Wilson here. This week was really different. We received LOTS of rain…something that’s fairly rare around the Ranch. All that rain was very welcomed but it did impact our ability to check out nature. It started out nice but then after nearly two days of constant rain, things got a little challenging for me to get out for my usual multi-mile walks. The fact is, I don’t like rain. I know, most dogs don’t but I really don’t like rain. Mum thought she’d be clever and go in between showers. Well that sounds like a good strategy but it didn’t let up much that first day. She bundled up in a raincoat (the day was also chilly in the low 40’sF) and made sure I was bundled up in my lined rain slicker. Ok, I’ll be honest with you, I wasn’t all that crazy about it, but hey, it would keep me mostly dry if it was just misting or sprinkled. Besides, I’ve decided I won’t relieve myself in the dog run anymore, only along our walks.
The Mom: Yes, it was a good idea but Nature decided it was going to play tricks on us. Sure wish you weren’t so picky about relieving yourself only on walks. It’d have made things much easier. That said, shortly after we began, it started to rain steadily. Long story short, you and I both got drenched, I mean I was soaked to the bone and I’m sure when I walked, I ‘squished’ from all that moisture. And you looked like a drowned hippo.
Wilson: Of course, it waited until we were about half way on our regular 3-1/2 mile jaunt. Nature sure can be quite the prankster, can’t she?
Wilson: Right-o, Mum. But it sure throws a wrench in what we planned to share today. You have to admit it’s ironic we planned to show off succulents around the neighborhood as they are beginning to bloom right now.
The Mum: It is rather paradoxical. Just look at all those cactus flowers! Sadly the Walking Stick cactus isn’t on the same schedule and hasn’t started blooming yet with the prickly pear. Apparently Nature likes to stagger things. Too bad she didn’t want to stagger the times it rained so we could get our walks in without being drenched.
Wilson: You’re right about that, Mum. Every time we’d try to get a walk in, the skies would open up and we’d get soaked. It took a day and a half before you got smart and dug out the umbrella so it wasn’t as bad. In your defense, it rains so infrequently, we never think about using umbrellas and you probably forgot where they’re stored. My paws and undercarriage got mucky and you must have used every towel in the house to dry me off. Did you notice how curly my coat got after all the rain we encountered? Who knew I had such curls.
The Mum: Yes, those curls are going to take lots of brushing out for your coat to return to regular fluff. Anywho, I’m glad you decided to stay with the southwest theme for this week. You’re a good egg, House Pony.
Wilson: Well no point letting a little rain put a damper on things, right? Notice what I did there?
The Mum: You are too clever, lad. What else did you notice while we were getting drenched this week?
Wilson: Look at this prickly fella! It was so fascinating to look at but I didn’t want to get too close to check it out more thoroughly. I was afraid it could easily ‘bite’ my nose.
Wilson: Right you are, Mum. This next pic is what made us pursue the whole southwest theme. You always have your eyes open for unusual garden art and I must say, this is the most unlikely thing you’ve ever found, I daresay. Mirrored cactus sculptures! I half expected you break out singing “Stayin’ Alive.”
Wilson: It was something else, that’s for sure. And I could even sniff it without fear of getting my nose poked. Hey, that reminds me, why didn’t you let me sniff it?
The Mum: Now, you know perfectly well the rule of our walks is we don’t ‘sniff’ (talk about a euphemism) in people’s gardens. We don’t appreciate when dogs pee on things in our garden and try to set a good example for others.
Wilson: Umm, I don’t always try to pee on everything, but you must know that a dog processes life through his nose. Which means, I have to get up close and personal to see what the heck something is. But you’re right, I probably would have tried to pee on it to let others know I appreciated it’s unusual appearance.
The Mum: I rest my case.
Wilson: Sorry, Mum. There are some things dogs just can’t change about their personalities. Yellow mirrors probably wouldn’t have improved the garden look.
The Mum: Glad you understand. So what are your plans for this weekend, House Pony?
Wilson: Well it’s Mother’s Day this weekend in the US so naturally I’m going to do something nice for you. But it’s a surprise. I can’t spill the beans, just know I’ll be a good boy and try to make you proud.
The Mum: {blushing} I’m always proud of you, sweet boy. Thank you. We hope all pet mums have a wonderful Mother’s Day and hope you are able to enjoy getting out to check out Nature up close and personal. Have a great weekend!
Live, love, bark! 🐾
An enjoyable if prickly walk. And I loved the lupins! Thank you for sharing.
Thanks, Sue. With our altitude at 5,280 ft. you don’t expect cactus in the city but when you look for them, they show up in some of the oddest places. I’m with you on the lupines. They’re always such pretty spring flowers.
Java Bean: “Ayyy, look at all that cactus! Our Dada just loves cactus and planted a bunch of it out in front! Which is pretty weird when you think about how accident-prone he is. You’d think he’d be afraid of ending up wearing a prickly pear pad on his face …”
Lulu: “Happy belated Mother’s Day to your mom!”
