Category: Landscapes

Nature Friday ~ April 3, 2026

~ Tails Around the Ranch ~ 54 Comments

Wilson - EasterWelcome to April’s first edition of Nature Friday. Today also happens to be Good Friday and Passover began a couple of days ago, so first off, we first want to wish everyone a Happy Easter and send our best Passover greetings to our Jewish friends.

As we typically do for these Nature 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.

Greetings, mates. Tis I, the House Pony ridiculously gussied up as the Easter Bunny. The things I do for my Mum. This week we’re going to look at Nature from nearby Boulder since we enjoyed a family get-together with Mum’s son, his partner and the grandbaby last weekend. Spring has begun unfurling itself in earnest all along the Front Range but seeing springtime in Boulder caught Mum by surprise.

The Mum: You bet your sweet bippy, House Pony. I don’t think I’ve ever seen lilac bushes in full bloom in March. Talk about being gobsmacked. Early and ever so fragrant, that delicious sweet fragrance really caught me off guard.

Lilac

Wilson: That is pretty crazy, Mum. But no crazier than the pear tree that was in full bloom.

Pear tree

The Mum: As I walked their backyard garden I was amazed at the various fruit trees in bloom along with returning vegetables (the artichoke was only a few inches tall so I didn’t take a photo of it), along with other perennials like Columbines. The bearded irises I gave my son early last autumn are doing well in their new home and I may end up getting a few back since the movers neglected to bring the bucket of corms with specimens of the black and soft blue bearded irises I had hoped would accompany me to the new garden.

Wilson: I noticed the Hostas were going gangbusters, too. Those variegated leaves make them distinctive in any garden landscape.

Hostas

The Mum: I was pleased to see Forget-Me-Nots throughout their garden. Such pretty little blue flowers adding lovely pops of color in the spring garden. I’m a sucker for blue flowers. Kevin said they are going as crazy naturalizing as my lupines did in the old garden.

Forget Me Nots

Wilson: Did you know the Forget-Me-Not is Alaska’s state flower, Mum? Though generally classified as short-lived perennials or biennials, they often act like perennials since they spread vigorously by self-sowing. They tend to bloom from spring to early summer in USDA Zones 3–8, and prefer partial shade and moist soil. With the ongoing drought here, it’s not likely we’ll be adding any of them to our garden any time soon. I know how you are about water guzzlers.

The Mum: You’re right, especially this year where mandatory water restrictions are in place. I’m still mulling over what plants I’ll add and where to put them but did buy a nice deep purple hyacinth and a small peony bush that I hope to plant soon. I’m sure by autumn when spring bulbs will be planted, I’ll have a good idea of where things might go. Working on the overall plan may  take some time so I’m not in a super hurry and am excited about various possibilities long term.

Wilson: There were even some lovely tulips in bloom. I know you didn’t photograph the black ones that were just beginning to start forming buds but you fell in love with this pink one.

Pink tulip

The Mum: Yeah, I absolutely love pink tulips and would have photographed the black ones if they weren’t still fairly tight in bud. I always enjoy an unusual colors in the garden.

Wilson:  You do tend to favor pink in the garden. I mean just look at this beautiful pink apple blossom that really is highlighted against the blue sky.

Apple tree

The Mum: It was nice being in Boulder for the day especially since I’ve been driving back and forth to Pueblo working on the house every other day. I think we’re basically ready for the house to be listed next week.

Wilson: Grandpa was sure delighted with the way it turned out. The new flooring sure turned out beautifully and I know you and all the siblings are hoping a new family will buy it and continue the happy times in that lovely home now that it’s been updated and spiffed up.

The Mum: Yes, the house needs to have a family that will continue the awesome history initially started by our family. We shared so many great meals, spirited conversations and celebrations with wonderful get-togethers welcoming new family members over the years. There is such a positive energy to the home and I wish whomever moves in loads of ongoing love, laughter and happiness.

