Adventures about pet therapy, rescues and urban life in the Mile High City
Elsa: You are so going to pay for this humiliation, Mother!
The Mom: Egad…you know you’re in trouble when you’re called Mother.
Elsa: Happy Howl-oween, peeps. We both hope it’s safe, fun but sans dumb costumes. Please stay away from Mothers who encourage you with high value treats in their pockets-it’s a complete ruse to humiliate you and is far worse than seeing any ghosts. And while you’re being careful, please stay away from chocolate-it’s not good for us four-leggers.
Live, love, bark! 🐾
Happy Howl-oween’s Eve. Today is Monday and the snow that blanketed the Ranch has moved out (with apologies to folks who will experience the first visit from ole Man Winter). We were greeted with clear blue skies and 11ºF/-12ºC degrees and optimism for warmer temps today. Elsa greeted the morning with a sniff of the air and a very quick squat. No point dallying obviously. Despite the cold, the clear blue skies left us feeling excited for the week where temps will reach between 40ºF to mid-50’s (4ºC to 14ºC) and possible even reach the low 60’sF (16ºC) toward the end of the week. All I can say is, yes, please. This blast of Arctic cold came a bit too soon for me, though with Halloween this week, not untypical.
And in the spirit of Halloween (or Howl-oween), today is a nod to this annual holiday. Do you know how Halloween came about? According to the Tai Chi Foundation, I found this interesting article by Seán O’Neill (Lic. Ac.) explaining its origins:
“…a celebration observed in many countries on the 31st of October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Hallows’ Day. It begins the three-day observance of Allhallowtide, the time in the liturgical year dedicated to remembering the dead, including saints (hallows), martyrs, and all the faithful departed.
It is widely believed that many Halloween traditions originated from ancient Celtic harvest festivals, particularly the Gaelic festival Samhain. Samhain marks the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter or the “darker half” of the year. Traditionally, it is celebrated from 31 October to 1 November, as the Celtic day began and ended at sunset. This is about halfway between the autumn equinox and the winter solstice. Samhain was seen as a liminal time, when the boundary between this world and the Otherworld could more easily be crossed. This meant the Aos Sí, the ‘spirits’ or ‘fairies’, could more easily come into our world. The tradition of dressing up is believed to have been a way of imitating, and disguising oneself from, the Aos Sí who some believed could take you back with them to their world. If they saw you looking like a spirit or deceased being they would ignore you as a potential candidate for bringing back with them.
However you feel about these things, we wish you a day filled with only good Aos Si who are kind and benevolent and who don’t get carried away with the pumpkin spice. Have fun this week and join us tomorrow where Elsa actually might dip her paws in the costume pool. Stay warm!
Live, love, bark! 🐾
The Day of the Dead (el Día de los Muertos), is a Mexican holiday where families welcome back the souls of their deceased relatives for a brief reunion that includes food, drink and celebration. A blend of Mesoamerican ritual, European religion and Spanish culture, the holiday is celebrated each year from October 31- November 2. While October 31 is Halloween, November 1 is “el Dia de los Inocentes,” or the day of the children, and All Saints Day. November 2 is All Souls Day or the Day of the Dead. According to tradition, the gates of heaven are opened at midnight on October 31 and the spirits of children can rejoin their families for 24 hours. The spirits of adults can do the same on November 2.
Well, ahoy me maties and shiver me timbers…today is International Talk Like a Pirate Day and because I apparently enjoy living dangerously, I thought why not try for another photo session with the ninja to celebrate it. I mean if she would no doubt pay me back anyway for the birthday Gotcha Day picture session, why not go all in and really make it worth her while? It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve walked the plank so I decided to go all in. It wasn’t as easy as you might think. Let’s review the process of how we got here after a few tidbits about how this day became what it is today.
Back in 1995, pals John Bauer and Mark Summer were playing racket ball together and randomly chiding each other by talking in an exaggerated form of pirate talk for the day just for fun. They decided to mark the day annually on Summer’s ex birthday so they’d be sure to remember it. For a few years it was celebrated mostly amongst themselves and friends until humorist Dave Barry brought public attention to it in 2002.