Yikes, Java Bean…that’s rather dark and definitely no bueno! Hope your Mum had a nice Mother’s Day and you, Lulu, the Hipsters and Smol Oona provided her with a pawsome day.
Indeed, happy mom’s day weekend to you too. Hope you dry out a bit.
Thank you. The rain has moved on and it’s back to clear blue skies and temps in the upper 70’sF. The one thing I’ve learned, if you don’t like the weather here, just wait 10 minutes. It’s sure to change to something you will. 😉 Have a lovely weekend.
You two rock the Casbah.
As for the rain, two days is a mighty long stretch of rain. I rarely (if ever) share with peeps that I love rainy days. But I realize I’m in the minority. I could deal with two days, but Wilson, I completely understand why you ain’t digging on it.
Three and a half miles on a regular jaunt mama? You’re kicking it! Who needs marathons and half marathons? You’re getting out there and what’s even more important, you’re loving it.
That sculpture, yes.
Once again, Happy Mama’s Day.
Did you get Mama some flowers Wilson?
Aww, thanks, Marco. I actually like rainy days too; but just like Wilson, they’re less fun when you’re squishing when you walk. But it rarely happens in the 303 and as the saying goes, we need the moisture.
Wilson is a good walking buddy. Twice a day n@ 3.5 miles and if I’m lucky I can through in a walk to the Post Office. We (meaning me) shoot for 17K to 20K steps a day, about 8 miles. With the weather warming up, we’ll need to start in much earlier since neither the lad or me do well in heat. Even if it’s a dry heat.
Wishing you loads of sparkly sculptures this weekend! 🙂
That was a good rainfall, huh, Wilson, but it shows that the flowers were very happy with all that rain. Peachy likes rain, but I’m just like you, I prefurr to stay inside too😺Granny had a kind of cactus in the garden at our other house, she didn’t know that it was a cactus, but her hands found it out effurry time she was working in the garden. So no prickly plants anymore for us either. Double Pawkisses for a Happy Weekend to the both of you and for your mommy a wonderful Mother’s Day too🐾😽❤️
It was a lot of rain for our area. But we never turn down moisture and just deal with it. Everything is beautifully green now. But so are the weeds, that popped up overnight! LOL Have a wonderful Mother’s Day weekend.
I just love those mirrored cactus. I still have tiny cactus prickles in my finger and foot from trying to get the leaves out of the bed (yes, while gloved). Have a wonderful weekend! (Wait! You walk 3.5 miles every day? Wow!)
Aren’t they the coolest? I fell in love with that sculpture.
Actually that 3.5 miles is just one walk. My mileage for the day is closer to 8 miles a day. 😉 Have a fabulous Mother’s Day weekend.
Wow! You must be in great shape. Good for you!!
Not sure about that but moving is extra critical at my age. 😉
P.S. So sorry you still have cactus barbs. They can be vexing. I’ve had to soak a few times a day for several days before they came out.
I didn’t think to try that. Thanks.
Good luck! 🤞🏼
So glad your parched area got some rain!
Have a beautiful Mother’s Day
Thanks…as you know, rain in the 303 is rare-we’re more likely to receive snow than rain so it was rather lovely. Everything is super green now. Wishing you a wonderful Mother’s Day weekend! 💙
Mom and I are always so happy to see the beautiful plants around your neighborhood when you take your nature walks…..so many plants WE never see here for sure. Rain? We’ve had a ton of it too and it makes me cranky because I am not a fan of it either. I can take SOME wet fur but not drippy wet fur!!!! Hope you all have a wonderful weekend with Mom celebrating Mom’s Day!
Love, Teddy (and Mom Pam)
Thanks Teddy and Mom. You’re always too kind with your comments. We hope you have a super-duper Mother’s Day weekend. 💙
Beautiful cacti. The only kind we have in Massachusetts is prickly pear. XO
Thanks, Ellen. It’s a common cactus here and along the Front Range, the ‘Walking Stick’ cactus is as well. When it’s in bloom, it’s gorgeous. Have a terrific weekend.
We had a lot of rain but the good thing is it turns everything bright green
You/’re so right-it’s like Nature’s fertilizer! Have a great weekend and thanks for swinging by.
What an amazing variety of cacti Monika! 💚 I hope the rain will pass and wish you both a wonderful weekend too 🤗❤️🐕 xxx
Many thanks, Xenia. Rain never lasts long in the mountain desert and we’re back to beautiful crystal clear blue skies. We hope you have a wonderful weekend.
Happy Wilson Day, Monika. Thanks for the lovely tour. That mirrored cactus was special.
Thanks John. I don’t think I’ll ever walk on that block again without humming Stayin’ Alive but I absolutely loved the mirrored cactus sculpture. LOL Have a great weekend!
