Tis The Season

Last week at this time, I was enjoying the crunch of fallen leaves as Baxter and Rhonda romped along our driveway on a crisp, sunny day.

I was awed at the variety of colors that had transferred themselves from overhead to underfoot. You can sure tell the deep burgundy/mahogany of our now naked Ornamental Cherry tree from the yellows and golds of birch, willow and aspen.

A few nights of hard frosts followed by light, gusty winds rattling any leaves still tenaciously clinging to their host trees was all it took to send the last of them sailing to the forest floor.

I bundled Rhonda into her seasonally appropriate sweater this morning as our outside temperature was below freezing.

Yes, I also dressed Baxter in a warm sweater, but he chose to walk to the nearest bush, relieve himself and trot straight back to the front door, making his intentions clear. A cozy blanket on Dad’s lap was calling his name.

Since Ronni was NOT interested in returning to the house, I also bundled myself up in my heavier-weight merino leggings, warm jacket, scarf and hat. I know, in another couple of months, I’ll think fondly of 30F as comfortably warm, but even we Alaskans need time to adjust. Brrr!

Rhonda, nose to the air, chose our direction of travel today – down the driveway towards the utility easement where she has flushed a covey of spruce hens several times in the past month. She hasn’t managed to come away with more than a few tail feathers due to the restrictions of her 15’ leash, but still enjoys the game immensely.

We walked quite a ways down the dirt easement, which is an uneven walking surface at best, but well away from the traffic of the road. Good practice for me and an enriching environment for my nose-driven little hound.

A sleek black and white cat perched on a wooden fence near our walking path, pulling at Ronni’s prey drive, but since it thankfully didn’t jump down and run away, I was able to redirect Ronni, sending her back the way we came in pursuit of a stick. It was time to turn around anyway.

Personally, I’m just happy and relieved to be capable of safely navigating the driveway on foot again, much less the uneven ATV path along the easement, after several months of instability, pain and balance issues.

But more, maybe, about that some other time. Today, Ronni’s and I happily hunted squirrels and watched for the ever-elusive spruce hens, slogging through now sodden, hoar-frost encrusted dead leaves along a frozen dirt path.

Wow. What a difference a week makes. These photos were taken (today) in the same spots as some of my brightly-hued pictures from last week. We’ve had no rain, so the only things affecting them are freezing ( averaging 20F) nights and slightly thawing (mid 30F) days. Yuck.

Still, I appreciate the ability to take a walk with my dog outdoors right now and will take advantage of this for as long as weather permits. By next month, I’ll probably be back to walking laps at the local indoor track, where dogs are sadly not allowed.

On the bright side, that same indoor track, with it’s nice, even flooring, has been instrumental in my building my strength and balance back up after a late summer health scare and resultant depression. I’m not all the way back yet, but have made substantial gains.

I’m up to regularly walking between 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 miles at the indoor track, 2-3 times a week now. Plus, of course, my slower, more rambling walks with Ronni, which is excellent meditative therapy. Every step counts. I may not be getting any younger, but there’s no reason I can’t get stronger.