Mom says we missed Wordless Wednesday. She says it’s Thursday now and I need to move on, but seriously, I think Wednesdays are perfect days to showcase me, especially during my cute puppy days.
Cause everybody knows that puppyhood doesn’t last forever.
Mom called my name, so I turned right around.
So I have tasked mom with making sure she posts a picture of me, her Adventure Girl, every Wednesday.
I figured I better speed it up, in case there were treats.
And, because she messed up already, I am requiring additional photos today. Sort of an advance on future Wednesdays, just in case she loses track of time again.
Just the THOUGHT of treats made me leap for joy!
I’ve only lived with mom and daddy a month and I can already tell I’m going to have to keep them in line. They mumble something about being retired but that’s not going to fly with a puppy in the house!
I’m coming, mom!
I’ve got so much to tell you, but for now, over and out,
Really mom? One piece of kibble for all that?
Your feisty chewing whirlwind Adventure Girl, signing out!
Wednesday afternoon the sun came out and temperatures rose into the 50s F (10s C). The snow began to melt, birds were singing, and spring felt within reach.
“Can we please go outside, mom?”
Little Penny, experiencing her first spring day, was ecstatic. And, because she wanted to be outside exploring her yard, she began to ask to go outside.
Our first picture together.
And just like that a corner has been rounded in our potty training effort.
Wednesday afternoon she began going to the back door and whining softly. Once, when I didn’t move fast enough to suit her, she pawed at the door.
Trying to engage the puppy in the reflection.
I’m pretty ecstatic too.
We’ve gone a whole day without a potty accident in the house. She’s napping at the moment, exhausted by all the tours of the yard, the grasses pulled, the gardens explored.
“Hey mom! This grass smells great!”
I’m grinning as I type, because I can tell she’s going to be an awesome dog.
Oh, I still miss my Katie-girl. I will always miss her, and Bonnie before her, and Daisy before Bonnie. As I walk around the yard, little Penny dancing on the end of her leash I talk to Katie.
She sits when she’s interested in something. We didn’t train her to do this. I spent years trying to get Katie to sit when a car drove by.
“See your little sister, baby-girl? See how she’s running and grinning and having the best time in your yard? Isn’t she cute? She’s got so many adventures in front of her, doesn’t she, sweetie. You keep watch over us, Katie-girl, and thanks for guiding us to this little one. She’s going to be special, just like you.”
“I think this piece of grass needs to be pulled up, mom. Don’t worry, I’ll handle it.“
Yep, this one’s a fire cracker, all bundled up energy, bursting into zoomies at the slightest instigation, never complaining, always happy, and definitely smart.
“Can we please go out again, mom?”
There’s going to be some stories to tell, no doubt about it. I can’t wait to get started. I think she’s pretty amped up too.
You may have been wondering when I’d get on my mom’s blog and introduce myself. You probably thought I was shy, after all that’s a sheltie trait, being shy until we get comfortable with stuff.
What’s that over there?
Well. That’s not me.
Let me get something straight right from the start. I’m not shy about anything. And I’m not afraid of anything either.
My first day at my forever home.
I am a very confident and smart sheltie-girl. My mom said my sister Daisy (who lived until age 10 and died in 1990) was the sweet girl, and my sister Bonnie (who lived almost 15 years and died in 2006) was the good girl, and my sister Katie (who you all knew and loved) was the pretty girl, but I’m the smart girl.
I think I’m going to grow up to be an excellent shredder.
I’m also a very busy little girl, I want to know what’s going on all the time. I’m supposed to be a cuddle bug but frankly I’m far too busy to be cuddling on the sofa. Maybe later after I get this house and my folks in shape I’ll have time to cuddle. Right now I need things to be just the way I like them, and frankly my folks have been slacking.
I expect more adventures and I’m going to make sure I get them!
I absolutely love retrieving my ball!
Mom says we’re staying in right now cause I don’t have all my shots yet. She says we’re going to visit the vet soon and get some more shots taken care of. I don’t know. Katie told me sometimes the folks take us places that are not adventures and try to pass them off as fun.
Ahem. Let me remind them, I’m the smart girl.
I love chewing on stuff too.
I can tell you right now that they won’t get away with that! No siree! I can smell a con a mile away. Though Katie told me that the vet is really nice, and helped her feel lots better for a long time. So maybe the vet “adventure” will be fine. I’ll reserve judgement.
Sometimes I get a little excited.