Wilson: I’m sure someone will be very happy there. And closer to home along the Ralston Creek Trail we saw the creek fill up from the canal you featured last week. Not sure where that water came from but hearing it moving downstream warmed our hearts. It’s been barely trickling for the past several weeks and while we received a tiny amount of rain on Wednesday, it certainly wasn’t due to that. It sure brought folks out to check it out, probably because it’s been so long since it was running. With mild temperatures this week, this is the kind of spring we can get on board with.Ralston Creek

The Mum: Well that’s it from us. Do you have special plans for Easter or Passover? However you celebrate this time of year, we hope everyone has a safe and joyous holiday.

Live, love, bark! 🐾

Nature

Nature Friday ~ March 27, 2026

~ Tails Around the Ranch ~ 70 Comments

WilsonWell, well, well…here we are although Mum wasn’t expecting to post today because of all the traveling back and forth to Pueblo but she learned late yesterday that she didn’t need to go down today so here we are. Maybe she can relax a bit now. Course this means I’ve gotta scramble like a mad hatter to throw pull something together. But I’m nothing if not a professional, in addition to being a fabulous floof, so I’ll do my level best. Wilson here. I know Mum is overwhelmed and over stressed but I managed to find a few things to share for this week’s edition of Nature Friday. As always, we’re joining those adorable pups from Adventures of the LLB Gang for the last Friday of the month. Be sure to click on their link to see what slices of nature others have shared.

The Mum: {yawning} Thanks House Pony, appreciate you stepping up. I’m a bit brain dead after the last session where I painted the outside window sills in 90F (32.2C) degree temps. After a week of summer temperatures in the upper 80’sF (31.6C), this morning’s crisp temp of 37F (2.77C) was very welcome. It felt great needing to wear a light jacket to take you outside at 6 AM.

Wilson: It sure revved me up. I just wanted to bounce till I got to my favorite potty spot. I hope you buckle up for our morning walk, Mum. No slow walking, okay?

The Mum: Please be gentle with me. I’m old and sleep deprived, buddy.

Wilson: Oh Mum…I’m sure you’ll be okay…

The Mum: {rolling her eyes and interrupting} Especially remember the old part. These days that’s extra critical…so what did you manage to find for us?

Wilson: Well, spring definitely has sprung. Although I think we went from pitiful winter to flat out broiling summer. I finally spotted a nice clump of blooming daffodils around a tree. Aren’t they just delightfully cheerful?

Daffodils

The Mum: Those daffodils are the largest clump we’ve seen yet. The few places we’ve spotted daffodils have been the one off and I always think a clump gives them a much better presence in the spring garden. They did make me smile.

Wilson: Well if you liked them, I’ll just bet you enjoyed yesterday’s sunrise. The clouds were quite gorgeous and left a nice glowing arch to decorate the morning sky.

Sunrise

The Mum: It was very pretty, for sure. And very quiet, something that I rather relish since moving to this peaceful neighborhood. The morning sounds are birds calling to one another, not the traffic and hubbub that we used to face every morning. And it makes me very grateful to begin each day here. When you’re in the midst of hustle bustle, and then you’re out of it, it’s very noticeable. Life is good, even when it’s busy.

Wilson: That’s the spirit, Mum! I know I sure enjoy the birds and all the new smells I encounter and I’m glad you’re taking the time to notice the simple things. The flowering trees (ornamental pears and crabapples that were getting ready to bloom late last weekend) emerged with the warm temps and are providing a beautiful contrast of color to the otherwise scorched brown landscape.

Flowering trees

The Mum: I noticed yesterday afternoon some of those same trees are beginning to lose their pretty blossoms. I guess we’re finally getting snow…even if it doesn’t have any moisture in it.

Flowering trees

Wilson: Well look on the bright side, you don’t have to shovel. But yeah, I get it. One of the things I found a couple of days ago was the following graphic that depicts the seriousness of the high temps and lack of moisture on the snowpack that the entire state is suffering. Things are very grim with no end in sight. Notice the statewide average is a mere 38%.

Colorado snowpack
Colorado snowpack courtesy of 9 News

The Mum: That graphic is very sobering. While today is much cooler (and very appreciated) moisture continues to not show up in our extended forecast. Mandatory water restrictions are going into effect all up and down the Front Ranch.

Wilson: I know it’s very grim, Mum. We’ll have to do what we can conserving water. For my part, I will happily give up baths.

