Wednesday, June 21, 2023

The future for my hound dog, Ranger, doesn’t seem rosy. On Monday night, his rising white cell count provided hope he could recover from infection, but by Tuesday morning the white cell counts had dropped again. Ranger came home with me yesterday morning and will return to the emergency clinic for a white cell recount this evening. If the result isn’t adequate, he’ll need reexamining at an ultra-specialized clinic.

I and others often comment sadness that our pets mostly don’t outlive us; but still, we are lucky to have their brief wonderfulness. After Ranger’s destructive puppyhood, he provided me with years of delightful companionship. In fact, remembering how appropriately Ranger transitioned has helped me decide to continue sticking with complicated young Chase.

Today’s header photo is a “puffball,” a weed wildflower (Yellow salsify). Sighting it put me in mind of time’s rapid passing. This puff brought to my mind feelings about much in my and Ranger’s twelve or thirteen years together; now they are memories from seasons past.

Dear Friends: Extra hugs for our pets; they give us so much of themselves. Diana

Tuesday, June 20, 2023

The header is my boy, Ranger, weeks ago, hurrying along during an outing. He might have picked up an infection because he soon appeared to be slowing, aging more rapidly, with less appetite, and mostly wanting to sleep. Yesterday, he refused to eat and was lethargic.

I felt he needed an examination and took him to the animal emergency hospital. I frequently looked into my vehicle’s back seat as he lay very still and barely breathing.

A veterinary workup revealed that Ranger’s white blood cell count was extremely low. The veterinarian estimated cancer or an unrecognizable infection. She was worried and recommended that he receive fluids and antibiotics through the night. His workup list was equal to everything an emergency patient at St. Charles might receive. I left the clinic with Ranger hospitalized there for expert treatment.

In the evening, his veterinarian called, saying Ranger had recovered and was well. The fluids and antibiotics augmenting his white cell count had helped his body combat infection. His x-rays didn’t reveal cancer but showed arthritis in his rear and an elbow. The veterinarian said he could go home but couldn’t rule out the possibility of cancer.

Fortunately, I am off work because he must be picked up before 7:30 this morning. This episode is my heads-up to watch Ranger even more closely.

My old fellow has entered the danger zone.

He’s been with me since he was four months old. Ranger had shown up at my place as a frightened stray puppy. This image from several years ago shows him in great shape from running alongside my horses on trails.

I have lovely memories of being on trails with both Ranger and Louie, dream team companions and long-time buddies.

Dear Friends: Doing my best to do what’s right for my pets often is challenging. Diana

Monday, June 18, 2023

Happy Juneteenth!

While tramping in a desert, I discovered this newly-opened, lovely plant. My phone app calls it a “spreading fleabane.” The phone formally identifies it as an Erigeron divergens, native to western North America, adding that it has highly variable forms. For example, it can produce one-to-multiple stems with over 100 flower heads. It blooms in pinks, yellows, and purples from early spring to late autumn. I’ll watch to see how this baby may grow!

I’m running late on this, yet another early-to-work day.

Dear Friends: What’s good about going in early is getting to leave early. Diana

Sunday, June 18, 2023

To all dads, Happy Father’s Day!

The header photo is a neat capture of Mitzvah. She’s cute and mostly running. Photos usually capture her rear; this was a lucky shot that occurred on a hot afternoon as she was pausing in a grassy-shady spot. This image might be worthy of printing and framing.

Sometimes, Mitzvah joins Chase on one of his regular outings, but only occasionally because his energy can turn her into a football-like buddy. The problem is his fifty-odd pounds vs. her 16 pounds. At the start, she’s faster, but he tires her out and I go to the rescue.

Here comes that energy!

While we’re hiking, I focus on the surrounding plant life, new blooms, and mature trees. For years, I’ve hiked this trail which used to boast more mature Ponderosas. Several of those giants have fallen victim to lightning or illness.

This trio on my path is in various states of health. These trees make me pause, for they’re beautiful and optimally arranged. I imagine their ancient roots, reaching deeply underground and intertwined, communicating and sharing nutrients.

I imagine Oregon forests in the distant past, in their original state and full of Ponderosas and other evergreen varieties. If we had understood tree life then as we do now, would we have done so much mightily-aggressive clear-cutting? I know that it’s pipe dreaming to think things might have been different, that humanity would have protected more world forests. As much as people today understand the necessity of preserving our little plant, we still drill and pound on it.

My dogs and I are lucky. We stroll beside a trickling waterway that sports spring flowers and supports several big Ponderosas. Someday, these will disappear into an area of resort destinations, apartment buildings, and individual homes.

My imagination resists. I stroll with a camera, capture what’s interesting, and enjoy imagining forest history. I hope it’s realistic to respect humanity as capable of saving enough of what remains.

Dear Friends: Our planet’s survival depends on keeping it always well-forested. Diana

Saturday, June 17, 2023

Last night I felt sad to learn that Glenda Jackson has died. She was 87 years old and had been as impressive in her elderly life as when she was young.

Jackson, an Englishwoman, became one of the best film actresses ever, always in her roles intelligent and determined. At some point, she quit acting and became elected to a seat in Parliament, which she retained for many years. Finally, after retiring from government in her early eighties, she accepted leading roles in some Broadway plays.

Over her early years, Jackson starred in bunches of movies and won major acting awards. I’ve constantly been a fan. I have a favorite film, “Turtle Diary,” which didn’t win any awards but should have, IMHO.

RIP, Glenda Jackson. You’ve helped many of a certain age feel proud that through many socially complicated years for women, your intelligence and determination achieved more in life than most women could have dreamed possible.

