Nature Friday ~ February 20, 2026

~ Tails Around the Ranch ~ 58 Comments

Lunar New YearGreetings mates. While you’re reading this post, I’m at the vet’s office getting my teeth cleaned. Ugh. It may be Pet Dental Health Month but for me, like everyone else…I. do. not. like. to. go. to. the. dentist. Period. Come to think of it, I’m not much of a fan for going to the vet. Wilson here and through modern technology (aka Mum getting her bum in gear to post this), I am likely snoozing while my vet and his assistant are making me have pearly whites again, as you read this. As we always do on Friday’s, we’re joining Rosy and Sunny from the Adventures of the LLB Gang. Don’t forget to click on their link to see what others have shared for their Nature Friday blog hop.

So this week was full of celebrations. First, we welcomed the Chinese Lunar New Year and celebrated the Year of the Horse. I was a bit miffed it wasn’t so much about celebrating me. I mean everyone knows] I’m called the House Pony. Still it was fun to see all the news showing people being excited and celebrating a regal animal like the horse.

Wilson: This week was full of some pretty nice weather until Thursday where it got downright chilly. Once again we’re entering yo-yo territory as it go back to warmer temps by Monday, and will be back to 60F (15C). Mum is getting whiplash from the back and forth. She even had to water the new shrubs yesterday because the warm temps started to make them leaf out. The calendar may indicate spring officially arrives soon, but it’s starting to look a bit spring like around our neighborhood. I mean just look at this clump of daffodils from our walk!

Daffodils

Wilson: I mean, what’s more spring like than daffodils? Aren’t they just super cheerful and sunny? We’ve noticed most of the homes we walk past once we leave the Ralston Creek Trail don’t have a lot of bulbs, something Mum has been whining about as she’s missing her old garden that had lots of daffodils, crocuses, tulips and hyacinths. This is the only house along our 3+ mile walk that has any spring bulbs. She’s already looking at catalogs and talking with landscapers about how she can spiff up our little lot. She said she wants it to be bougie…but I don’t know what that means. So I’m guessing she’s going to be busy sprucing up the ole garden this summer. She’s started watching YouTube videos on how to deal with the slope that the garden has. She’s beginning to drive me a little crazy, truth be told. But i’m sure she’ll end up with some nice flowers that we both can enjoy.

The Mum: Well you had to figure that I would need an outdoor space that will nurture my soul and it’s not going to install itself. So I figured a few well placed peonies and maybe some lavender would be a good start until the fall when I can concentrate on bulbs for next spring.

Wilson: Oh hiya, Mum. Glad you could join us. Well as long as I can watch you dig and spade to your heart’s content outside, I’ll be happy. I hope the first project you start working on will be the laying of pavers near the back door off the porch so I can soak up some rays while you dig, prune and plant. How’s that sound to you?

The Mum: I’m getting itchy fingers just thinking about it. It’s been lovely waking up to more of gorgeous sunrises we experienced this week during all the celebrations. Just look at these.beautiful morning photos. Mother Nature sure left us with a couple of gifts with the pleasant temps.

Sunrise Sunrise

Wilson: I figured you were walking around trying to get various views. It sure was bright in the living room with those colors.

The Mum: It sure was, that’s why I went outside. Talk about a gorgeous morning.

Wilson: It was a great way to usher in Fat Tuesday. I actually got into wearing beads for you but I was rather chuffed you couldn’t find the Mardi Gras hats.

The Mum: In my mind, that was rather unfortunate. My list of things that seem to be missing is growing but I’m sure the costumes and hats are somewhere, I just don’t know where they ended up.

Wilson: Well don’t count me as being sad. The less I have to put up with stuff like that, the happier I am.

Wilson -Mardi Gras

The Mum: You don’t look to unhappy in this photo.

Wilson: I’m a professional, I know how to work the camera.

The Mum: Right…besides, you’re just in it for the treats. anyway Treats always make you happy.

Wilson: Oh dear, am I that transparent?