The Mum: {smiling} Not so fast, dog breath. You still will need to get the occasional bath just not as frequently as when you were going to Lutheran for visits but I appreciate your willingness to sacrifice.

Wilson: Harumph…thought you might say that. Just wanted you to know I’ll happily forego any water torture. But let’s leave our dear readers with a scene that’s not all doom and gloom, with a bit of pretty, shall we, Mum? I liked seeing ducks swimming in the water’s reflection.

Canal reflections

The Mum: We enjoy walking nearby on the trail path but when I noticed the canal was full, I just had to check it out and was delighted to see a couple of ducks swimming around in it. I had expected that the canal would delay filling up but it was a nice sight seeing it. I’m sure it’ll be used downstream and the level will fluctuate during late spring and summer.

Wilson: So long as we just walk past and don’t get into the water, I’ll be happy. Well that’s it for me. Do you have any plans for this last weekend of March? Whatever you do, we both hope you are able to get outdoors and enjoy some of the beauty Nature provides. Have a wonderful weekend!

Nature

Live, love, bark! 🐾

Nature Friday ~ March 20, 2026

~ Tails Around the Ranch ~ 70 Comments

WilsonWelcome to the official arrival of Spring. It seemed like winter was year’s long even though we received hardly any snow or much cold. I know folks back on the East Coast, had it a whole lot worse than we did but it still seems like winter was endless. Wilson here and as always, 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.

Today’s Nature Friday post is going to be a bit light on clever observations on the world around us. Mum has been traveling back and forth to her Dad’s house. She and her siblings have been working to get Dad’s house ready to list as his deteriorating vision has forced him to move to an independent senior facility last weekend. It’s very nice facility and will be a good place for him but he’s understandably not happy about giving up the house he built for his wife of 73 years. He’s struggling with the idea that he’s become a renter after all these years despite the fact that everything in the new place is brand spanking new and beautiful. He said his old house was nice and quite comfortable for him but understands the reality with his vision and is learning to accept this new situation. So on with an abbreviated number of photos.

We’ve seen it all this week, weather-wise. The week started out cold (16F – -8.88C) after snow fell all day on Sunday. Apparently it wasn’t too cold for our neighborhood coyote, as he was happily walking along the golf course golf cart path. Guess he was getting his steps in for the day.CoyoteWe saw another coyote just two days later. Notice the snow is completely gone. The temperatures started warming up and have been in the mid 80’sF since. The forecast is calling for 90F (32.2C) by tomorrow. In March, people! 90F bloody degrees. What the dog!

Coyote

That coyote appeared to be a female. She wagged her tail at me. Being the ‘polite fellow’ that I am, I wanted to go over and introduced myself but Mum said, “No way. Jose.” I had to remind her my name is Wilson.

With the warm temperatures and now that the actual arrival date is now here, we are noticing certain fruit trees (plum and crab apples) are ready to start blooming. Mum expects them to pop this weekend.

Crabapple Trees Plum trees

Well that’s it for me. Mum has to leave now and hit the road before rush hour gets too insane. We both wish you all a wonderful weekend and we encourage you all to get outside and enjoy Spring! It may take us a while to respond to your comments and hope you’ll be patient. Cheerio!

Nature

Live, love, bark! 🐾

 

Nature Friday ~ March 13, 2026

~ Tails Around the Ranch ~ 62 Comments

Friday the 13thWelcome to this week’s edition of Nature Friday. 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. Coincidently this is the second Friday the 13th after last month’s Friday the 13th. As you ;probably know, Friday the 13th happens when the 13th day of the month of the Gregorian calendar falls on a Friday, and that can happen up to three times in a year. This year will have three with the final one happening in November. Here’s a little background surrounding Friday the 13th.

According to folklore, the number “13” is considered unlucky. Based on a Norse myth, 12 gods met for a dinner party in Valhalla. The mischief maker Loki, who had not been invited, arrived as the 13th guest, and arranged for Höðr to shoot Balder with a mistletoe-tipped arrow. After Balder died, Earth became dark and the day was thought to be a bad, unlucky day. Norse mythology believed the number 13 to be unlucky and combining Fridays and the number 13 are considered unlucky in Western superisition.

