Category: Weather

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!

Nature Friday ~ October 31, 2025

~ Tails Around the Ranch ~ 71 Comments

PumpkinsGreetings, mates. Wilson here for this last Friday of October. There are 61 days left in this year and only 55 days until Santa Paws arrives. As we generally do on Friday, we’re joining our friends Rosy and Sunny from Adventures of the LLB Gang’s blog hop. Be sure to click on the link to see what others have shared.

Today is Halloween and we’re hoping there are lots of little ghouls who will drop by this evening and polish off the bag of chocolate candies Mum got for the occasion. She thought she was getting a mixed bag that included KitKats and Twix but discovered there were only KitKats in it and more than half of them have what’s known as “white chocolate.” Mum said ‘white’ chocolate is a rouse and worse, it feels like you’re being gypped. Then she started howling about something called ‘shrink-flation’ being bad enough rexently discovered companies are now shortchanging chocolate content in candy. Harumph. Mum’s a bit of a chocoholic and said if it’s white, it’s definitely NOT chocolate. I think there were a few HBO words which I shan’t repeat here. I’ll let her tell you just how she feels. You may want to skip over this part since she’s all frothed up about some of the politics leading to her anguish which takes a bit of a turn with the political goings-on.

The Mum: That’s right, Floof. Chocolate is brown (i.e. milk, dark chocolate); there is no such thing as white chocolate. That substitution is simply a sugarfied replacement since cocoa has become so expensive with companies trying to weather the cocoa shortage by diluting content with rice krispies and/or nuts and smaller packaging. Bah humbug! The shortage has been attributed to rising production costs and trade tariffs which have further impacted the situation driving up prices for chocolate makers and consumers. Climate change has also contributed to the shortage with a severe drought in West Africa from where most chocolate comes.

Wilson: Ok, Mum. You’ve had your say, let’s move on now shall we?

The Mum: You’re right, that was totally insensitive of me. In these current economic times, I do hope people consider helping out their local food pantries to help out those less fortunate. The need is even more important now due to the government shutdown. Food prices are still very high and with so many workers not receiving paychecks, it’s compounding the problem. I was shocked to learn that some 40 million people receive some sort of food assistance which they won’t be receiving beginning in November. 40 million people in this country! Let that sink in. While I loathe politics on the blog, but I’m just so angry that Congress continues to receive their salaries but is okay with denying women and children food assistance.

Wilson: {deftly changing the topic to keep Mum from additional howling} So we experienced our first hard frost this week and gosh, has it been chilly. On Tuesday it was only 25F (-3C) and there I was minus my heavy fur coat after getting groomed for my hospital duties. Luckily my dapper fleece coat helped keep me toasty walking across the parking lot to the hospital.

Wilson

The Mum: Everyone remarked how cute you looked, but I did notice that you blew me a raspberry when I took your pic.

Wilson: {chuckling at being busted} Just check out the frost crystals on our compost bin. I’m shivering just looking at it.

Frost

The Mum: Yes, that frost finally did in the tomato plant. I knew it was coming and I neglected to harvest the dozen or so ripe ones and almost felt badly that I let them go to waste but at least they’ll help make some nice compost for next spring. Look at those sad frost bitten leaves. The cold also did a big number on the catalpa tree leaves. Those babies were dropping like bombs on the sidewalk. That second photo doesn’t really do it justice-there were so many fallen leaves covering the sidewalk.

Tomatoes

Fallen leaves

Wilson: It was however a much different picture a couple of days before the frost hit. We found some really pretty flowers and brilliantly hued leaves from around the neighborhood.

Burning bush Black eyed Susan Rose

The Mum: I loved finding that Burning Bush shrub. It just ‘screamed’ autumn. And even that Black-eyed Susan was pretty even if it was just a bit past its expiration date. And who’d have thought roses would still be blooming at the end of October?!

Wilson: Together with the golden light, it’s turned out to be a pretty spectacular autumn this year. And look what you found yesterday. A cute little mushroom mostly buried in leaves. You almost missed it, didn’t you?

Mushroom

The Mum: I sure did, I nearly stepped on it. I was in the garden looking for a trowel I seemed to have misplaced when I was out there dividing the irises last weekend. Never did find it but will continue to look. Too often I get distracted or need something and set my tool down to take care of it and forget where I set my tool down. Ugh. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve done that. They eventually show up but it bugs me when I misplace my tools.

Wilson: You’ll find it, Mum. Sooner or later. Well, that’s all we have. If you celebrate it, we hope everyone has a safe Halloween. Don’t let those ghosts scare you. There are also The Day of the Dead festivities this weekend and we offer our best “Feliz Dia de los Muertos” wishes where people show respect to the traditions of honoring and remembering their loved ones.

Day of the Dead

The Mum: That’s right, plus the second worst day of the year ends tomorrow night…Daylight Savings Times, so don’t forget to ‘fall back.’ The first being when we started this stupid period back in early spring. I won’t get up on my soapbox about this twice annual switch, suffice to say I’m no fan of going back and forth. It was always a nightmare adjusting the timing of Elsa’s anti-seizure medication. We send our condolences to those who still need to adjust the schedule to keep pets and peeps safe and seizure free.

