Happy 2026, peeps. We made it to a new year. We hope you had a safe and happy celebration and didn’t disturb the neighbors too much with stupid fireworks. It was kind of noisy in our neighborhood with a couple very loud boomers but they didn’t last too long and they don’t bother me much beyond going into SWAT mode thinking someone is trying to get into our house. At least they didn’t last into the late night like they used to in our old neighborhood. So that’s a plus. Luckily I’m didn’t get too stressed about the loud noises but made sure the perimeter was secure, just to be on the safe side. I just don’t understand humans and their obsession with disturbing a perfectly nice evening. Don’t they realize they are traumatizing pets and people who suffer from PTSD? I just will never understand why they do it.
Since Mum is kinda boring, she chose to watch a hockey game instead of ‘partying’ with me. She had the nerve to wake me up a couple of times with loud cheering. Her team continues to have the fewest home losses and they gave the opposing goalie, who Mum despises, a real shellacking and when they scored the first 4 goals in 5 minutes she was, let’s just say, very animated. Hockey is a big deal for her anyway but to beat that goalie was particularly satisfying.
Wilson: So much for any big celebration action.
The Mum: I dunno, I was pretty excited celebrating that game. It was definitely a nice way to end 2025. But the celebration noise didn’t stop there.
Wilson: You’re so right, when we went for an early morning walk the next morning, there was all manner of squawking cheering by the local golf course residents-Canadian Geese. Whew…what a blooming bunch of noisy birds. I’m sure glad we don’t live on the golf course and have to endure that racket every morning while they’re standing about milling in the breakfast line. Sheesh. I imagine all manner of gossip while waiting for breakfast.
The Mum: Amen, House Pony. That photo shows just a sliver of the noisemakers. We are realizing they are very noisy in the morning and are grateful they have chosen the golf course as their concert hall.
Wilson: That’s a concert? Hmm, not exactly my kind of music since we just walk through the golf course on the Ralston Creek trail. And speaking of trail, just check out this habitat hut the park folks created for critters. We still haven’t seen any but with these huts, there surely has to be some around. I was not exactly primed for posing, choosing instead to keep an eye out for my personal nemesis of which I’m always on alert for spotting now that I’ve seen a couple. Where there’s one, there are probably a jillion just waiting to be chased by the jaws of death.
The Mum: Argh…you and your squirrels. So, we received a teeny amount of snow this week and there were a couple of cold nights and thus cold enough to freeze the edges of the creek.
Wilson: I don’t know why those frozen parts captivated your attention. Here we were walking along at a nice clip and you drag me over to one of the bridges that span the creek just to take a photo. Good grief-for dog’s sake, Mum.
The Mum: I just wanted to see the frozen edges up close. And then I noticed a tree trunk that suggests there may have been beavers around at some point. That’s a pretty exciting thought, though I suspect we won’t be seeing them up close since they’re pretty stealthy. Still, it was very cool.
Wilson: The things that crank your handle, Mum…are obviously well beyond my comprehension. I notice you are constantly scouring the creek. What in the bloody blue blazes are you looking for?
The Mum: Well, trash for one thing. I feel compelled to dispose of trash we encounter in the bins along the creek and then I’m also checking for signs of critters. I’m fascinated with the natural world, plus I would guarantee there are likely coyotes around with all those geese and perhaps some deer, so it probably is prudent to keep my eyes open as we walk through these semi-wild areas. I’m just trying to keep you safe, buddy-that and picking up after careless humans.
Wilson: I appreciate you looking out for me and nature’s best interests but I can take care of myself.
The Mum: No need tempting fate. Beside, I prefer seeing you pose in this natural world rather than us being a statistic in it.
Wilson: Well, when you say it like that, I guess it makes sense. Just yesterday there was a sensational story about a suspected mountain lion attack and fatality in Larimer County of a lone hiker who may have been attacked.
The Mum: Trust me, Mum knows best and I’ll continue to be careful especially while walking through the dense vegetation in the habitat area. We want to enjoy nature, not be its victim and it’s my job keeping you safe. So what’s on your agenda now that we’re in 2026.