Another month and another Friday the 13th. What’s up with that? Mum said 2026 will experience three this year, with the next one not until November. Here’s a bit of background on the history of Friday the 13th. According to folklore, the number “13” is considered unlucky. Based on a Norse myth, 12 gods met for a dinner party in Valhalla. That mischief maker, Loki, who had not been invited, arrived as the 13th guest, and arranged for Höðr to shoot Balder with a mistletoe-tipped arrow. After Balder died, Earth became dark, and mourned and the day was thought to be a bad, unlucky day. Norse mythology believed the number 13 to be unlucky and both Fridays and the number 13 are considered unlucky in Western superisition. Now that you know more about Friday the 13th, let’s move on with this week’s photos.

Wilson: Mum used to live in Monte Vista for a few years and her son decided to check out the Sandhill Crane Festival last weekend at the Wildlife Refuge there. So he decided to check it out and brought back this image. After wintering near the US/Mexico border, the cranes began to arrive in the “Valley” in early February, feeding on grain and natural grasses in the area. Did you know that cranes mate for life and every Spring they do their ritual mating dance that includes dancing, bowing, chortling, and throwing tufts of grass in the air. They will continue on their pilgrimage to the far upper Midwest and southern Canada later in the month where they’ll raise their young and then return south again in early autumn. You can see it directly on YouTube here.

Sandhill Cranes
Photo courtesy of K. Samson

The Mum: I was really excited (and a bit jealous) that Kevin was able to see the cranes in person during the festival (I prefer seeing the refuge before or after the actual festival to avoid all the looky-loos). But I was glad he got to experience it. Seeing some 20,000 birds in one place in the San Luis Valley is something else. I had visited the refuge back when we lived in Monte Vista in the late 70’s.

Wilson: Their noise made me keep looking at your screen, Mum. What a racket! But how cool was that to see? We really have experienced just about everything weather-wise this week. It snowed all day last Friday and left a good 5+ inches of wet, white stuff. Two days later you could barely tell we had received any when our temps reaching 73F (22.7C) on Monday. The weather has bounced up and down all week long…the only constant all week long being the multiple high wind warnings.

Snow
This shrub is a Physocarpus opulifolius – Ninebark Dart’s Gold
Snow
It was a beautiful morning
Canal Snow
A beautiful morning

The Mum:  On Monday we decided to check out the Ralston Creek Trail in the opposite direction to see how things fared in the storm. We’ve gone that way a couple of times in the past and came to the conclusion it’s very different from our usual route. The landscape suggests there may be beavers in the area but we saw no sign of any dens and noted the creek is narrow and rather shallow so I’m not sure how to explain the first photo.

Beaver

Ralston Creek

Wilson: The City has been working on water improvements and flushed a few hydrants into the creek. It’s not normally that deep, at least it hasn’t been since we’ve moved into the area.

The Mum: Right, House Pony. I had one day of errands in the old neighborhood and walked past the magnolia tree a block away from our old house. It was covered with buds-more than ever this year. It’s going to be beautiful once they open presuming the wind or a freeze won’t hurt them. We have our paws crossed. It’s such a lovely tree and I felt a little bit of nostalgia walking through the neighborhood which was surprisingly more springlike than our own.

Magnolia
Magnolia buds
Spring trees
Plum blossoms

Wilson: That’s all we have to share this week. Next week we’ll officially welcome more view of spring and hopefully we can find more evidence of its arrival. Wish us luck. We hope you have a marvelous weekend and get outdoors to see signs of spring in your neighborhood. Do you have any special plans?

Nature

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! 🐾

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! 🐾

Nature Friday ~ January 16, 2026

~ Tails Around the Ranch ~ 48 Comments

Wilson-sleeping dogIt’s Friday and you know what that means…it’s time for another edition of Nature Friday where we join our friends from at Adventures of the LLB Gang. Don’t forget to click on the link to see what others shared for their Nature Friday blog hop. Wilson here with a light version of the Nature we encountered this week since we really didn’t see much beyond what we’ve shared before. I mean how many gorgeous sunrises can you stand, huh? Well this one was quite a showstopper with a sliver of the moon showing, but still. Anyway, Mum’s been busy trying to finish unpacking the studio and arranging it so the large space is efficient and easily accessible but she is struggling with moving furniture around. I think she’s come to realize she isn’t a spring chicken anymore. She got another bright idea yesterday that will require more moving. I can hear the sighs, grunts and groans already. Good thing I know how to help.