The Mum: {smiling} Umm, well maybe just a teeny-weeny bit.

Wilson:  Oh dear. I guess I better practice putting on a poker face. I’ll start practicing as soon as I wake up from a restorative nap after the anesthesia wears off. And just because I got my teeth cleaned, doesn’t mean I won’t be hungry later tonight.

Wilson - sleeping

The Mum: I know. Dinner will be at the usual time-and I’m sure you’ll enjoy the extra soft topper on top. We hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. For those of you counting, spring arrives in 27 days. Woot!

Nature

Live, love,  bark! 🐾

Monday Musings ~ February 16, 2026

~ Tails Around the Ranch ~ 50 Comments

Good morning peeps. We hope you had a good weekend and are enjoying improved temperatures. With 32 days until the official arrival of Spring, things are starting to show signs that temps is moving in the right direction after a seemingly endless winter for many. We saw our first daffodil blooming on Saturday right before attending the rescue fundraiser at Kendra Scott’s. Wilson was quite the guest and seemed to enjoy all the attention and treats. He even tried his hand with herding after his appearance but was somewhat disappointed with the results. He said, “those doggone difficult creatures showed him no respect.” You can judge for yourself if the sheep disrespected him.

Wilson & sheep

Have a marvelous Monday.

Live, love, bark! 🐾

Nature Friday ~ February 13, 2026

~ Tails Around the Ranch ~ 63 Comments

NatureWelcome to another episode of Nature Friday where we join those cuties from Adventures of the LLB Gang. Don’t forget to click on the link to see what others have shared for their Nature Friday blog hop. Wilson here…oh dear…I guess today is Friday the 13th. Mum says the date is associated with bad luck in Western cultures and can occur up to three times a year. She thinks I’ll likely suffer from paraskevidekatriaphobia, which is derived from three Greek words – Paraskevi (“Friday”), triskaideka (“thirteen”), and phobos (“fear”) to describe the fear individuals experience relating to the date and to diagnose those who suffer from it. This fear is also sometimes referred to as friggatriskaidekaphobia, the joining of Frigg (the Norse goddess for whom Friday is named) with the term triskaidekaphobia (fear of the number 13). Mum started off my day by telling me that I’m getting a bath today {gasp} even though I was just groomed 3 weeks ago. Apparently my once white feet paddles aren’t so white now. She said I’m going to be a guest at a fundraiser for the rescue hosted by Kendra Scott, a jewelry store who will donate a percentage of each sale to the Rocky Mountain Old English Sheepdog Rescue. The store is located in Cherry Creek (you can read about the last Kendra Scott Give Back event that Angel Norman participated in here). She told me it’s a big honor to participate since a portion of their sales tomorrow will go to the rescue. Mum said peeps can order online or go to the store in person and any sale will count toward the give back fundraiser. I’ll be going for the treats while you humans can shop for your Valentine’s day sweetie.

The Mum: Listen, I realize you despise baths, but just think about the yummy treats you’ll receive. We’re going to our favorite self-wash, Lily’s Bath and Biscuits and I’ll be picking up another bag of those yummy dehydrated buffalo treats you like so much…

Wilson: {interrupting and drooling} Wait…did I hear you say “dehydrated buffalo treats?” Ok, count me in…I can endure a bath for those kinds of treats. Those are my absolute favorites.

The Mum: {smiling} I thought you might see it that way.

Wilson: Anywho…let me share a few slices of Nature that we encountered this past week including this sunset. We missed the brightest part of it but it still has some pretty color on the clouds and the nearby western foothills.

Sunrise

Wilson: Mum says she saw a new neighbor early one morning but she’s only seen him/her in the window. She thought it looked like some kind of Doodle and we hope to meet the owner and pup in person soon.

New neighbor

The Mum: We were lucky to catch the same view of sunset a few days later.