Anyway, I’m settling in here with mom and dad. I’ve been here almost two weeks. Yesterday I sat on my sister’s rug and watched the birds, and mom smiled when I put the first nose prints on the sliding door. And she got kind of teary when I found a stick on the deck and broke it up into tiny pieces. I guess I remind her of someone.
How come you get teary eyed, mom?
I’m a happy, talkative little girl who’s not shy about telling my folks off if they don’t attend to my needs fast enough. I love my mom and dad, my toys, my (numerous) beds, my Mama S (my breeder mom) and my supper.
Not necessarily in that order.
I tell my folks off regularly.
And I like going outside to pee, preferably every 30 minutes. And today I didn’t have one single accident in the house! Mom says she’s very proud of me. I’m sort of proud of me too.
I like to sleep with my duck, cause sometimes I miss my sisters.
That reminds me, I need to go tell mom I need to go out. I don’t really need to go out, I just like watching her put on her shoes and coat and stuff. And I like to be carried outside, cause I get to kiss her and get kisses back while we’re walking down the deck stairs.
Kisses and eating snow are the best parts about going outside.
A week ago yesterday the sun finally came out. We’d had weeks on end, it seemed, of nothing but cloudy skies, cold wind, and sleeting rain.
A pretty day for a run. Or a walk if you’re not a runner.
It is, after all, Michigan in February.
This week’s artsy-fartsy image.
But when the sun broke through all the grey I couldn’t help but want to get out and see if I could find any color.
There was still ice back in the wetlands.
I went to my local Metropark, Indian Springs, because it’s close to home and the bike trail meanders through wetlands, hills and woods. Perfect for testing my spring thesis.
Red twigged dogwood
What spring thesis you ask? Well…I think about February around here Spring starts flexing her muscles and if you look and listen carefully you’ll know she’s right around the corner, just waiting to burst through the last bits of winter.
Light shone through last year’s beech leaves
My husband saw a red-winged blackbird this week, though we haven’t heard them yet. If they’re here, than it’s officially spring, no matter what the skies drop on us.
Flying free in the sun.
Oh, to be sure, I know this winter has not slunk off into history yet. There will be more snow. More cold. More windy sleet. But on that Saturday, just eight days ago the sky was a brilliant blue, and it was warm enough take pictures without wearing gloves.
You can’t beat sunshine and woods to lift the winter doldrums.
I thought you’d want to know, especially those of you even further north than me, that it won’t be long now. Nope, check your gardens, especially those near your house. You might find some hope poking up, reaching for the sun, ready to put a smile on your face.
Skunk cabbage poking up, a first sign of spring around here.
And if not, go for a walk in woods near you and keep a sharp eye out for hints that we’re almost out of the deep freeze.
I know, I know. Every year, every single year, I go on and on about spring being near, that we’ve almost outrun the cold, and then we get slammed with a blizzard.
Last year’s teasel.
I know I’m being foolish (again) by believing that this year will be different.
These leaf buds are bound to pop soon!
This year we won’t have those last winter storms, when buds are opening and fruit trees are vulnerable. This year we’ll head straight into warm summer afternoons, we’ll bypass the last salt trucks and snow plows.
That blue sky just has to be a hopeful sign!
Yep. This is the year we jump straight into spring. I’m sure of it.
Aren’t you?
Head on out for a walk, you never know what you’ll see!
This is a post I thought I’d have up a long ago. But exciting things interrupted the flow (and she probably always will).
I interrupt this blog to announce my intention to control everything my mom does for the foreseeable future.
A week ago, long before we knew we’d be sheltie parents by the weekend, I went out looking for barns and failing at that decided to check out Midland’s Overlook Park to see if the pelicans I’d heard about would be there.
Saw some barns along the way.
I saw lots of other stuff, but no pelicans for the first couple hours. The sun started going down and it got colder. I hung out, hoping. But how long should I wait?
I’d just about given up, had started texting someone about something or other, my mind moving on from the cold parking lot in the growing dusk, when suddenly, out of the corner of my eye I saw a flash of white, right up near the edge of the pond directly in front of me…and behind the chain-link fence which is covered with vines.
Hard to focus through a fence!
A squadron of pelicans had landed! I squealed even though I couldn’t get a clear shot of them.
Next to me in the parking lot was another photographer, also with a long lens, also frustrated that the big white birds were swimming up and down along the edge of the pond, obscured by the fence.
At first all we got were pelican behinds.