Sunrise

The Mum: Good morning, lad. Are you trying to blame me for a shortage of nature photos this week?

Wilson: Ooh, hiya  Mum. Nope, no blaming, just stating facts. You’ve been busy and we didn’t have a lot of different encounters with the landscape unlike the pics you’ve already posted from the past month. Critter-wise, mostly we’ve only seen Canadian geese-thousands of them in fact. Apart from them being everywhere when we walk through the golf course area, they are just flat boring. Honk, honk, honk. Don’t they ever do anything beyond honk?

The Mum: Good question; if they do, I sure don’t know what, if any redeeming qualities they have, that would be considered share worthy. We did see a few mallards earlier this week after last week’s snow had melted but they weren’t all that keen on our presence and skedaddled quickly. But watching them float around on the canal was very peaceful and there were some interesting reflections on the water from the branches. But the landscape is more than colorless this time of year. Just drab brown everywhere with lots of wind. There’s another high wind warning for today and proposed power cuts for northern Colorado.

Mallard ducks

Wilson: Yeah, those ducks were boring to me and they weren’t interested in how fabulous I am. Now if squirrels were swimming in the canal, they’d have my full and undivided attention. Heck, I might even jump in the water.

The Mum: Ha…that’ll be the day. You avoid water like the plague and I can’t believe you’d jump into the water, even for squirrels.

Wilson: {protesting} Now Mum, you know I’m totally obsessed into checking out squirrels and will follow them wherever they go. I don’t know why but there’s something quite captivating about those scurrying little troublemakers.

The Mum: Yeah, I do know. All too well. This week the sheepie stubbornness was on parade, front and center. So much so, that you and I had to have a couple of heart to heart conversations. What’s up with that, anyway?

Wilson: [nonchalantly rolling his eyes] I have no idea what you’re talking about. I mean, just look at this devoted, compliant face of a good dog. I mean, ‘who’s a good boy?’ Huh?

Wilson

The Mum: Don’t give me that “I’m such a good boy look. You conveniently forgot to mention it took several minutes to get you in this pose. You acted like you were deaf.

Wilson:  Umm, I don’t think it took more than the usual pocket of bribes treats.

The Mum: Uh-huh. You can say it, but that doesn’t necessarily make it true.

Wilson: {deftly changing the topic} Well, will you check this out! On our daily morning walk, we sashayed past a particular house on the way to the Ralston Creek Trail and I noticed you said out loud…”what the…” and promptly turned me around to go back and confirm what you thought you saw. You know I have a pinched nerve in my neck, right?

Rose budding

The Mum: Oh puleese…you weren’t hurt and seemed more than happy to check it out. I was blown away that this rose bush had started budding out. I know it’s been super mild with temps in the 50’sF and 60’sF (10C – 15C) but it’s WAY too soon for deciduous plants to start setting buds. I mean winter officially started less than a month ago and we haven’t had much in the way of winter moisture…but dang.

Wilson: It is rather surprising and of course, with all the windy conditions, even more shocking. I don’t know what to make of it, Mum.

The Mum: Me either, House Pony. It’s definitely alarming. But there’s not much we can do but supplement water for the new trees that were planted recently to make sure they get sufficient moisture to establish themselves, even though the landscapers assured us they were dormant. Hope springs eternal, right?

Wilson: Right. Not to change the subject, but I’ve noticed you’ve been checking for quirky garden art on our walks now that we have an established route that we take every day. Hopefully we’ll find more otherwise this is going to be a rather dull neighborhood compared to some of the original stuff we were used to seeing.

Signs

The Mum: Yeah, but I did have to laugh out loud when we walked past this house. So what’s up for your weekend? Got any plans, buddy?