Sunset

Wilson: So I heard DIA’s Blue Mustang sculpture, often referred to as “Blucifer,” located just outside the entrance to the airport, had a birthday a couple of days ago. Hard to believe it turned 18 on Wednesday. It’s been a controversial piece of public art since it was created by Luis Jiménez, who tragically died in 2006 when a piece of the sculpture fell on him as he was working on it. Members of his family and staff eventually completed the sculpture. The statute is 32 feet tall, and weighs 9,000 pounds. It’s made of blue fiberglass with glowing red eyes which are said to have been a tribute to the artist’s father who owned a neon sign shop. Located along Peña Boulevard, it’s been a prominent but immensely controversial art installation. Originally a buffalo stampede had been proposed but abandoned after the developer deemed it a poor choice due to the near extinction of buffalo in the West. Jiménez who was known for his fiberglass sculptures that are brightly painted, proposed a mustang as a more appropriate symbol of the West. It was partially modeled after Jiménez’ own horse and designed to welcome travelers to the gateway to the U. S. West.

Blue Mustang

The Mum: I know a lot of people despise it and it has often lambasted, but I’ve always thought it was an impressive piece of public art, because of its scale and appearance. It is particularly extraordinary at night. What do you think of this sculpture?

Blue Mustang
“Blue Mustang” at night courtesy of 9News

Wilson: Whoa…that night view is…gosh, I don’t know…kind of creepy, Mum.

The Mum: I wouldn’t say creepy but it definitely makes you think how you feel about it and isn’t that what art’s supposed to do?

Wilson: Hmmm, you make a good point. Ok, let’s just say it’s just not my favorite. How’s that?

The Mum: I can respect that. So what plans do you have for the Valentine’s Day weekend? Doing anything special for your sweetheart? We hope your weekend is fun and special. Happy Valentine’s Day from us and we send our best wishes for a great weekend.

Heart - Oberstaufen

Live, love, bark! 🐾

Monday Musings ~ February 9, 2026

~ Tails Around the Ranch ~ 76 Comments

Welcome to another Monday. We hope you enjoyed your weekend and met your quota of sports viewing. Between the Super Bowl, the Olympics and the all important Puppy Bowl XXII, there was something for everyone. Your football team may not have won but everyone won in the Puppy Bowl with all 150 contestants finding their forever homes. As usual, kittens provided the adorable half time entertainment. Team Fluff again won the “Lombarky” Trophy in the 2026 Puppy Bowl, beating Team Ruff by a score of 73-69 (there was a whole lot more offense in the Puppy Bowl than the Super Bowl) for the second year in a row. Wilson and I offer our best congratulations to Team Fluff. For a look at the highlights. please click here.

We’ve heard folks on the East Coast suffered another brutally cold weekend but hope today marks a turn-around in their temps. With Spring just 39 days away, we’re hoping Nature gives them a much needed break.

So let’s move on to a couple of smiles for today.

Snowman

I realize when you’re freezing, there’s not a lot of funny aboiut it but thought this might bring things into perspective. Winter

We hope you’re staying toasty warm and have a great Monday and even better week.

Live, love, bark! 🐾

 

Nature Friday ~ February 6, 2026

~ Tails Around the Ranch ~ 74 Comments

Wilson-parkourHowdy peeps, Wilson dropping in here for this week’s edition of Nature Friday where we join our mates from at Adventures of the LLB Gang. Don’t forget to click on the link to see what others have shared for their Nature Friday blog hop. Mum loves it when I parkour for her. This log is kinda slippery but I managed to hold on long enough for her to fumble around take the picture. Hel-lo, I’m sliding down here. Sheesh, humans don’t realize how hard we try to please their silly whims and what we have to go through to get there. Anyway…last week we said we’d share a few of the nature pics from the Pissarro exhibit, The Honest Eye: Camille Pissarro’s Impressionism. Mum is a big fan of Impressionistic art and was pretty blown away with more than 100 beautiful paintings from Pissarro, learning Denver is the only venue where his exhibit will show in the U.S.