Wilson: Nothing planned for this weekend, maybe entertain a friend who may drop by, but mostly just learning more about our area and checking it out.Whatever you do, we hope 2026 has started out on the right foot and you have a wonderful weekend. Happy New Year!
Live, love, bark! 🐾
Happy Mew Yeer Miss Monika an Wilson!!! Wee made it1!! As mee Unkell Siddharta used to mee-yow: “WOO HOO!!”
So many kewl (no pun intended) fotoss!! Wilson yore a hansum man poochiie….Man that iss ALOT of Geese…now wee nose where ourss went!! Give them our reegardss OKAY?
***nose bopss*** BellaDharma an (((hugss))) BellaSita Mum
Thanks, you’re way too kind! I’m just grateful they hang out more at the golf course than at our house. We hear them honking as they fly over to the golf course every day. Noisy buggers and they don’t act a bit like any Canadians I’ve ever met! These guys are mean.
We don’t like the fireworks either, Wilson, not that we were afraid, but it’s so useless and the poor birdies who have to fly high in the sky for hours…thank cat it’s over🙈That’s a nice environment where you took your walkies, it looked a little like our Country when we saw the ditches😸Double Pawkisses for a Happy Sunday to the both of you🐾😽💞
Useless and annoying.
We’re really enjoying our walkies. Last night I could hear an owl and I’m pretty sure a coyote in the distance. Very exciting night sounds! Happy Sunday.
Hi Wilson (and also Wilson’s hu-mom) and a happy, albeit on the delayed side … New Year wish to you both … enjoyed joining you on a walkabout in your new neighborhood, it looks earthy and lovely and charming there, on that chilly day. Trust you’re settling in, comfortably, easily, all that kinda stuff … see you again soon.
Hi guys, thanks for the NY wishes. We appreciate them. It’s been in the 60’s since I took that pic-not exactly January weather! We are settling in with the usual moving hiccups (i.e. not all that easily) but we’re taking it one day at a time. We hope your holidays were wagnificent!
Lovely pics! It was nice to see Wilson trying to not to be too distracted by one of those infamous rodents, BOL!
Those geese…we have a goose colony a bit away from us, but I mostly only hear them when I walk nearer to it. Sometimes some of them congregate in the field across from us…but mostly only the sandhill cranes are there (in the right season of course…they are all gone for the winter).
We had NO fireworks here. and we didn’t miss them either.
There is a lot of noise here for baseball, and football. When I still lived with my parents way, way back, we would yell at the TV for hockey!
Happy New Year!!
Thank you. Wilson saw 1 squirrel maybe 10 days ago along the trail and now he’s constantly on high alert. 🙄
I almost feel badly for my TV-I’m sure if it could, it’d wear ear muffs whenever a game is on. LOL Have a great rest of the weekend and enjoy the fact you had no fireworks to start out the New Year. That’s certainly worth celebrating.
Some weird people just like loud noises, especially if they are making the noises themselves.
You live in a beautiful area, and your mom is very smart, it’s much better safe than sorry.
Thank you. We’re enjoying this quieter neighborhood more with each passing day. People are just self absorbed anymore and sadly don’t care how their rude inconsiderate behavior affects others.
We hope you had great holidays. Enjoy the rest of the weekend!
Wilson, I don’t mean to sound not glad of neighbors, but New Years, 4th of July, any excuse— they do it because they can. No one stops them. There are noise ordinances and the police don’t care to intervene. Secondly, it’s all about them, what pleases them and blows their hair back… not any persons or animals who are deeply disturbed by it.
You’re probably correct. Still, it’s so annoying and inconsiderate. Our society these days is so self absorbed and lives by the creed of “the rules don’t apply to me.” Sigh. Hope you had great holidays, Carole. Happy New Year!
Lucy: Hey Wilson, we bet you would protect your Mom from mountain lions! But we know our Moms always want to protect us. You look very handsome in your pictures.