Wilson:  Beyond catching a squirrel…umm, no nothing overly special. We may have a birthday party for your granddaughter who turns the Big 3-0 next week. That out to be fun. What about you readers? Anything? Whatever you do (and I hope staying safe and warm is included in your weekend plans), we hope you have a fantastic weekend that includes checking out nature around your ‘Hood.

Nature

Live, love, bark! 🐾

Nature Friday ~ January 9, 2026

~ Tails Around the Ranch ~ 60 Comments

WilsonWelcome to this week’s edition of Nature Friday where we join our friends from at Adventures of the LLB Gang. Be sure to check out what others shared for their Nature Friday blog hop. As you can see, I’m getting more used to doing these parkour poses for Mum. This is a huge log that’s pretty slippery so I had to hang on tight so as not to slip down while patiently wait for Mum to fumble take the pic. Umm, hurry up, Mum!

We have a little something different this week highlighting what the Colorado Department of Transportation Department (CDOT), working together with the Federal Highway Administration recently accomplished by opening the largest wildlife overpass crossing in North America on a stretch of I-25 between Larkspur and Monument, Colorado along a heavily used stretch area where wildlife crossings often collide with the heavy traveled north/south highway. At 200 feet wide and 209 feet long, with wide gradually sloped entrances, it should be easy and inviting for wildlife to use. The location connects wildlife corridors while preserving open space with good proximity to water and is known for heavy movement of large game. Wildlife tend to avoid tunnels, so this overpass is a better solution when keeping both large game and drivers safe.

Wildlife crossing
Photos courtesy of CDOT

The overpass spans six lanes of interstate traffic and connects 39,000 acres of habitat on both sides of I-25. This overpass should decrease the number of wildlife/vehicle collisions by 90% and provide a vital and safe connection for large game to cross I-25 in their natural habitat.

Wilson: When Mum first heard about the completion in mid-December, she became very excited, after having been in a car that was hit by a deer a few years back. It’s never pretty when wildlife and cars collide and too often results in fatalities for both people and wildlife. This project was one of 19 wildlife crossings in the U.S. Department of Transportation has help fund nationwide. Pretty cool stuff.

The Mum: Glad you liked it, House Pony. What a great way to save large wildlife and keep drivers from colliding with them. I just thought it was a very innovative way to keep both wildlife and humans safe.

Wilson:  I love it when humans and animals can live in harmony. So, it looks like Nature heard your request for some snow. We have a good 4-5 inches and it continues to accumulate. I don’t have to go out in it, right Mum?

Snow

The Mum: Oh my gosh, you’re such a fair weather dog! Never fear, it should stop snowing later this morning and then we can carry on.

Wilson: Whew. Well that’s good to know. So this week we saw the Wolf Moon which was the first super moon of 2026. With the neighborhood being so quiet, it was almost eerie at sunset, especially since we been hearing more and more wildlife sounds at night. This week alone, we heard owls hooting and a bobcat’s screams.

Wolf Moon

The Mum:  It was even cool watching it in the early morning hours against the backdrop against the foothills.

Full moon

Wilson: The moon was fun to watch this week as we’ve enjoyed some pretty sunrises. The sky has been quite colorful.

Sunrise Sunrise

The Mum: Mornings have been quite awe-inspiring. It’s been fun watching you check things out. I’ve begun to wonder if you aren’t part Bloodhound.

Wilson: The sniffs are just so doggone interesting. I’m completely enthralled at all the new, fascinating smells.

Wilson

The Mum: You’ve been investigating grasses and logs like a detective. It’s exciting to see you learning about all that’s going on along our walks. Sniffing is a good exercise for your mind and the more engaged you are, the more relaxed you are. Did you see that coyote on the golf course late yesterday afternoon?

Wilson: Nope, I was too busy watching the hundreds of Canadian Geese while they were resting on the green.

The Mum:  I think he was watching them as well. It was chilly day and they were resting near Hole #9. I think he might have been sizing up any weak ones for a bit of dinner.  He didn’t stay in view long enough for me to grab a quick pic, but I’m going to try to be better prepared for the next time we walk through that area. I know a lot of people, especially small dog owners are afraid of them and will go to great lengths to keep their little fur babies safe. I don’t think you lived with me yet when a friend and I saw this little guy in Westminster when visiting a friend who works with the rescue a couple of years ago and we came across this little guy with his mum. I thought that anti-coyote jacket was wild. It seemed to be just perfect for that little guy who seemed to be having a bad hair day.Dog with coyote vestWilson: Wait, people dress their dogs up like that? Poor little guy. Kinda feel badly for him.