Pissarro art
One of the beautiful pieces he painted of the Caribbean before moving to Paris

Wilson: Perhaps not as well known as Monet, Pissarro was a central figure in the movement, and is often credited with being the father of Impressionism. Pissarro was the only painter to exhibit in all eight Impressionist exhibitions (1874-1886) and significantly influenced many of the Post-Impressionists, like Paul Cézanne, Georges Seurat, Paul Gauguin, and Vincent van Gogh, mentoring them through many artistic challenges. Pissarro ‘s art often championed everyday scenes, painting peasants and rural workers with dignity and respect, thus elevating the lives of common folks in his art, which Renoir said was a revolutionary act at the time. Pissarro was known for his consistent work, but he also experimented with Neo-Impressionism (Pointillism) but abandoned the movement after a few years. He spent his life exploring the effects of light and atmosphere and how it affected color, according to Create! Art School and The Denver Art Museum.

Pissarro art

The Mum: Pissarro was completely dedicated to holding independent exhibitions in the early Impressionist period as it emerged in the 20th century. I was particularly impressed with his work utilizing the pointillism technique developed by Georges Seurat and Paul Signac, the technique of painting where small, distinct dots of color are applied in patterns to form an image. It was a demanding technique that took much longer to complete the work. Pissarro’s life was fraught with personal and financial difficulties, having married his mother’s maid which caused problems within the family. He was the only artist to have shown his work at all eight Paris Impressionist exhibitions, from 1874 to 1886.

Pissarro art

Pissarro art

Pissarro arty

Wilson: He must have been something back in his day despite struggling financially his whole life. Didn’t you say several of his children became artists?

The Mum: Indeed. He constantly wrote letters about and to his children and was a devoted father to them as well as being the father of Impressionism. His use of color and light was extraordinary.  As I walked through the exhibit, I was very impressed by his devotion to the family and his art.

Wilson: You walked through another exhibit that you really liked as well. Just check out this piece. These grapes looked incredibly realistic.

Impressionism art

The Mum: Yes, I was very impressed by that piece. I sadly neglected to note the painter’s name, but think he was an American artist. All in all, the museum outing was great fun and I was especially glad I was able to see some amazing artwork showing lots of scenes from Nature.

Wilson: In other news about Nature, I noticed your friend, Figaro is back after you cut back all the spindly branches when we moved. I guess your tender care after he looked outside last autumn and said, “Eek! It’s autumn and I must shed my leaves like all the other plants,” is finally paying off. This week he started to set new buds and leaves. Maybe it’s a sign that Spring is just around the corner? {paws crossed} I’m looking forward to watching him grow leaves and hopefully he’ll set a bunch of fruit, too.

Figaro

Figaro

The Mum: I was practically beside myself when I saw that buds were forming. It’s all very exciting and hope he continues to grow back.

Wilson: Like I always say, whatever turns your handle. I just hope the fruit tastes good. Well, that’s it from us, let’s wrap up and sweep up this latest episode with this sculpture from outside of the museum, shall we? Have you got any plans for this weekend beyond watching the Super Bowl, the half-time show and the ads? We’ll be entertaining some out of town company and hope everyone has a great weekend even if your team isn’t in the game. Have a great time and don’t forget to get outside and take in slices of Nature, whether in a landscape or even in artwork. Cheers mates!

Art sculpture

Nature

Live, love, bark! 🐾

Monday Musings ~ February 2, 2026

~ Tails Around the Ranch ~ 75 Comments

Happy Monday, peeps. Welcome to the first Monday in February. Today is known as Groundhog Day where millions of people turn to a rodent to predict whether or not winter will be extended for another six weeks or not. Falling midway between the shortest day of the year. This tradition comes from a medieval Catholic holiday, Candlemas held on February 2, but the science behind it is questionable at best. In Germany, it was believed that when a badger emerged from its den, if it saw its shadow, it would return to said den, signaling six more weeks of winter. In the 1700s German immigrants brought this custom with them when they settled in Pennsylvania but changed the animal with the native and abundant, groundhog (or woodchuck) as the forecaster of spring’s arrival rather than a badger.