Now let’s see what it took for us to get here.
Step 1. Locate the hat thingy that Sam wore a few years back at a hospital visit one Halloween. Pull out the box that houses all the hats and bandanas. Drat, it wasn’t there.
Step 2. Ok then, no biggy. Find the bag with a couple of Halloween costume items. Normally I loathe the whole Halloween thing because the doorbell ringing always drove the dogs nuts but when I worked, our department was always a leader in clever costumes so I have a couple of old standbys from those days I can tap.
Step 3. Closet where the costumes live 99.9% of the time was going to need organizing in order for me to reach said bag that houses the costumes.
Step 4. Well I figured since I’m organizing any way, guess I’d better vacuum while I’m pulling things out, right? It’ll only take a second but discover vacuuming takes a while since I’ve been purging books, clothes and household items no longer being utilized into a large pile that I need to maneuver around. Grr…where the heck is THAT doggone bag in this mess?
Step 5. A-ha…find the bag. Rifle through it, poop…the Davey Jones hat thingy not there. However there is one other bag it might be in so I go find a step ladder to easily pull that one down to check.
Step 6. Eureka…finally found the Davey Jones hat thingy but realize it’s in the wrong bag so reorganize both bags to reflect what’s what. Get out labelmaker to identify the boxes both bags will now live in. Have successfully cleaned the shelves, reorganized the Halloween stuff and managed to find a bunch of old craft projects never started and arrange to include them in the pile headed for the thrift shop. This only took a couple of hours. Ugh, I’m tired and think maybe just forget the whole bloody thing.
Step 7. Fortuitously (or not, depending which side of the fence you’re on) Elsa sashays into the studio. Ooh, ooh, energy surges through my evil veins…”come here said the spider to the fly!”
Step 8. Surprisingly and unwittingly, Elsa waltzes over. I spend several minutes showering her with praise and ear rubs. She’s unsuspecting but now she’s giving me the signal she’d like to take a potty break. Sigh. To accommodate the princess, I take time to take her outside where she sniffs, sniffs, and sniffs some more. Finally, success. This only took 20 minutes.
Step 9. Aware I better strike while the iron is hot, I go into the pantry and pull out the chicken jerky and begin to cut up several pieces. Elsa’s nose catches that nirvana sweet smell of chicken and follows me into the living room, Davey Jones hat and chicken jerky in hand.
Step 10. I ask Elsa to sit politely. She’s starting to realize she’s walked into a trap while giving her a treat, and she plops down as I wave another one in front of her nose. Now I have her full attention. Like Blackbeard, I slyly go to set the scene.
Step 11. I slowly pull the hat from my pocket. “Uh-oh…what did I get myself into” expression flashes crossed Elsa’s face. Enter another well-timed treat. She relaxes-whew.
Step 12. Anchor hat on Elsa’s head which drops because she now realizes exactly what’s coming.
Step 13. Hold up head with the booty under her nose to get her attention. She perks up-snap!
Step 14. This old salt may be just a landlubber but I’m in the groove. I pull out another piece of jerky and wave it under the lassie’s nose. She sniffs at it like a true buccaneer and takes it ever so gently. Yum, she thinks…is this a great country or what?
Step 15. Snapping simultaneously as my hand quickly pulls out of the frame, I capture this pic. She may be a black dog and harder than heck to get any decent pic but after nearly 3 hours of preparation, I have my prize and shout for joy! Bonus, I have a clean and organized closet-woohoo!
Step 16. Elsa’s thinking ‘dead men tell no tales’ but another well timed piece of chicken jerky seems to make her forget her indignity for a few seconds. I retrieve the hat, put it in my pocket and dispense yet another treat.
Step 17. “Aye, aye, maybe this wasn’t so bad,” Elsa thinks. She even wags her tail a bit which she seems to know will also be rewarded since she’s not much of a tail wagger.