The Mum: That lady was pretty adamant about having those jackets for her two little guys. I think if I were that afraid of my dogs getting snatched by a coyote in the city, I might find a different neighborhood to safely walk my pups and avoid the lake where she was walking hers, but to each his (or her) own.

Wilson: Well that’s about it for us this week. We’ve got lots to do in the house today and probably better get cracking at it. Looks like the snow has stopped and I can see a patch or two of blue sky so we best get rolling. We hope you have a terrific weekend and are able to enjoy the first weekend of the football playoffs and have enough time to get out and see what Nature provides. Right now, I need to get ‘back to work.’

Wilson-sleeping dog

Nature

Live, love, bark! 🐾

Nature Friday ~ November 21, 2025

~ Tails Around the Ranch ~ 80 Comments

WilsonIt’s a foggy, grey morning in the 303 and while we’re slow getting our brains to work, it’s Nature Friday so we’re still going to join our friends at Adventures of the LLB Gang for their weekly blog hop. Wilson here. Mum and I have been c-r-a-z-y and it’s not going to end any time soon but, as you can see, I’m working hard to help her out. {yawn, snore}

Let’s see now, Thanksgiving in the US is next Thursday. As you can imagine, I’m very excited about a day  celebrating food. Woof, woof! My tail is simply giddy about it. {wiggle, wiggle} Anyway, let’s show what we managed to find in Nature around our ranch.

Wilson: The weather has been simply amazing all week long until today. We’ve enjoyed temps in the 70F’s (21C). Today our high will likely be in the low 40’sF with a potential for showers. I’m not keen about the wet but Mum says it’s welcome since we haven’t had any moisture since early September.

The Mum: Good morning, Floof…I share your blunted enthusiasm for today. With our foggy and grey skies, it felt good starting the day on the down-low rather than busting a gut dashing about. I don’t know about you, I just wasn’t into hustling out first thing this morning. With all the online difficulties I’ve encountered, I just didn’t have the bandwidth. In case you don’t follow us on Facebook or Instagram, our Instagram account was hacked and it’s been hell trying to wrest control over it. I have changed passwords daily but the low-life gremlin comes back in the middle of the night and switches it again. He keeps trying to sell a 2020 Honda. All fine and good but why not sell it on your own doggone account if its legit, which it probably is not. So if you do follow us, please accept our apologies and for heaven’s sake, don’t click on any links (if you’re so inclined you can report it as well). Of course we’ve contacted Meta repeatedly since they hold the keys to both platforms and all I’ve heard is crickets. Not surprising there. But enough energy on that. Suffice to say our picture taking is somewhat slim this week because I wasted way too much energy trying to fix it.

Wilson: Naturally I’m quite distressed when my Mum is unhappy but I don’t have thumbs and probably less computer savvy than she has (and, let me just say for the record, she doesn’t have a lot and will readily admit she’s a Luddite when it comes to her computer). We’ve got way too much going on to continually fuss about it…do you hear that, Mum? Ok. Let’s get started, shall we. We mentioned in a previous post that the “Christmas cactus” started to form buds and this week a few of them burst into full bloom. It’s such a striking hot pink shade and being in the kitchen window, it seem most happy and is a cheerful presence in the room she’s in a lot-so it makes her smile which makes me happy. We both wonder why it’s called Christmas cactus since it always begins to bloom before Thanksgiving.

Christmas cactus

The Mum: It’s one of life’s mysteries, I guess. But in this month of thanks, I know I’m very grateful for the shock of color when nature is at its brownest. With leaves falling everywhere and windy conditions, everything is very dry and dusty. Today’s sprinkles may help keep the dust down and this potted beauty will warm our souls.