The first “official” Groundhog Day took place in 1887 in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania and was organized by a local newspaper editor, Clymer Freas. A group of hunters known as the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club was formed and well…here we are…relying on a rodent to let us know if winter will continue. Whether you believe in this long-standing custom, I’m sure many believe they couldn’t do any worse than the local weather forecast. 

In keeping with our custom to enjoy a smile or two on Mondays, we have a few offerings today. We hope they make you smile even if it’s nearly certain Phil will see his shadow and the prediction of six more weeks of winter will follow. Hmmm, how convenient…it coincides with the calendar’s announcement that spring arrives on March 20th (in 45 days for those keeping track). Hang on peeps, spring is coming. 

Groundhog Day smile

Groundhog Day smile

Groundhog Day smileHave a Happy Monday and for those of you on the east coast who received more snow over weekend, we hope things warm up soon.

Live, love, bark! 🐾

Nature Friday ~ January 30, 2026

~ Tails Around the Ranch ~ 53 Comments

WilsonWelcome to the last Friday of January. As always, we’re joining our friends over at Adventures of the LLB Gang for their weekly nature blog hop. Be sure to check out what everyone else has shared.

Well goodness gracious…what the bloody hell is with the weather? Winter Storm Fern sounded like such a nice name and who goes on a rampage like she did when they’re named “Fern?” That beast showed her true colors and pounded most of the U.S. mercilessly.  If she didn’t dump a load of snow, she hammered people with sleet and/or ice. We were very sorry to hear about all the misery she caused and hope people are getting their power turned back on and settling in cozy, warm laps. Mum heard there’s another potential snowstorm coming to the east coast but we hope the weather forecasters are wrong and it’s not nearly as bad as they are saying it might be.

Wilson: It’s been cold here this week but nothing like it’s been around Blogville. When the sun is out though, it’s most welcoming and it melted nearly all our snow. There still are some frozen places along the creek. Mum kept me out of the walking lineup until midweek for which I was mostly grateful. Even if I was antsy and kind of annoying, I think she was trying to keep me safe and warm. It’s just boring being inside all day long.

The Mum: I know it’s hard for you when you have to be inside but if it’s too cold for me all bundled up, I know it’s too cold for you. I’m just trying to look out for ya, buddy.

Ralston Creek Trail

Ralston Creek Trail

Ralston Creek Trail

Wilson: I appreciate it, Mum, even when I don’t like it. My potty breaks were a bit on the fast side because of the cold at the beginning of the week. I thought when you took me for a ride, things were going to look up and then I realized as soon as we pulled up, you were taking me to the groomer. What the dawg, Mum? I thought you were my friend. Harumph.

The Mum: Sorry, House Pony. You were getting a bit funky but now you’re all nice and floofy, you smell amazing and are nicely trimmed up. I didn’t let her steal all your furs. As we drove to the groomer’s shop, I couldn’t help but notice the wide open spaces. This stretch was pretty windy which likely sped up the melting and although it was 40F (4C), it felt much colder with the wind. Still it was such a pretty day with those sunny blue skies that I didn’t mind.

Wide open spaces

Wilson: Of course you didn’t, it wasn’t your furs being stolen.

The Mum: Oh puleez…she didn’t take that much off-you still have plenty of floof. It’s clean now and smells heavenly.

Wilson: {grumbling} It’s humiliating. Luckily Sydney is nice to me and everyone was very supportive.

The Mum: Oh for heaven’s sake, you are such a drama queen. Has anyone told you to ‘grow a pair.’

Wilson: {blinking and then rolling his eyes} I have a certain reputation to maintain. Sadly I am a Maligned Floof with a case of anxiety.

The Mum: {eyes rolling} Whatever. So what else do you have to share besides these overly ridiculous claims surrounding your latest grooming session?

Wilson: Well, since we missed several days of walks along the trail, we finally were able to take photos of one of the underpasses that has a pretty amazing mural late in the week. I kind of like this mural, the colors morph from one color to another. It rather looks like it’s a gigantic dragon in segments.

