Ask Danielle...

I'm afraid I'm on my soapbox this morning. Question number one of the day (question number two is a happy one):

Why keep animals, especially dogs, if all they are is a lawn ornament?

I was woken up this morning by INSISTENT barking by one of my neighbors dogs. This is not the same dog I'm going to shoot, but rather an elderly, gentle, very sweet German Shepherd mix who is tied to the same post day in and day out and who has no contact with people other to be fed and watered. I talk to her while doing chores in the morning while she sits there and wags her tail. It's probably the most attention she gets each day.

If my dogs are barking non stop I want to know why. And if there is no good reason? I tell them to be quiet. Because of this they don't bark except to give warning when someone pulls up and then it's just a bark or two and they are done. I often get concerned if it continues. At 5am this morning when said neighbor's dog barked for an hour and a half did anyone come out to tell her to hush, see what was wrong, etc? No. Did I get up amongst my dog's protesting that they could not sleep any longer? Yes. Was there anything wrong? No. Or I'm sure one of my dogs would have let me know.

I also brush my dogs every few days, let them run, take them for walks and up to the mountains, let them ride in the truck, sleep at the foot of the bed and generally just love them as the great companions they are. Are they well behaved? Other that a little sassiness every now and then; they are extremely well behaved because I've spent a lot of time with them to train them to be that way.

Is said neighbor's dog well behaved? I'd say yes, probably because it's just in her nature, but she has got to learn some manners, and her owners need to seriously either find a home where she will be loved on (as cats, little dogs, big dogs and mostly all people have been put on this earth for her to wag her tail at and snuggle against), or spend some time with her. I feel so bad for her that it makes me feel guilty when I'm swearing at her at 5am in the morning.

What is so great about spring in the SLV?

For starters I always HATED spring until I moved here. Usually it is mushy, wet, yucky, icky, overcast and downright disgusting in Michigan. Here it is sunny, slightly damp, warm and breezy (ok - downright windy). But the point is it isn't gross.

It's amazing how quickly we've slipped into spring here. I only have to fill the woodstove once an evening and not at all during the day. I don't mind if the hose freezes each night because it thaws during the day. I don't need to keep a bulb in the pump house. My chickens are thinking of laying again. I don't freeze if I don't put a coat on to go to work. And I can sit on the porch each night and take in the inky blackness of the sky and the pinpricks of billions of stars as my dogs run around before we go to bed.

Spring is here!

Some other things to look forward to:

The endless fields of wild iris that will shortly be in bloom:

The fuzzy orange baby cranes going for strolls with their mums and dads:

"Stand tall for the lady, junior. Don't slouch"