DST

Wilson: Enjoy that ‘extra’ hour of sleep Sunday morning. Have a great weekend.

Nature

Live, love, bark! 🍁

Nature Friday ~ October 24, 2025

~ Tails Around the Ranch ~ 64 Comments

GhostiesGood day, mates, Wilson here for this week’s edition of Nature Friday. As we typically do, we are joining our friends from Adventures of the LLB Gang for their weekly blog hop. Don’t forget to click on their link to see what other folks have shared this week. We hope you’ve been enjoying autumn this week. Our temps have been much more seasonal and we even had a couple of days that started with a light frost. But don’t worry, we still managed to find some lovely blooms still hanging out around the neighborhood. Let’s get started, shall we? My Mum will be joining us shortly.

Wilson: So just to set the record straight, that intro photo above is not documentation of a bunch of ghosties, no siree. Those were garden sheets that uprights place over their tender veggies to protect them from the first frost since April of this year. The frost did not appear to damage tender veggies in our garden as our tomato plant is still covered with little tomatoes in various stages of green, yellow, orange and red, right Mum? Hel-lo, Mum?

The Mum: I’m here, just pouring a second cup of coffee. Good morning, Floof. I didn’t bother covering our plants, hoping they would go quietly in the night. But, they are still pretty vigorous considering the cool temps at night. I’ve been removing any new blooms and new shoots but clearly they’re not paying attention to the signs of their pending demise. I’ve been sharing little baggies of tomatoes for the neighbors. While I’ve enjoyed their tastiness this summer, I’m so tired of eating tomatoes at every meal. I did bring ‘Figaro’ indoors and happy to report he is sitting in a fairly sunny corner settling nicely in his new home. I’m hoping the fruit will ripen soon so we can enjoy a few for breakfast.

Wilson: Gee Mum, you sure are pampering them. I saw you adding organic fertilizer as you tucked them into their new spot and you even tidied up the pot and saucer so it looks nice and free of all cobwebs in the draining saucer and you even wiped down the leaves to remove the garden dust from the several windy days we experienced recently. It looks great in its new home and hope you will have some figs soon because I know when you do, I’ll get a bite or too as well.

The Mum: You’re nothing if not optimistic, aren’t you, House Pony? So what else do you have to share for us today?

Wilson: We’ve been so focused on finding flowers I’ve kind of lost track of Halloween decorations. That first cold snap was followed by a very windy day. Here I was humming to myself, admiring my luxurious fur coat, minding my own business when all of a sudden this guy nearly attacked me. He was whipping around like a  Life Alert commercial (“Help I’ve Fallen and Can’t Get Up”™️). Hope you can understand why I growled at him? Those fingers really creeped me out!

Halloween Halloween

The Mum: You did indeed. I had to chuckle reassure you that you were going to be fine. We walked past and everything worked out fine {giggling}.

Wilson: It wasn’t funny, Mum. He scared the bejesus out of me. I mean…how dare he sneak up on me like that and try to grab my fabulous floofness. I know you have wanted me to pose nicely once he got upright to show there were no hard feelings, but I wanted nothing to do with him. Not then, not now. Ever.

The Mum: {chortling} I understand, buddy. But you got admit, it was a little bit funny, right?

Wilson: {straightening his furs out with a good vigorous shake} Ahem…don’t give up your day job, Mum. That was decidedly not funny.

The Mum: I’m {giggle} sorry, sweet {hahaha} boy. {gaining her composure and clearing her throat}. I don’t mean to laugh but it was a comical scene. But hey, {changing the subject} on the plus side, you managed to find more pretty roses for us.

Wilson: {lightbulb as a nice memory began to form in the back of his brain} Ah yes, some pretty roses. They are hanging on nicely as the weather begins to advance into more autumness.

Pink rose Rose White rose

The Mum: They sure are beautiful and you found some real lovely specimens. We should enjoy them while we can. They will be going away soon enough for a winter snooze. Speaking of winter…that day we experienced all that horrible wind which brought down branches and limbs all over the metro area, the nearby mountains were experiencing snowflakes. I-70 was closed in both directions at the Eisenhower Tunnel on Monday and I think the mountain corridor received around 4-6 inches over the past few days. While the ‘Hood remained dry, we know that white stuff will likely be reaching us soon enough.

Wilson: And just because I know you and a couple of our readers enjoy their sunny faces, I found a sunflower.

SunflowerThe Mum: Aww, thanks, Floof. Appreciate you thinking of us.

Wilson:  My pleasure, Mum. So did I hear something about seeing Miss Sydney over the next few days? Uh oh…that can only mean one thing…you plan on floof-ifying my furs and turning my now grey paws paddles back to white. While I’m no fan of the bath, I do love Miss Sydney and will try my best to be a good boy. Or at least one that isn’t too much of a bucking bronco. Heh, heh.

The Mum: {blushing with embarrassment} Thanks, buddy. I do hope you are good. She takes such good care of you turning you into a handsome fella which will get you primed and ready for visiting our friends at Lutheran soon. They’ll be so excited to see you. Maybe you’ll even wear a bit of a Halloween costume when you visit.