Mom Amy: So glad your cold and snow stayed away, I’ve been out walking the dogs for almost an hour in a short sleeve shirt and sandals. Loving it!
Thanks. Glad you’re having lovely weather. It was 60F today. I still can’t believe it. Have a great rest of the weekend.
P.S. Oh yes, I can guarantee Wilson would protect me from any mountain lions. Sometimes I think he views everyone as a mountain lion 😉
Except, of course the folks in the hospital…
Lulu: “Happy New Year! We are glad it wasn’t TOO noisy there! It was a pretty quiet one here, for once, possibly because of all the rain …”
Java Bean: “Our Mama and Dada stayed out very late at their friends’ house around the corner this New Year’s Eve! They didn’t get home until 10:30! Rumor has it they were watching something called ‘Hamilton’, with a five-minute break to watch the ball drop at 9pm our time.”
Charlee: “We heard about that mountain lion attack. There have been lots of mountain lions sighted around here lately, but nobody has been attacked. A few people have been stalked though …”
Thanks, guys! Glad your folks got an evening out and what an evening it must have been (I mean, Hamilton?! Woohoo).
I don’t think there’s been a fatality involving a mountain lion since the 90’s. That’s saying something. With the explosive growth in the state, it’ll likely happen more often. They’re losing their habitat to a building craze which makes me very sad.
Beautiful photographs Wilson and what a gorgeous area for walking! 🐾🫶🐾 So good to hear there weren’t too many fireworks and we wish you and Monika a very happy, healthy 2026 filled with amazing new memories 🤗❤️✨️
Aww, thank you, dear Xenia. Appreciate it. We were glad there weren’t too many fireworks as well. My old neighborhood often shot fireworks well after midnight so this was appreciated. Wilson doesn’t seem overly bothered by them but they annoy the devil out of me. I don’t understand why people have to shoot them off that disrupts most pets and can trigger stress in military veterans. We hope you and sweet Bria enjoy peace, joy and happiness in 2026.
Nice photos. Wishing you and your mom a happy and healthy 2026!
Thanks, Miss Ellen. Mum and I send our best Happy Mew Year’s wishes to you.
Your fur-iend,
Wilson 🐾
Mum certainly knows best when it comes to staying safe out there and I’m glad Wilson understands. He’s such an affable chap, not to mention the goodest and handsomest of boys. Also good to see that the two of you are enjoying your new digs and the surrounding area so much. And that the weather has been fairly agreeable.
I spotted a beaver for a few precious moments in our walk through the bird sanctuary last year and then POOF!
Enjoy the weekend at your new ranch!
Agreeable is an understatement! 50’s & 60’s…in January?! What the heck!
Beavers are pretty elusive-I doubt we’ll ever see them but we can hope, right? Very shy and very busy buggers. Enjoy a wonderful first weekend of 2026.
That is cray cray!
They are the witness protection program peeps of the animal kingdom.
Happy 2026! We have neighbors behind us who bang pots and pans *and* set off firecrackers every New Year’s Eve. Ugh.
Fabulous photos! Hey Wilson, did you see that squirrel? I hope 2026 is a fabulous year for both of you. Happy New Year!
Thanks Terry. Eek, we mustn’t even whisper the ‘S’ word. I should have known, the hoodlums from our old neighborhood probably texted their relatives here about driving a certain Floof crazy.
Enjoy a terrific first weekend!
These are beautiful photos, Monika. My favorite, of course, is the one where Wilson is posing for us. I like the photos of the ice along the edge and the critter shed. I hope your year is off to a great start.
Aww, you’re too kind, Dan. I love it when the first edges of ice form. So interesting and ethereal. Here’s hoping your first weekend of 2026 is wagnificent!
🥶❤️🦴
The new neighborhood looks less developed and quieter. Kinda nice!
Thanks Eliza. There are still a few farms mixed in with new developments like ours. So far we’re enjoying the mix. Have a terrific weekend.
What absolutely gorgeous photos, Monika. I tell you, Wilson, I get where your Mum is coming from, trying to capture what nature has so kindly shared.
