Boolie

I Have Emerged From the Box and I Understand the World

Maybe you can explain it to me, little one, as I don’t understand it at all.

January to December

I took the top picture of Ellie by the dragon statue at Irvington School this January after an unusually heavy snow, the bottom picture this morning in a more typical gentle rain shower. I’m deeply thankful for the year we’ve spent together and that she has been in good health (for her age). Longer walks have returned with cooler weather and new medicines, even if not quite as long as before. She walks more slowly and stiffly, gets out-of-breath much faster too, but still charms everyone she meets. You are my heart and my joy, pup, my heart and my joy.

I, Pinned to the Earth, Yet My Soul Soars to Heaven

That You Might Take Me With You, Wherever You Shall Go

I have this romantic notion that at least one hair from each of our pets will follow me all the days of my life, so that on my deathbed I will have a piece of them with me. A romantic notion but not a realistic one. In day-to-day life, however, I’m quite confident I do carry each of our current pets with me, and Trixie is doing her duty to make sure of it as she sleeps on my clean T-shirt. In the picture below, Trixie doesn’t usually sleep in my desk chair but she loves the feel of these hoodies.

Still Sick

Sam in early 2008 enjoying his freedom in the house at large after we adopted him and kept him in isolation with Emma for a couple of weeks. He’s had diarrhea the past month and we got the first clue as to why from a fecal sample, he doesn’t have nearly as much healthy bacteria as he should despite taking probiotics the past month. He’s going to start some antibiotics soon if he doesn’t improve, as he may have some bad bacteria that’s keeping the good bacteria from thriving. If there’s a silver lining to getting laid off a month ago, in addition to being able to take Ellie on long walks each morning, it’s that I’ve been here to take Sam to the vet and get his medicines and give him second chances at eating when he’s not feeling well. He actually put on a little weight this month, not what you’d expect from someone with his condition, so the good news is he’s getting the nutrients from his food. After what we went through with Emma, that’s a big relief.

But I’ll be a lot happier when we know what is going on.

Summerland

Spending the afternoon with the hoary marmot colony at the end of the Summerland Trail remains one of my favorite hiking experiences.

Summerland Rocket

While hiking the Summerland Trail in Mount Rainier National Park, I came across this rocket being built by the animals of the forest. Looking good!

Raindrops Are Sitting On My Head

A sooty grouse covered in drops of rain on a cold fall day in Mount Rainier National Park.

Fall Grouse

I had just arrived at the Sunrise area of Mount Rainier National Park and was taking a quick exploratory hike on the Sourdough Ridge Trail late in the day, as I had never been to that part of the park before. It was cold and raining but I found first a hoary marmot and then a group of sooty grouse on the way back to the car. My hands were soaked and cold so I was fumbling with the camera, but I watched them for as long as I could stand before continuing back to the car.

In Memory of Sari

In memory of my sister’s sweet pup Sari, who had to be euthanized today after a long illness. These pictures are from 2009, Sari was sleeping on my mom’s bed. In the first picture I angled the camera so the picture of my sister hanging on the wall was looking over her pup. The picture below is my favorite of her, she seems so happy in her sleep, and look at those wonderful ears. She was a real sweetheart, she even got to meet Ellie one time when my sister came to visit us in Portland, I saw her for the last time this summer when I was in Atlanta.

Rest in peace little one.