The Desert is Ugly and Barren...

...NOT.

I went for a walk with a client/friend this morning, and finally got around to taking some pictures of our amazing fall blooms. Despite it being the END of September, there are flowers everywhere! These are from our walk and my drive home (elevation ranges from 6,500' to 7,000'). Enjoy!

Yellow is a very popular color for desert blooms. I'm not a botanist, so can only guess that it's color has some ultra violet characteristic to attract pollinators - bees, butterflies, hummingbirds. Here are some common examples:


The top one (above) is Chamisa; it grows about 4' tall and wide if left unchecked. The other three plants are mysteries; the picture immediately above is almost 5' tall, while the two below are less than a foot high:



There are some truly odd looking things growing here:

Above you can see Becky (with her dog Thor) next to some examples of this strange, tall, plant, which has leaves like lamb's ear. This gives you a sense of the scale. (And yes, she'll kill me if she sees this picture.) The photo on the right is of a specimen taller than anything in the picture on the left. Wish I knew the name of it!

Speaking of tall, the wild sunflowers this year were unbelievable, some had to be close to 10' tall. Here's one that's merely eye-level:


This is sorta a yellow, but with very interesting seeds:


Not everything is some shade of yellow, however. Yucca, of course:


Wild agastache:


And native aster:


We do have some exotic invasive, such as thistle. Many of these are loathed by ranchers for being toxic to cattle:


Other plants are absolutely essential for both wildlife and livestock:

Silvery winterfat is a welcome sight.

As for trees, we've got 'em. This time of year our cool nights (upper 30's) have the Cottonwoods down in a creek...


...and looking up the mountain, Aspens (below) turning:

Who needs New England? New Mexico colors are just fine, thank you.

Of course, we track the bark beetle's progress by the destruction they wreak. Our fire danger grows with their spread. Look at the dead pinon on the left, and the live juniper on the right (with another skeleton behind it):


Back at Becky's house, I took some pictures of her garden. She can transform a broken pot or busted chair into a thing of beauty:


And her front courtyard is a wonder of xeriscaping. Enjoy!!

above left: red yucca; right: view out the front door


above left: more courtyard; right: two stages butterfly bush bloom.

The Replacements

It fails at least as often as it works, and I find myself wondering why so many people try it.

A chance conversation this past weekend at an agility trial got me thinking: am I the weird one, or is she? Laura has a new dog, not her usual breed, that she freely admits was an impulse acquisition coming on the heels of the death of one of her dogs. Laura said this new dog's eyes reminded her of her dead dog's expression, so she got the new dog. But they're both unhappy, it's a bad fit.

I asked her if she'd considered returning the bitch, and she said no, it was a rescue and not going anywhere. But Laura loves to compete in agility, travels widely doing it, and enjoys doing well. All her dogs are expected to do agility and some obedience; it's her house, those are her expectations. The dog hates it, is very stressed, complies out of... something, but shows no sign of having a good time. And needless to say, doesn't do particularly well. So, is that really being rescued?

A lot of training organizations give discount to people that get rescue dogs, and on the face of it, that seems like a great idea. There are too many dogs in shelters, one way of encouraging people to adopt them is to help reduce expenses where we can. But, if it's the wrong dog for your situation (or, the wrong situation for a given dog), saving money won't make it any better.

What to do? I haven't the foggiest. But then, I've never tried to replace a dog.

Years ago - heck, DECADES ago, I had the world's greatest Labrador Retriever. Her name was Polar Bear, "Bear" for short, feet the size of dinner plates and more coat than a beauty salon's dumpster. She would retrieve anything, for endless hours, in any kind of water. And she would work for anybody. Hunters would come by the house and borrow her, and return Bear with a couple of ducks at the end of the weekend. We ate well on those; nothing is better than fresh fowl. I don't think I'll ever have another Lab, but if I did, it wouldn't be to try and replace a dog that was so perfect.

A few years ago I was involved in rescuing a dog for a directed adoption; the dog was ideal for them, and the family acknowledged that. But the new dog wasn't their previous dog, so the new one was returned. He's still here - Boomerang, "Boomer" for short, and will never leave - proving once again that no good deed going unpunished. My husband and sister love Boomer, his health issues make him unsuitable for adopting out again, so there we are.

Currently I have a client with a rescue, I'm helping them place the dog. They called a little while ago; they are falling in love with the rescue and need her to go to a new home quickly, before they bond too much. One of the risks of doing fostering. Hopefully they keep their eye focused on the unsuitability of this particular dog for their lifestyle, and not her charms, letting her go to a better home when one is found.