“X” marked the spot and we all found our respective treasure. Luckily for us, we have some time before there’s another photo session. I don’t think I can do this again any time soon.
Have fun today with International Talk Like a Pirate Day. All I can say is “thank heavens for Dave Berry and chicken jerky.”
Live, love, bark! 🐾
Twenty-two years ago we watched in horror and disbelief as life as we knew it changed our world. Today is Patriot Day where we salute, honor and remember all the heroes from that fateful day. We will never forget.
Live, love, bark! 🐾
Today is the first Monday of September and it’s also Labor Day in the U.S. and Canada. We send our best wishes for the unofficial end of summer, even as temperatures continue to remind us it’s not over. Not sure when or if those will ever end, yet we hope today is an enjoyable day off.
If you’ve ever wondered how we came to celebrate this day, please check our past posts here and here.
Stay safe and cool, while enjoying one last summer BBQ and recall those who made it possible. Happy Labor Day from me and the Ninja.
Live, love, bark! 🐾
Greetings and surprise! It’s me, Elsa, the Ninja Ranch Hand here to share a wonderful occasion with everyone. We rarely post on Saturday but we just couldn’t let today pass without honoring my brother. Recently my brother’s original Mom contacted us and provided us with Norman’s exact date of birthday. Mom had long thought he was a little older than the rescue thought and she was right. Twelve years ago today, a little fur ball came into this world and has been brightening everyone whose path he crossed ever since. Norman (who was always called Norman BTW) entered our lives in January of 2020 and while I don’t always show it, I do love this big lunkhead. He’s always sweet (even when he’d probably prefer to swat me into next week because I can be a bit of a pill) and is the most even keeled dog Mom has ever known.
Everyone at the hospital adores him and he’s one of the favorite dogs visiting nurses and staff throughout the hospital. Recently we’ve seen him starting to slow down and Mom thought it might be time for him to retire and live a life of leisure since it was becoming harder and harder for him to get up from laying on slick hospital floors. Then our pet therapy group wondered if Norman could just be a door greeter welcoming visitors into the hospital. Mom will bring a nice comfy pad for him to lay on while bringing his special kind of therapy to all who see him. He will wish patients well when they are discharged as well as when they check in at the hospital. We’re going to try it out and see if it will work because he’s just so special.
In the meantime, my Mom and I plan to dote on the big fur-ball this weekend and will shower him with treats and loads of attention while he brings us smiles. I mean who wouldn’t-just look at this sweetheart. He started out being a lounge lizard as a puppy and he’s still one which always makes Mom smile.
Norman has never once balked at all the stupid hats or costumes Mom dresses him up in. His good nature is always front and center and when Mom comes home, he runs and grabs a favorite toy to show her he’s glad she’s home. This dog is a dream, I could learn a few things from him but I’m endearing in my own special way. But Norman…well he’s just something extra special and filled my Mom’s heart with tender comfort when Sam crossed the bridge. I’m convinced he saved her more than she saved him.
Mom thanks her lucky stars every single day for this wonderful dog who brightens up everyone’s mood and brings more smiles and chuckles than you can imagine. We couldn’t be more grateful for this boy and hope we can celebrate more birthdays and special times with this hunk of love. Happy Birthday, sweet Norman. We love ya to the moon and back, dude.
Here are a few of his most notable poses. Is there a sweeter dog around, I don’t think so.
This boy is beloved by young and old but especially by us. Happy birthday, sweet boy.
Live, love, bark! 🐾
Today may be the last Monday of the week (and month) but it’s also the day we celebrate Memorial Day in the U.S. (we encourage you to click on the link for historical background on how Memorial Day came into being). Today is also special for another reason around the Ranch.
Today is my youngest granddaughter’s birthday. It’s hard to believe this young, gifted woman turns 15 today. It seems like just yesterday when she was just a wee tyke who charmed everyone she encountered. Where did the time gone? Happy birthday, sweetie. From a little cutie to a talented, incredibly caring and beautiful young woman, you continue to impress all who know you. Love you, L.