And I have never heard the expression “The things that crank your handle” I have to try to remember that one!
Happy, Love and laughter-filled, healthy and wonderful New Year!
You are just too sweet. Thank you. Yeah, I heard that ‘crank your handle’ line often when the kids were teens. It was a familiar retort whenever I’d call them out on something.
It’s that time of year when brown dominates the landscape (or white, depending on where you’re at) but that stretch has such golden hues, I couldn’t resist. Another day of 50F (10C) or higher. It’s getting ridiculous with temps that warm in January, no less. I think tomorrow is calling for 60F (15C) in the coldest month of the year. What the actual….
Have a great weekend and a photographic year that’s beyond fabulous.
I have my moments.
Love this one. I had never heard it!
Not here, darlin’ It’s white and ice all over. It’s 0F here right now. I took another lovely 1.5 hour walk and it’s marvellous.
Your temps are stupid wrong. Marc’s too.
And thank you! May you have a marvellous weekend,, too!
You are so right about the stupid temps. Mother Nature needs HRT…and STAT!
Hahahaha!!
Such beautiful places to walk around and get lots of nice fresh air (avoid the Canadian goose pooop though!)……we had no snow but it was COLD (with capital letters!). In spite of all of that we had a wonderful Christmas and New Years Eve – and tomorrow we put all the decorations back in bags and boxes and they go to the basement until NEXT year. We thank you for the gorgeous photos – makes us want to take a walk! HAPPY NEW YEAR.
Love and Hugs, Pam and Teddy
Yeah, we’re avoiding the little green noodle-like ‘presents’ whenever we see them. I have to think geese are the filthiest, grossest birds alive. And for Canadians, they sure are surly! We hope the temps warm up a bit so you can get outside and enjoy all that Nature has to offer. Wishing you both a fabulous New Year.
Wilson, I am sure if you stay in close proximity to your Mum during hockey games, she’ll continue to lavish attention on you…in between goals, of course. And speaking of courses, our nearby golf course is reguarly occupied by many geese. They don’t make much of a concert while roaming the grounds, but air travel in and out of the golf course leaves no doubt when they are in transit. Lots of HONKing. Have a peaceful, quiet, wonderful weekend!
Ummm, no-she’s too doggone noisy. I try to remind her “it’s just a game” but she takes hockey seriously and there’s no convincing her of that. I remind her during periods that I’m her focus, even if she loses all sense during games. Especially against certain teams like the one that they played the other night. Some of the divisional teams really get Mum worked up. That’s when I shift from catching her attention to becoming a quilt.
Canadian geese are the noisiest most foul birds we know. Just grateful their early morning wake up calls are west of us for the most part. And they fear no one so we give them a wide berth! Peace, joy, and happiness this weekend and throughout the New Year, Bruce.
This area is a lot more rural than your last neighborhood. Lovely to walk around.
Thanks. At least on our walks. There’s still a lot of urban streets to travel on. Have a great weekend!
Wow that’s a lot of noisy birds. I can only imagine the squawking! Wilson is just adorable. I’m glad he didn’t go in it with a coyote. We didn’t have fireworks either, but we have about 6 inches or 7 inches of snow. That may have rained them in a little bit. Happy new year to you guys! Looking forward to an interesting 2026 !
Thanks, we’re hopeful 2026 is going to be a good year. That photo was just a slice of those birds. There were at least twice on that green. Six to seven inches of white stuff…oh gosh, are we ever jealous! Have a super weekend-stay cozy and warm. It’s another warm, dry weekend for us but there may be some snow in the mountains. 🤞🏼
Mom doesn’t like staying up late, so we were in bed before ten on New Years Eve. Thankfully, the moron behind us didn’t set off fireworks. Mom woke up and heard some very distant fireworks but Bailie didn’t even notice which is a good thing so Mom went back to sleep. Bummer with those awful geese. Yes, they are pretty but they are mean, dirty and destructive. Mom hates them and wishes they would go back to Canada. We have coyotes and fox around here occasionally and always hope they take a few geese for their meals. Enjoy your weekend!