Life should be a bitch

A client sent this to me today; an oldie but a goodie:

- When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.
- Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.
- Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure ecstasy.
- Take naps.
- Stretch before rising.
- Run, romp, and play daily.
- Thrive on attention and let people touch you.
- Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.
- On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass.
- On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.
- When you're happy, dance around and wag your entire body.
- Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.
- Be loyal.
- Never pretend to be something you're not.
- If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.
- When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by and nuzzle them gently.
- ENJOY EVERY MOMENT OF EVERY DAY! Handle every stressful situation like a dog. If you can't eat it or play with it - pee on it and walk away…

~ author unknown

Close Encounters

Had a helluva great weekend in Colorado, and one of those "but for the grace of god" drives home.

My Py finished his FCh on Friday with a BOB (for those that don't follow doggie terminology, just say "ooh, ahh"), had a great meal with fine friends for dinner, got some box training done on Saturday, dogs ran on Sunday and came back sound - yeah, and was on the road home before 6 p.m. One of my very favorite dogs, Vger, finished his FC on Sunday (congratulations Sandra!) so I was in a grand mood for the 364 mile drive home.

After stopping in Trinidad for to feed the dogs, get gas, and grab some drive-through for myself, I started up Raton Pass at about 8:30 p.m. My van, a 1992 Ford E-150, V-8 conversion van, does NOT go uphill very fast. In point of fact, it doesn't do much fast, but it has been incredibly reliable. It has 280,000 miles on it and runs like a top (knock wood); it's the ultimate dogmobile and I'm thrilled it runs at all. Raton Pass is ALL uphill, it's best to be patient in the best of weather.

So once the van had slowed itself to about 50 MPH I moved to the truck lane to the right. A few seconds later, maybe 50 yards after changing lanes, I saw something in the left lane. My foot was off the gas before my brain figured out it was a mule deer, and before I could get the brake all the way down I was passing her. She stood stock-still, I could count her eyelashes as I went by. At this point the van was down to about 30 MPH and I had a lot of mountain left to climb. As I put on the hazard flashers, I had ample opportunity to reflect upon my great fortune that I had just changed lanes and she hadn't lept in front of me. I did wonder if anyone behind me was unlucky in either regard...

Over the years I've done a lot of hiking in the mountains and seen everything from rare snakes to black bears; but this was the closest I've ever been to charismatic megafauna, and I have no interest in repeating the experience in a moving vehicle.

Just before midnight I was nearly home and saw more wildlife, these getting off the road at my approach. The jackrabbits this year are BIG, hoo boy, can't wait...

Independence Day (sorta)

I may not be a soccer mom, but for the last few years most of my life has revolved around the carpool schedule. Until today. Sorta.

My son, Anthony, spent most of the summer in Beijing. He managed to get to and from school and successfully executed multiple practica without getting overly lost or arrested. And every day he carried his US passport and school ID; he was stopped a few times by assorted security officials (mixed-race Americans are uncommon, those on their own rare, and those that speak fairly fluent Mandarin downright exceptional) and he always had documents and answers. No big deal (at least not in China).

For the past four years, every day I drive at least one end of the carpool; we are LONG ways from his school and even before gas prices went through the roof it made no sense for me to drive into town twice a day. Until this year, when our car-pool buddy has graduated (Miela: I still miss your iPod selections) and has gone off to University, and I am driving the 120 miles a day. So my chores and clients are scheduled around Anthony's school schedule. Until today.

This afternoon I'm leaving for the Grand National in Colorado, a six hour drive, so can't wait until Debate practice is over at 5:30 to bring him home (6:30) and then leave (by 7), so Anthony drove himself to school this morning. He called upon arrival to let me know he was there, safe and sound. All is well... until I go into his room to collect the pile of dirty dishes (he *is* 16) and - uh oh - there's his wallet. I rifle through it (of COURSE I did) and yep, there's his license. So now I have to choose between going through town on my way to Colorado, which will add two hours to an already 6-hour drive, and letting it slide. I really should have micro-managed him this morning (got your cell phone? glasses? all your homework? wallet? keys? good job kiddo) but NO. Woulda, shoulda, coulda...

After all, he managed just fine half-way around the world. But he can't get the 30 miles to school with all his stuff... Well, choices have consequences. Some choices have good consequences, some have bad ones. If he gets pulled over on the way home, he's going to find out just how bad it gets. The good news is, I bet he never leaves home without his wallet again.

Too much sorrow too quickly

Dogs never live long enough, but sometimes life is much too short.

A friend that co-bred a litter last year has lost one of the puppies she kept. There was a terrible accident. Despite best efforts and all precautions, sometimes the worst happens anyway. I had the pleasure of evaluating the litter at 8 weeks, this boy was sweet and lovely and dearly treasured by his owner/breeder. The puppies' mother was killed by a rattler this spring, now her pick boy is gone too.

I can not imagine bearing such a load, nor do I know how to make it lighter for her.