The Head Ranch Wrangler will be leaving for Hawaii in a couple of days to celebrate the wedding of my oldest granddaughter to the love of her life so posts/comments may be sporadic but I will do my best to visit your websites as WiFi and time permits.
All of us at the Ranch wish each and everyone a safe and happy Memorial Day Monday and hope you spend a moment thanking those who paid the ultimate price so that you can remain free.
Live, love, bark! 🐾
Happy Good Friday peeps, pups and kitties. Welcome to this week’s edition of Nature Friday where we’re joining the cool kiddos over at Adventures of the LLB Gang. Hiya, it’s me, Elsa along with my doltish brother, Norman, sharing a few pics from our Easter ‘Hood. So put your Easter bonnet (or ears) on and let’s check out what’s new this week. And don’t forget to click on the link to see what others have shared.
Elsa: It was another week for the books. Sunny but chilly with windy conditions and {gasp} a speck of the white stuff for Holy Week though Mom assured me we should be warming up over the next several days.
Norman: You have to agree little sis, Mother Nature is nothing if not cruel diverse with what she dishes out. Oi…my poor aching bones. On the bright side, it looks like Spring is doing its level best to wake up and well…spring forth. Even a couple of bulbs surprised Mum by making a colorful appearance. Take for instance this daffodil. Mum squealed with delight when she saw it peeking up in the blue grape hyacinths and dried leaves.
Elsa: More like shocked. She told me she didn’t plant that guy over there. This is either the work of a ‘helpful’ squirrel, which we all know isn’t likely because, I mean…a “helpful squirrel” come on, that’s just fantasy, am I right? It’s probably more likely to have been an escapee…that’s what Mom calls bulbs who migrate from their original planting spot.
Norman: I even had to go over and check it out, it was so bright in that area where dried leaves prevail.
Elsa: {interrupting} More likely you probably went to water it.
Norman: {Ahem} As I was saying, there was another bright spot in our garden, some deep purple hyacinths although they decided to appear on the first day it snowed. Mum was scratching her head about where it came from too. She didn’t remember planting it there but said it’s always possible. As you said, it’s not likely she got any help from the resident critters and we both know we didn’t get our paws dirty in the soil. Now that the snow has melted, it seems nothing worse for the wear. Hardy little buggers, aren’t they?
Elsa: Well they are native to eastern Mediterranean near Turkey so I guess that makes sense. I’m no botanist but I think a fair number of our spring bulbs originated in that region. Hmmm, and here I always thought they came from Holland.
Norman: Oh dear sweet Elsa…aren’t you precious, little one? Another bulb that originated in Persia is the tulip. Mum’s have just broken ground but we found this one on a walk. From a distance it looked like a bright piece of rubbish but as we got closer, Mum was thrilled it wasn’t something she needed to put into a bin.
Elsa: They sure seem hardy. I know you wouldn’t want to have snow on your head.
Norman: Right you are on that, Ninja! Brrrr. The day it snowed Mum walked over to the Post Office and saw how the snow had swirled on dried leaves and branches and seed heads. It’s much prettier seeing it on screen than being actually there. {shivers}.
Elsa: Ah come on…it wasn’t that bad? I mean if the Easter Bunny can handle it, surely you can. I swear I think these folks have one of those inflatable things for every holiday. This one is new this year.
Norman: It’s kind of noisy whenever we walk past; they’re nothing like real bunnies who tend to be very quiet and freeze in their tracks until we get too close for their comfort.
Elsa: Wait, I missed a live bunny? Where was I?
Norman: I think you were checking out a taunting squirrel.
Elsa: Oh yeah, I hate it when they think they can get away with mocking me on our walks. Why I’ll show ’em…
Norman: Umm, sister, no need to get yourself all frothed up. We just need to learn to co-exist.
Elsa: Co-exist…ha! Not a chance.
Norman: {sigh} In your case, that’s probably highly unlikely. I just enjoy seeing them and as long as they don’t bother us, I say live and let live. I’m more about keeping ‘herds’ together rather than treed.