The southwest theme works very nicely. The pictures are beautiful. We had similar weather. We also tried walking between storms and had similar success. I.E. we got drenched. Our dogs were all Irish Setters. They don’t have an undercoat, just a thin coat of hair. They were pretty easy to towel off and brush back to normal. I don’t even want to try to imagine a wet Wilson. I hope you have better weather this week.
Many thanks, Dan. Dogs with long ears really dislike rain because the sound falling on walks gets amplified. And a double coated breed like Wilson is like a sponge when it comes to rain. I’m going to carry an umbrella with me whenever rain is forecast. It’s a surefire way for it NOT to pour. LOL Have a great weekend. It’s back in the 70’sF for the next several days. I think the bad weather has left for vacation. 😉
Wow! That sparkly cactus is something else. We also got over an inch of rain here since last Sunday. I went back to the Botanical Garden this morning and wouldn’t believe all the blooms!
Thanks, I think that’s the way to do cactus! 🙂 There’s nothing better than rainwater for fertilizer. And new weeds germinated overnight! 😱
Have a fabulous Mother’s Day weekend.
Wow, so many beautiful cacti!! Not too far from our house, there is a farm and by their pond, they have a huge concrete cactus, just like your mirrored one! And nearby jay is a huge green frog. There used to be a ‘cow’, there, too, but I haven’t seen it this year…
Thanks! I personally loved the mosaic mirrored cactus-so unusual. Sounds like the cow has moved on to greener pastures. 🤣 Have a lovely Mother’s Day weekend!
the cacti look a little like the grinch ;o) but we love the lupine.. its a super color…
Thank you; that one cactus is particularly lethal and scary looking. Lupines are popping up everywhere in our garden but surprisingly not as many of the purple ones-more pink. I think the bees have been busy cross pollinating again. 😉 Hope you have a pawsome weekend.
You sure found some pretty pointy things out there Wilson and I’m really glad you didn’t get stuck on the nose!
Thanks, Terry. You always say the nicest things. We hope you and all the kitties have a great weekend.
We don’t mind the rain and getting all wet and dirty but Mom really doesn’t like it, especially if it is still dark outside. You did manage to find some nice flowers and cacti. Happy Mother’s Day weekend!
Thank you. Wishing you a wonderful Mother’s Day weekend with your pack. I’m with your Mom-dirty muddy floors are just not my jam even if you guys don’t mind.
Stunning lupine! I can’t seem to grow them here.
Thanks. That one just popped up and I decided to see if it would survive. Little did I know it not only would survive, it would thrive! It’s seeds will be given to folks who want to spread their beauty. Have a great weekend.
Love the way the lupine is clustered around that pot! Was talking gardening with my hair stylist yesterday who bought a new build townhouse and was complaining about the compacted clay the builders left behind in her little outdoor space. I felt her pain!
Thanks, Lisa. Boy can I sympathize with your hairdresser. Despite gobs of compost added nearly every year, and always in the planting holes, the clay here is just like concrete. It’s a wonder anything grows…let along naturalizes. Have a wonderful weekend.
Interesting sculpture! Do you think it gets hot in the sun or reflects the sunlight? Hmmm
Thanks Martha. Those mirrors are like mosaic tiles so I doubt there’s too much heat, besides it’s shaded by the aspen trees. I did notice the sparkle from a long ways away and had to check it out. Wishing you a fabulous weekend.
Loved the mirrored cactus!
Raining like billy-o here….time to be off to the garden centres….
Thanks Helen. I loved that cactus too. So unusual and clever. It rains so much here, I was beginning to think I’d been transported to the Pacific Northwest where I lived for a short time long ago. I’m hoping to stop by a garden center soon for some color. Hope your outing there is fruitful. Have a great weekend.
The mirror cactus statue – quite bizarre!! Love all the cacti photos. We don’t have a lot of cacti growing around Pennsylvania.
thanks. Being in an arid mountain desert region, cactus are not uncommon but you usually don’t see a lot of it in a large city. It always catches my eye. Hope you have a great weekend.
Gorgeous lupine! The leaves look so cool with the rain puddling on them. Glad you got some rain.
The xerophytic landscaping on the hell-strip is perfect, but yeah, I wouldn’t want to tend that. I shun growing roses for the pain factor in dealing with them though they are so pretty and sometimes scented, but…
Happy Mother’s day, hope you have a beautiful day!
Thanks, Eliza. I’m with you on not wanting to deal with the pain factor of prickly plants. Gardening is hard enough, no need to ratchet up the pain factor. And those hell strips are notorious for being dried leaf magnets! Umm, no thanks. Have a ‘furbulous’ Mother’s Day weekend.
Wilson, today’s blog shows why I like you so much! XX
Aww, you’re too kind, Carole. Thank you. Here’s hoping you have a wagnificent weekend!