But we waited, hoping. And eventually the six of them edged out just a bit into water unobscured by the fence. It was very, very, very cool.
The initial six.
And as the dusk intensified four more pelicans arrived to join the pod. Most of the time we couldn’t really see them…they’d swim out toward the middle a little bit and then all of the sudden they’d all flock back to the edge as if something startled them.
Much more obviously pelicans from the side.
But I’ve been reading how scoops of pelicans can work together to herd fish into more shallow water for easier fishing. It’s possible that’s what they were doing.
Maybe they’re fishing.
Groups of pelicans are called several things, according to articles I’ve found. “A group of pelicans has many collective nouns, including a “brief”, “pod”, “pouch”, “scoop”, and “squadron” of pelicans.” You can google it too….they’re called different things depending on what they’re doing at the time. I don’t think I used the right terms, but it was fun to read about.
Reflecting on his evening plans.
Regardless of what they’re called, they were magical to watch, and I’m really glad I stuck around, and I’m doubly glad they decided to show up, right in front of where I was parked!
Wednesday I suddenly found myself with a few hours free in the afternoon. And we had sun with the rest of the week predicted to be cold and rainy. What should I do?
What would you do?
On the road looking for interesting barns.
I decided I should head out in search of a few photogenic barns. I wasn’t sure where I’d be going, but just going in search of barns felt great. I told myself it didn’t matter if I found any. I had a full tank of gas and nowhere I had to be.
The barn’s kind of boring, but the tree is nice.
But after a couple of hours I wasn’t thrilled with what I’d found. I seemed to be in familiar territory and hadn’t seen anything new. Then I turned one more corner and found this one. It was perfect.
This was exactly the kind of barn I’d been looking for.
Maybe I wasn’t going to find any more great barns, but it was still early, going on 3:30. I knew I wasn’t far from Overlook Park in Midland, where another photographer had seen pelicans this winter. I’d been there twice before, searching for the pelicans, but hadn’t seen anything more interesting than geese and ducks.
But she’d told me, just recently, that it was always dusk when she saw the pelicans. Would it be worth it to hang out there until the sun went down? I decided to go see.
Can’t get too close, but it was fun to watch the ducks.
Overlook Park, located in Midland, Michigan, is basically a parking lot perched on a hill looking out over the retention ponds of DOW Chemical. I’ve seen eagles and hawks and geese and ducks and deer there. But never pelicans.
Most of the action was happening way over there.
When I first arrived there was one other car parked there, somebody with binoculars scanning the ponds. I pulled in and immediately saw something big headed our way. It landed in a tree on the outer edges of the park, not so far from the parking lot. I thought maybe it was a juvenile eagle. But I was wrong.
Do you see it in the top of the tree on the right?
It’s a hawk, I think, though I’m no expert on differentiating between hawks. As soon as I got out of the car he (or she) spotted me and I knew right away it was going to take flight. I wasn’t wrong about that!
We have lift-off!
I tried to keep it in the frame, but that was just about impossible.
Beautiful bird.
It flew off to my right, into the woods where it could have some privacy. I sighed and returned to my search of the water, looking for pelicans.
I wondered if the pelicans were way over on the other side of the pond, with the hundreds of geese and ducks over there. If they were, there wasn’t a chance I’d ever see them. Even as I considered what else I could shoot, hundreds of geese lifted up, at once, in groups of a dozen or two and flew overhead.
I’m always fascinated by how nature just settles right in next to industry.
The noise was amazing. I don’t know if they were headed to their night roosts, or just stirring up trouble because they could. After they moved on I hunkered down to wait some more. The sun was going down and it was getting colder.
A steady parade of deer headed out to the end of a peninsula and settled down for the night.
I wondered if I’d be lucky. I had no idea from which direction the pelicans would come or where they’d land. So much of the water was far away from where I waited. I reminded myself this wasn’t Disney World, the pelicans weren’t on the clock. There were no guarantees they’d show up at all.
Meanwhile I was entertained by some adorable diving ducks. You’d see them swimming…
Lots of little ducks
…and then suddenly they’d disappear, leaving only a ring of ripples to show they had ever been there.
Where’d they go?
Then they’d pop back up again somewhere else. It was so fun to watch.
Hey! Wait up!
Still…I was there for pelicans. Would they come in as the sun went down or arrive under the cover of darkness? Would it be at the other end of the pond? Had they migrated on to somewhere warmer? Were they even still in the state?