Dear Friends: This is another of my early-to-work days. Diana

Friday, June 16, 2023

I made it through a second (and last for a while) root canal, this time without pain afterward. I told the dentist about having suffered 24 hours of toothache after an earlier root canal. He was surprised and changed an element in the procedure, which made a difference. As a just in case, he prescribed painkillers.

That took me to the Costco pharmacy. I avoid Costco all possible to save money but use its pharmacy. The procedure is to hand a prescription to “the taker” and later pick up a dispensed product at the pharm registers. Typically, my taker said it would be an hour for my order to be filled.

That meant I could shop. Long story short, after an hour and now with too much in my cart, I checked the pharmacy. My order hadn’t been processed, so I pushed back and hard, complaining of suffering a severe toothache. That elevated my case to “urgent,” and the pills were ready in fifteen minutes.

In general, I didn’t enjoy shopping in that big store. It has lots of products with prices that don’t seem competitive enough. I’ve shopped there often enough to find boring the same stuff rotating in and out, seducing and filling carts. Costco is clever, but I’m close to reaching a shopping point of no return.

Working in retail teaches how big stores operate. It teaches how products are moved around, on-sale items are timed and arranged, and various other ways customers are seduced to buy, and in particular, use credit cards.

It’s a cycle hard for spenders to opt out of. I wish to escape, and how isn’t clear, except that doing so seems to require learning to spend on an all-cash basis. It’s not an easy transition but working at it lends a personal sense of power. These days my perceptions are keen relative to where and how I’m shopping and how much I can spend.

Costco makes lots of money from people killing time while waiting for its pharmacy to deliver. Not much longer for me, because I can seek a faster pharmacy.

Dear Friends: Today’s header photo reflects my recovery method yesterday. Diana

Thursday, June 15, 2023

Recently, I’ve felt very aware that we in Central Oregon live in a beautiful place. Maybe because this year’s spring, arriving late, seemed incredibly welcome. Everywhere gardens and wildflowers have begun popping. Butterflies are appearing, ducks and geese are in flight, and the local weather and natural daylight seem just right.

What also makes this small space on Earth seem wonderfully special is its semi-isolation from the larger world’s confusing politics and catastrophes. Of course, we who live here complain all the time about how much the city is growing, how awful the traffic has become, and how little sense our community leaders often make. Nonetheless, overall, it’s a beautiful area.

Maybe except for the embedded lava rock. A person working here to install an outside pole light is returning today with some sort of blaster drill to remove buried rock from where that light should stand. On the other hand, my house stands high on an embedded ridge allowing for great viewing of the Cascades.

Daily, I look at those Cascades and try to interpret what they’re telling us. How bright or dim is the light over them; might they be suggesting a chance of rain; is my current view of those peaks worth going to find a camera and capturing? And so on. The Cascades are part of my family.

I tell a friend, who’s lived here for many years and is planning to move to Portland, that afterward, he’ll be sorry. He laughs and says no, he won’t be sorry because he grew up in Portland and loves it. I say, “We’ll see.”

Dear Friends: Our high desert lately arrived summer will be all too short. Diana

Wednesday, June 14, 2023

The header photo took everything my iPhone’s magnification capabilities could muster to capture this teeny spider sitting atop a potted Geranium. Achieving so much of the little guy pushed the phone. While this image is nice, a more powerful camera would have revealed the spider more clearly.

Today, with a real magnifying camera, I’ll be out among the garden and wild plants to capture more of those living bits thriving among them. This idea started shaping a month ago when I encountered this unusual butterfly/moth.

I’ve not fully identified the creature. It’s likely a variety of Polyphemus, a moth of the Pacific Northwest. Periodically in the springtime, more significant numbers of these hatches create enough mature moths to inundate Central Oregon throughout the summer. So far, this single sighting encourages my wish to capture more of what’s out there.

Dear Friends: The living world comprises the seen, barely seen, and unseen. Diana

Tuesday, June 13, 2023

I’m fond of a young tree located beside the canal in a BLM that my dogs and I often visit. My phone app identifies it as an Arroyo Willow and describes it as an easy-care plant that’s resistant to nearly all pests and diseases. This year the willow is more noticeable, having grown to be as tall as me, and seems destined to become a significant component at the canal.

Of course, less lovely components also exist there. Here’s a stand of young cheatgrass.

Almost everyone dislikes cheatgrass and I’m not drawn to photograph it. However, these young cattail-like blooms had me seeing that their still-featherlike waving can illuminate a waterway.

On that subject, these are young, blooming clover.

And water, highlighting weeds and Forget-Me-Nots.

Uh, oh! He, too, enjoying the weeds galore.

Dear Friends: Make today a wonderful one. Diana

Monday, June 12, 2023

That’s my cute little Mitzvah exploring along the waterway and taking care that only her paws get wet. She tiptoes close to the water’s edge and drinks but otherwise stays a dry baby.

Yesterday, instead of walking dogs, I did a fence thing. That took hours during which I somehow avoided giving up and hiring someone else to handle the job. I managed to persevere and finally did cut, set, and mix concrete. Whereupon now stands a strong new post.

Ahead will be attaching the fence top rails and wire fabric. Those seem less daunting than first approaching the post-setting task. Of course, everything has a start, and now my future includes replacing other loose, worrisome posts. The objective of keeping horses safe means it’s critical to fix anything that’s even slightly out of repair. Horses are big animals, they’re hard on everything.

Today, I’m due to arrive at my part-time job by 10:30. It’s a luxurious late start and a one-off. My schedule after a couple of days off resumes those 6 a.m. entries. I must keep in mind that early to work equates to early leaving work.

Dear Friends: Out now, to feed horses and check the stability of that post. Diana