Elsa: Dream on, dog breath. Not as long as I’m around…I’m going to make sure those stupid tree rats don’t sully our garden or on our walks either.
Norman: Oh Elsa…keep your knickers on. Besides, during this special week, we must practice peace and love. All the major religions are celebrating this week. Passover began on Wednesday, Ramadan has been going on since March 20 and ends April 20, and Easter will be celebrated this Sunday. It’s a trifecta of holy days in religion, so peace should be front and center. There was even a blooming Pasque Flower on one of Mom’s walks. Just in time for the holidays. Known as Pulsatilla hirsutissima, Pulsatilla ludoviciana, Pulsatilla patens, Anemone patens) they have an undisputed appearance but a somewhat disputed name. It has been known as Pulsatilla hirsutissima, Pulsatilla ludoviciana, Pulsatilla patens, Anemone patens, etc. “Pulsatilla” from the Latin for “pulsing”, “moving about”, plus the diminutive, “illa”: thus “a bit of quivering” (from the wind). Pasque Flower or Easter Flower is from the Hebrew “Pasach” i.e. “Passover” [the last supper was the celebration of Pasach] and so this plant is associated with Easter since they generally flower around the Easter/Passover season when winter snow begins to melt. The name most likely arrived through variations of French, “passefleur” and “passflower” both similar to the French word for Easter, “Pasques” which has its roots in the Hebrew word “Pasach” so it’s kind of easy to see how the common name morphed into “Pasque Flower.”
Elsa: Since you put it like that, ok, just this once. Besides, I hope that whatever holiday you celebrate, you celebrate Nature in some fashion as well. Have a safe and happy holiday. Mom told me we’re headed south to see our Grandpa and Mom’s other sister who is coming to town. Aren’t you excited? I get to sit up close next to you in the car! Woohoo-road trip!
Norman: Yes, I’m {almost} breathless with anticipation. Happy Easter, Chag Sameach, and Ramadan Kareem everyone.
Live, love, bark! 🐾
Although Mum’s lineage is mostly German, we happily (ok, maybe ‘happily’ is a bit of an exaggeration, let’s just say we generally tolerate and by we, I mean me) participate in the ‘wearing of the green’ for St. Patrick’s Day for her sake. Of course, that means she has to work über fast when trying to capture Elsa in costume. We all know that Elsa never likes to participate in photo sessions but Mum has gotten quick with the shutter after years of countless bloopers with Elsa.
With that introduction, welcome to the St. Patrick’s Day edition of Nature Friday. Norman here at the editor’s desk penning this post. My sister decided to boycott since her motto is “Bah Humbug,” not “Erin Go Bragh,” especially today (feel free to insert an eye roll here in honor of her typical curmudgeonly manner). If you were to describe her with an Irish expression this week, she’s been “acting the maggot” meaning she’s been obnoxious, showing her displeasure with just about everything. Mum has had a pinched nerve and with a lack of sleep, is pretty much over the difficult princess routine. Blimey…these two strong willed females with competing agendas and…well…this bloke knows to avoid the fireworks. We all know that Mum’s win in the end (or at least we let them think so) but don’t tell her I said that but boy, the mutual crabbiness isn’t what this bloke enjoys as we march toward the official arrival of Spring on Monday. That said, as usual, I’m joining our friends from Adventures of the LLB Gang.
Like I said, Mum has been suffering from a painful pinched nerve all week and photo taking hasn’t been high on her list of things to do since restorative sleep has been most elusive. As a dog we are lucky we can sleep just about anywhere and at any time. Still she did manage to find a few offerings this week. Let’s see what she came up with, okay?
She took this one while visiting with family in Southern Colorado.
For a hot minute, I thought that Spring had arrived on Wednesday. It was a lovely day in the low 70’sºF and about as glorious a day as you’ll find. Then Winter stepped in with a cruel way to remind us that Springtime in the Rockies is not for the faint of heart. In other words, it snowed {shiver}. Not much mind you, but enough to keep the coats, gloves and hats close at hand.