Would they show up at all? How long should I wait?
When I left you and the birds last I was headed to the back regions of Kensington Metropark in search of deer. It’s almost guaranteed to find one or two back there if you’re quiet. If you’re not quiet you won’t see any. But they’ll be watching you.
This little guy was the one that got my attention by his incessant whining as I was walking through the woods.
As I worked my way toward the back a woman coming the other way said she had seen two beautiful does in the furthest back corner of the longest loop. Since I was headed that direction anyway I smiled my thanks. I knew they wouldn’t still be there when I arrived, but I also knew there were some back there.
This guy chimed in, so I had to stop and feed them for awhile.
Somewhere.
On the way I had a few birds begging for treats, so I stopped and tossed them a few peanuts. I was busy doing that when a guy came up the path. He apologized for interrupting my bird photo shoot. I said no problem, there would be lots of opportunities to get more pictures.
This one was quite insistent too.
We talked for awhile. He said there was a thicket to the right around the next corner where he often saw multiple pairs of cardinals. I thanked him and got back to work shooting my birds.
I had only seen a couple of deer far off in the woods so far, and I was pretty sure I wouldn’t see many more. But a whole lot of cardinals? That would be fun!
She was pretty far away, but I was glad to see at least one deer that morning.
And then I rounded the corner, and saw the guy down at the end of a long slope, taking pictures with his phone of several deer that were standing around quite close to him. I stopped so as to not startle them.
There was a group of about six does hanging out together.
At first they were focused on him, hoping for a handout. Then they noticed me.
She decided to smell the air to see if I was a threat.
The guy moved on and now I was the main attraction.
There was a buck too, but he wasn’t interested in me.
I know they wanted something to eat, but all I had was seed for the birds. Not nearly enough to feed the herd. I moved on trying not to startle them, until I came to the thicket around another corner, quite a ways from the herd of dear, where the cardinals lived.
She could flip one ear back to listen for things behind her, while keeping one ear and her eyes focused on me.
There was only one that I saw that morning, but he delighted me by flying up to a sunlit branch.
He was posing for me.
I had the camera up to my eyes, trying to figure out the best shot when I heard footsteps. I thought maybe another person was coming along the trail so I pulled off a few shots of the cardinal, knowing he’d fly away.
And then I lowered the camera and glanced back to see who was coming.
The whole herd was coming down the trail, following me.
I guess they hadn’t given up on me. I felt even worse that I had nothing to give them. One in particular was out front. I thought he was a youngster, less wary, perhaps more hungry.
She was asking with her eyes. I imagine some people do feed them, but I don’t think very many people walk this far back in the woods.
I stood and watched them as they gave up on me and wandered a bit looking for something to eat.
I’m sorry, girl. I hope you made it through this cold snap out there.
Then I moved as swiftly as I could away, climbing a hill and making a couple turns as soon as I could to put some space between me and them. I found myself next to another thicket that had all sorts of birds, including a cardinal couple.
They were interested in me but not interested in getting too close. In fact, Ms. Cardinal took great delight in not giving me a clear shot to a great image.
Yep, that branch across her face was deliberate on her part.
She flitted from here to there.
She moved and her face was showing, but now the branches covered up her beautiful body.
Always making sure there were twigs and branches between her and me…
Different branch, same story.
…while making sure she showed enough of her beautiful colors to keep me intrigued.
She had a lot of spots to hide, but she couldn’t hide her beauty.
She let me chase her down the trail, always keeping something between us.
Yep, she won the game, bet she’s still smiling.
After awhile I just gave up and went on down the trail. It was getting late and I was a long way from the car.
My artsy fartsy picture of the day
But there were a whole lot of birds waiting for me, so it wasn’t a fast trip back to the car.
“Hey lady!”
No, they dropped out of trees and flew around my head as I walked, landing on my camera lens if I ignored them.
Missed the bird, but I liked the image anyway.
They were everywhere. I was surprised because usually that far back in the woods, where fewer people walk, the birds are not as eager to engage.
Such cute little ones.
As I got closer to the parking lot the birds because more assertive. I emptied my pocket of seed, sharing some with a squirrel or two along the way.
Pretty sure he knew I had seed in my pocket.
Eventually I made it out of there, completely stripped of all treats, but with a full card of wonderful images, and great memories.
Getting his own lunch.
Even though I didn’t gain an audience with the Queen of the Boardwalk.
Change Is Hard 