The 3 loud ones we had here were a bit of a surprise, luckily they didn’t last long. The old neighborhood fireworks would go off until well after midnight.
Those geese are something else. Noisy, foul, and so cranky. We avoid them like the plague. Wilson doesn’t pay them any attention-he’s always too busy looking for squirrels. I learned the hard way their poop is super hard to remove from dog fur. It really stains badly. Enjoy the first weekend of 2026!
A delightful stroll, Monika. It does look like a beaver has downed that tree. The question now is “Where did he stash it?” Wishing you a lovely weekend.
The creek is not deep at all so that’s a good question. I understand there are a couple of small lakes nearby, so maybe closer there. Wishing you and the French kids a wonderful weekend.
Happy New Year to you both from The Z Kids (as you so aptly named them, Monika) and me!! 🎉🥳 Let’s hope 2026 is kinder to all of us!
Did you know that there is a dog activity, called Parkour, that entails putting paws up on all sorts of things? I always meant to start doing it with Ducky when I first learned about it, but then life got in the way (not to mention Sam’s dementia demons). There’s even a national organization that hosts events! It’s really popular in the UK – I learned about it from my friends over there.
I had intended to get the Zs started on it, too; but like almost everything else I’ve intended to do, it never got done.
I still owe you an email from about two months ago; but chaos reigns supreme around here. Meanwhile, I love nature, too; I just can’t find anyone to help me manage these two for walks at the park. Callie and Shadow were soooo easy! But I got them used to it at an early age, and had help (pre-dementia Sam). Aaaaah, those were the days. I was also 20 years younger. 😏
We follow a couple of sheepdogs in Europe and they pose on fences and boulders in such amazing ways, I didn’t realize there was a whole term for it. But it’s cute and getting Wilson to do even little elements of it warm my heart. He really struggled while I was selling my house and training moments are good to help him settle and build confidence.
Don’t worry about that email-trust me I totally understand. Do what you can, when you can and give yourself some grace. And then go hug your Z-kiddos. Love ya, lady! Here’s to a better 2026.
Love you – and Wilson – too!
What gorgeous winter nature today…especially the pictures featuring you, Wilson!
xoxo,
Rosy & Sunny
PeeEss…Our Mama yells loud during football games just like your Mum does with hockey…soooooo annoying when we are trying to nap!
Many thanks, Rosy and Sunny. You’re too kind. Glad you enjoyed the pics. As you know, this time of year isn’t the most photogenic but the tawney colors of the grass with the blue skies sure were a nice change from just all brown. If only we’d get a good snow…I can only imagine how pretty pics of that will be.
We love it when a sports fan gets it about my loud cheering. Too many people think I’m crazy. Have a great weekend!
Watching your favorite sports team is a great way to usher in the new year especially with a win. Looks like a beautiful area you have moved to. The photos of the creek bring back fond memories of Kali and my creek trail when she first established our pack. Looks like you’ve got a little more room to breathe and move about. Enjoy!
Love, love, love the photo of the stream with the bridge over it. Those browns with the cold river. Beautifully composed and captured.
Aww, thanks. Even though everything is crunchy dry, there is a beauty to those tawny shades. Have a wagnificent weekend!
Those shades, against the cold of the water, are really lovely.
That all looks very chilly!
The one house near us – opposite in an unpopulated area – decided to let off fireworks – in the street! at 8.00 p.m.! This house is well back from the road, but it drove the dogs crazy. Now I learn it was because the child of the family could not wait until later…..bring back Herod!
It was crisp early but the day warmed up nicely into the mid 50’sF (12C).
Argh…I’m so sick of thoughtless people who only think of their own amusement (or cater to entitled children) at the expense of others. Makes you pray for a long deluge, doesn’t it? Have a peaceful and pleasant weekend!
Had something similar in my neighborhood and each time I heard them I’d yell out, “Happy 8:30!” “Happy 9:04!” It’s all so ridiculous.