On the plus side, Mum noticed the blue hyacinths were coming up as their lovely blue shade contrasted nicely against the snow and dried leaves. On a walk late yesterday afternoon after most of the snow had melted, she noticed some Spring bulbs that have nice southern exposure. Mum was excited at the thought of these tulips blooming soon which, if she remembers correctly, are red and very cheery looking. They are much farther along than any of the bulbs in our garden since they are warmed by that nice sunny spot while ours tend to be somewhat shaded by large trees.
Before she passed by those tulips, she walked past her favorite Eastern Redbud tree along her usual route and found a couple of icicles hanging off some major branches. She’s hoping that in a week or so, buds will start forming for a beautiful display of those showy flowers that bloom in early Spring. It’s a plain looking tree when it’s fully leafed out but for a good 7-10 days, it’s breathtaking with those colorful fuschia blooms.
Of course, no St. Patrick’s Day is complete without a shamrock plant or two. Mum has had this plant for more than 20 years in her kitchen window. It’s seen better days and likely is trying to remind her it needs to be repotted in fresh soil. Apologies for its raggedy appearance, but it did manage to bloom just in time for the holiday.
So do you know why we wear green on St. Patrick’s Day? It’s because of Ireland’s nickname, The Emerald Isle. The green stripe in the Irish flag also plays a role since green represents the Catholics of Ireland, the orange represents the Protestant population and the white in the middle symbolizes peace between the two religions. As a dog whose lineage heralds from the UK, I’ve often thought maybe they should have made the white part bigger since there were many years of conflict.
So how might you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day? Any corn beef and cabbage on your weekend menu? Whatever you do, we hope you’ll take some time to search for Nature this last weekend of Winter while you prepare for Spring’s arrival.
May the road rise up to meet you, may the wind be always at your back and May the sun shine warm upon your face .
Live, love, bark! 🐾
It may be the last Friday of 2022, and even though we haven’t posted much lately, we could not let this week’s Nature sights not be shared. As always, we’re joining our pals from the LLB Gang.
We hope you had a lovely Christmas celebration. Returning home, I noticed what might have been a few bargain hunters lining up early at a local WalMart probably waiting to make returns.
Once back at home, Norman did his last visits for 2022. The big guy was quite grateful that the days he visited early in the week coincided with the top end of the extremes we encountered. This graphic taken from last night’s weather showing the high and low temps. Understand this turn-around happened in a mere 24-hour period. We’re still recovering from the whiplash.
Once again I headed down south to spend the Christmas holiday weekend with my Dad and other family members. It’s always a good excuse for all the good cooks in the family to showcase their skills. From brisket to lasagne and everything in between, we had quite the feast.
The sunrises this past week have been beyond incredible. Rising early to catch up on computer work before the others rose, I was blown away by the vibrant colors shining in the living room. Adjectives seem totally inadequate to describe them.
Then yesterday Winter tapped me on the shoulder and said thanks for holding my beer and promptly dumped over 8 inches of very wet, white stuff. It was more like a Spring storm than one that is typical right now. There were lots of fallen branches around town though my street was luckily unscathed.
It also took hours to plow the sidewalks. While this time of year often becomes reflective on all that’s happened throughout, the top question of my introspection continues to be: “remind me again why I bought a house on an oversized corner lot?”
Despite several hours of shoveling, it was a beautiful sight. Not sure if it was beautiful enough to warrant a repeat performance but the weather folks cautioned residents to not put the snow shovel away just yet. A fresh storm is forecasted to welcome the New Year.
While I’ve often shared how Norman isn’t a fan of cold or snow, no one can say this boy doesn’t know how to effectively deal with it…as in stay inside no matter what. Elsa may go bouncing outside in deep swirling snowflakes like a loon, Norman is more low keyed and prefers the warmth of the sofa. With blankets.
That’s it from us for 2022. We want to wish you all a safe and very Happy 2023. Stay warm, hug your loved ones and don’t forget to enjoy the amazing beauty Nature provides.
Live, love, bark! 🐾