitors; however, I shift now to a domestic bird, my Cockatoo, Peaches. Here and almost outside in a cage that fronts a flowered deck, he’s starting to play with a giant new toy constructed especially for him.

There’s never too much of Peaches, and here, he enjoys an orange during a break from destroying his toy.

Dear Friends: Simple appreciations keep our world beautiful and sustaining. Diana

Tuesday, June 27, 2023

I was watering a hanging basket of flowers when out popped a worried frog’s head. I would have liked to see more of the pretty creature, but appreciating its presence didn’t do more disturbing.

Moments later, another critter appeared, seeming completely relaxed and making me wonder if it could or would hunt. But western lizards are quick in action, and most likely, this dozer was at the ready.

Then there’s nature itself, providing beautiful sightings. It’s anybody’s guess as to how long this variety of Parmeliaceae lichen has lived and thrived on these branches as a plant life. It couldn’t be prettier.

By the way, these are lichen among a massive family of 2700 varieties that can flourish anywhere. They thrive in a multitude of climates ranging from the Artic to the Rainforest.

Dear Friends: Have a lovely day. Diana