Mural
It looks like an eye watching me walk through the underpass.
Mural
Is that another eye watching me?

Mural

The Mum: It really is a statement piece. I wish I could show it in its entirety, not just in the segments to really show off how well each color blends into the next.

Wilson: The colors are pretty cool and it sure beats looking at plain old concrete walls or graffiti. I like it when cities incorporate interesting art into their infrastructure.

The Mum: Yes, you’re spot on, House Pony. It breaks up winter drab nicely.

Wilson: Well that’s it for me this week. Next week I will share a different kind of artwork by the legendary Camille Pissarro whose exhibit is being shown at the Denver Art Museum. Pissarro is known as the father of the Impressionist Movement and his landscapes are truly incredible.

The Mum: Sounds like a plan. We hope everyone stays warm and safe this weekend and that the weather doesn’t impact your ability to enjoy nature. We also hope that power is fully restored to all those folks who’ve been impacted by the ice storms. Be safe and have a great weekend.

Wilson: Yes, what Mum said. If you’re planning on something special this weekend, leave us a comment and tell us what you’re doing. Enjoy this last weekend in January. If you need some good news, just remember, there are 48 days until Spring officially arrives. With each passing day, I think we’ll all be giddy for when it arrives.

Nature

Live, love, bark! 🐾

Monday Musings ~ January 26, 2026

~ Tails Around the Ranch ~ 66 Comments

Welcome to Snowmageddon…as if Monday wasn’t bad enough to deal with. We are hoping everyone is staying safe and cozy. Wilson thought everyone deserved a couple of smiles today with a minor edit to the first one.

Monday-winterOn the plus side, once you finally defrost, there’s good news:

Monday-winterAs expected, not a huge amount of snow arrived; my neighbor and I have managed to stay ahead of any accumulation on the sidewalks but today with clear skies, we are experiencing near blizzard-like winds blowing the snow over shoveled walks. Today’s high is expected to hit 41F (5C) which will seem like a heatwave. Please stay safe and warm. We hope all those affected with power outages will have their power restored soon. Happy Monday.

Live, love, bark! 🐾

Nature Friday ~ January 23, 2026

~ Tails Around the Ranch ~ 65 Comments

WilsonWelcome to the 2026 Snow Armageddon, otherwise known as Friday where we join our friends, Rosy and Sunny from Adventures of the LLB Gang. We first want to express our concern for folks in the direct line of this massive storm crossing the country from Albuquerque to New England and hope the power stays on to keep everyone safe and warm. While it’s chilly in the metro area, I don’t think it’ll be nearly as bad as some areas but flurries have started this morning. Because this storm is coming from the North, we likely won’t get much in the way of accumulated snow, but it will be cold, of that there is no doubt. Anyway, Wilson has a few pics and thoughts he wanted to share with you.

Wilson: What the bloody dog, Mum? I hope you plan on keeping me plenty warm this weekend. I just heard the forecast and you know how much of a fair weather. I so hope you’re well prepared.

The Mum: Umm, good morning to you too. Just so you know, we’re as prepared as possible but you need to remember that I don’t have any control about how cold it gets. We should be fine presuming the power stays on, buddy. I might even let you snuggle with me on the bed.

Wilson: Oops, sorry about not saying good morning. On the bed? Oooh, YESS…count me in. As you probably know, I’m not particularly a fan of this new rule about being on the furniture. Come to think of it, I still don’t know why it was instituted in the first place. May I remind you that you are not a king?

The Mum: You’re watching too much news, buddy. You were beginning to take over the furniture and after I broke my sternum last year, I couldn’t risk you flopping on me, thus the new rule. For the record, I’ve never minded you on the furniture but it must be by invitation. And you can’t crowd me out which is what you’ve been doing.  So what do you have for us today?