Wilson: You’re so right about that, Mum. Were you as surprised to see some Globe thistle on our walk a couple of days ago as I was? This plant, native to southern and eastern Europe, from Spain east to Turkey, Ukraine, and Belarus, and western and central Asia east to Mongolia, is sparingly naturalised throughout various locations in Canada and the US. The blue color is quite pretty but it doesn’t particularly enjoy a sniffer like mine. It poked back but not so bad that I didn’t adhere to its subtle warning.

Globe thistle

The Mum: Yes, I was pretty surprised. We were walking along at quite a clip and the sight of it took a moment for it to register in my little pea brain. I had to backtrack to photograph it. Blue being my favorite color, I always have to stop and admire blue flowers.

Wilson: Yes, you confused me by going back. I’m used to moving forward but I can see why you wanted to capture it. Let’s just call it like it is…pretty.

The Mum: I noted in previous posts the Christmas tree lot is now stocked with inventory and suspect it will open this weekend. What the actual…there just are no words. While they all look nice and fresh now, given our above average temps are up by as much as 15 degrees above normal, those babies are going to have a hard time staying green through the whole Christmas season. I haven’t had a cut tree for decades and nearly fainted at the price tag on closeup of the 5 footer. Is that a ‘normal’ price? I hope you can see the tag easily enough. If not, it says $79.99…almost $16 buckaroos a foot. Seems very high to me, but what do I know. I know prices are high everywhere for all sorts of things, but like I said, it’s been years since I had a live tree…in fact it’s been years since I put up any tree. I hope this year will be different but the next two weeks will determine that.

Christmas tree
Anyone else notice some brown needles on the left side?

Christmas trees Christmas trees

Wilson: Oh be still my beating heart. Look at all those trees that I could ‘water!’

The Mum: Down dude…notice the fence? That’s specifically up to keep the likes of you (and Christmas Grinches) at bay. You can only look from afar to appreciate. Got it?

Wilson: {sigh} Jeez, Mum, you’re taking all the fun out of the holidays. Well that’s it from me. I guess it’s time that we hit the trail and go for a nice long walk. We hope you have a great weekend and are able to get out and enjoy a spot of Nature. It’s good for your mental health to make time for it. Let us know if you’re doing anything fun and if you’re ready for Food Appreciation Day.

Nature

Live, love, bark!

Labor Day Monday ~ 2025

~ Tails Around the Ranch ~ 52 Comments

WilsonTime to fire up the old BBQ because today is Labor Day in the US and its territories where we celebrate and acknowledge the contributions of workers. Always celebrated on the first Monday of September, today we honor labor and union movements (if you work 40 hours or less a week, you can thank unions for that) and the role all workers have made to the strength and well-being of the nation. For many of us, we may have the day off from work and the first holiday of the new school year. Many consider Labor Day as the unofficial last weekend of summer with backyard get-togethers. Wilson is hoping someone will pass the chips or better, a hot dog.

A brief history of Labor Day shows that as trade and labor movements began to grow, calls for a day commemorating workers’ contributions were proposed. Colorado was one of the first five states to enact legislation recognizing Labor Day, with Oregon being first to officially make it a public holiday back in 1887. Labor Day became a national holiday in 1894. Our Canadian friends likewise celebrate “Labour Day” on the first Monday in September.

Historically speaking, it wasn’t all roses and candy to get where we are today. Following the deaths of workers at the Pullman Strike of 1894, Congress unanimously approved legislation making Labor Day a national holiday and it was signed into law by Grover Cleveland shortly after the end of the strike.

Birthday cake

We had our family reunion with all 5 siblings and scores of grandkids over the weekend gathering to celebrate my Dad’s 95th birthday. Tacos were a-plenty along with Cerveza and Margaritas, appetizers as well as a customary birthday cake. It was so much fun seeing nephews, nieces, cousins and family friends that I don’t normally get to see. The weather was perfect with mild temps-you couldn’t have asked for a better day capped off by a lovely shower and beautiful rainbow on the way home.

Rainbow

Even though it’s a holiday, it’s still a Monday, which means we’re going to start out the day with a shared chuckle. Let’s hear it for pigeons!

Monday smile

We hope your holiday weekend was great and today keeps the streak alive. Happy Labor Day and Happy 95th to my Dad.

95th birthday

Live, love, bark! 🐾