Wilson: {grumble, grumble…fine} The landscape is still brown and drab but I think I’ve curated a few pics that you might like. Warning, if you are not a fan of seeing wild animal scat, you might want to skip this first pic. Mum was pretty excited to find a couple areas where evidence of wild critters (mostly like coyotes) have been traversing the Ralston Creek Trail. I wasn’t nearly as impressed, and wasn’t all that interested in reading any messages. I don’t think they eat very well. Looks like a lot of birdseed and wood chips to me.

Scat

The Mum: You may not have been interested in sniffing, but you were pretty insistent on photobombing-I should have completely cropped out the presence of your foot paddle…otherwise known as a paw.

Wilson: Harumph…uh…I was merely scanning the surroundings to make sure I didn’t have to go into protection mode.

The Mum: Oh please…the chances of encountering a coyote are pretty slim. They will retreat to avoid any threats…

Wilson: I see my reputation precedes me…

The Mum: {eyes rolling} If it makes you feel better. What else have you got?

Wilson: I should haver realized there was going to be a change in the temps after yesterday morning’s walk. There was frost on the bridge planks. It was sparkly though it doesn’t really come through on the photo-more like fading in the wood, but trust me, it looked cool as it followed the shadows. Literally.

Frost

The Mum: I notice the water hazards around the golf course had a small bit of frost in the shallow areas. Makes you wonder how ducks and geese can stand paddling around the cold water.

Water hazard

Wilson: What I want to know is why they avoid me. I just wanted to get close enough to say good morning. But the mallards are very timid and avoid me like I’m some sort of plague carrier. How come they don’t like me, Mum?

The Mum: Aww, buddy, it’s not that they don’t like you, they’re just afraid you might harm them. We’ll have to watch them peacefully paddle around from a distance.

Wilson: Well their Canadian cousins aren’t nearly as afraid. Those geese practically taunt me to come close even though I could care less about them. Maybe they are more closely related to the doggone squirrels who always taunt me but the little monsters always manage to stay out of reach. I think they’re afraid of me…as they should be. The jaws of death are just waiting for them.

The Mum: Easy does it, House Pony. The jaws of death are going to have to put the kibosh and halt all encounters with tree rats as I don’t want you to get some horrid disease from them.

Wilson: While I’m looking out the window at the snow flurries, I’m fondly recalling the beauty of past days this week. It was fun finding this mural on the nearby underpass but it’ll be more fun when the temps go back to 40’sF (4C+) next week.

Mural

The Mum: Yes that mural makes me smile and I’m looking forward to when gardens begin to wake up from winter. I’m going to miss seeing the hyacinths and other spring bulbs that we had in our old garden, but am hopeful folks’ gardens around the neighborhood will satisfy our spring desires.

Wilson: Yup, me too Mum. I like to check out new flowers to see if they smell as good as you say they do. I’m looking forward to seeing what the wildlife habitat offers. Can’t wait!

Wilson

The Mum: With ‘only’ 55 days until the official arrival of spring, it should be interesting seeing how it looks in the suburbs. We hope everyone has a good weekend, staying safe and warm.

Nature

Live, love, bark! 🐾

Monday Musings ~ January 19, 2026

~ Tails Around the Ranch ~ 66 Comments

Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Given today’s political climate, I think this quote is an appropriate one for the times and hope you are doing your part to spread the Reverend’s message. We need it more than ever. In the U.S. in particular, looking away can no longer be the norm.

MLK

It’s cold, snowy day in the 303 (and a bit quite unexpected-I know I sure wasn’t prepared for temps in the teens AND snow, even if the snow is pretty minor). The sky is clear now and we hope we reach the forecasted 41F degrees (5C). I know a lot of you have been buried in cold and snow filled and don’t expect too much sympathy but we’ve been acclimated far too long to 50’s and 60’s over the past couple of months.

As we typically do on Monday’s, we’re also sharing a smile since we still need to smile in these crazy and uncertain times. Wishing you a reflective Monday that’s filled with good intentions, positive actions with lots of smiles this week.

Winter smileAnd if kids have been bugging you, here’s a strategy that might help. Stay warm and have a great Monday reflecting on the legacy of MLK.

Monday smile

Live, love, bark! 🐾