Wilson: Bite your tongue Mum. Don’t you know, us “Fabulous Floofs” don’t require a costume to look good-we’re perfect just the way we are. But I will be excited to see all my friends. Friends means treats and ear rubs. So what’s on your agenda for this weekend? Got any special plans? Whatever you do, we hope it’s a wonderful weekend!

Nature

Live, love, bark! 🐾

Nature Friday ~ September 5, 2025

~ Tails Around the Ranch ~ 58 Comments
Wilson
Watching Nature on the telly-those seem like fairly large dogs

Hello mates and welcome to the first Nature Friday post of September. Wilson here to share what I’m seeing in Nature this week. As always, I’m joining those two cute pups from the Adventures of the LLB Gang’s blog hop. Don’t forget to click on the link to see what great posts and pics were shared throughout Blogville.

This week’s temps were warmer than last week’s, but not horrible. Days are warm, nights are crisp and we have a diverse offering for today’s post.

It’s was a crazy week made crazier by Mum. She has been scurrying around swabbing decks and other stuff that probably should have been done in spring and it’s causing me some major heartburn. She keeps saying everything is going to be fine, but seriously, who trusts someone with wielding a mop or pushing a vacuum around. OMD…a dog cannot relax in this kind of environment. I move from one place to another to avoid that noisy soul sucking machine and it’s like she’s stalking me with that vacuum wand. Anyway, please be patient with us as we’ve not had a lot of online time visiting blogs but hope to get reasonably caught up soon. But if anything goes wrong or if you don’t hear from us, be sure to assign blame on her because I’m never at fault…only fabulous. Despite what she may imply with her snide comments about paw prints on the floors and nose art on the front door.

So like I said earlier, it has been a little warmer this week but not overly unpleasant. I have my paws crossed this is summer’s last hurrah and that she’s ready to move aside for our favorite season, autumn, which officially arrives in two weeks and three days, but who’s counting and we’re beginning to notice subtle signs that a new script is in the works. Just take a look at some of a couple of indicators that things are in flux.

Changing Leaves

This tree is from down the street. Those spots of gold make for a nice contrast with the green leaves, wouldn’t you agree?
Changing leaves

While not near as vivid, this Honey Locust is across the street from our house, and we’re seeing little spots of yellow appearing in the upper canopy.

Another sure fire sign that the seasons are beginning to change are oaks trees with their little nuts, i.e. acorns. I’ve always dreamed of noshing on them and just a couple of weeks ago, that tree was covered with them and there were gobs of them on the ground. This week, there were only a couple left on the tree and nothing on the ground. No doubt the hoodlum neighborhood squirrels stocked up before I had a chance to snack on them. Interesting side note…I found out acorns provide food for birds, rodents, beers, even deer, so I ask, why not a Floof? You know, just as a quality control thing. Plus they make some lovely craft items, if one is interested in that sort of thing. I know Mum has collected them in the past for making wreaths and holiday ornaments.

Acorns

The Mum: Good morning, laddie, how’s it…

Wilson: {interrupting} Oh hiya, finally decided to join us, did you?

The Mum:  Well I was trying to find something I misplaced…sorry I’m late. But I see you managed without my help.

Wilson: I can’t believe anything around here is misplaced. You’ve been on a crusade to put things where they belong or even purging it. Did you find what you were looking for yet?

The Mum:  No, not yet, but I’m sure it’s gotta be around and I’ll continue to hunt.

Wilson: Just don’t hunt with the vacuum, okay, Mum? That thing scares the devil out of me, not that there’s any devil in me, but you know. That’s just an expression, mind you. I don’t have to remind you that I’m totally fabulous and a very good boy.

The Mum: Yes, you’re a good boy though I’ve notice a certain stubborn streak emerging of late that…

Wilson: {interrupting} GASP!! I am not stubborn, I’m just strongly devoted to keep doing what I’ve been doing. Besides, my clock is on a different wavelength from your artificial time table.

The Mum: Oh, different wavelength, is that what it is? That’s one way of describing it.

Wilson: Oh I’ll admit, I was nice and comfy on the patio a few times watching the world go by while you were in gardening mode and I was merely not ready to come back in the house.

The Mum: I’ve learned it’s not a good idea leaving you to your own devices. While I was trimming the iris leaves, I noticed you ran across the street to give a certain squirrel the what for. Remember? We had a long talk about that.

Wilson: Talk? Harumph…you put me in time out inside the house as I recall.

The Mum: Well you know the saying, if you do the crime, you have to do the time.

Wilson:  {ignoring the squirrel transgression} Umm, not to change the subject, but I noticed last week’s showers and this week’s warmer temps sure made for some pretty flowers. I mean, just look at this pretty Morning Glory. Is that some gorgeous color or what?Morning Glory

The Mum: Indeed, nature knows how to showcase its own.

Wilson: Another sign that autumn is upon us is the annual ritual of people planting Chrysanthemums. This cheery yellow one caught my eye. They’re pretty but they don’t smell as great as they look.
Mums

The Mum: Yup, you know when mums are planted, autumn can’t be too far away. Being scented isn’t the only reason to plant pretty things in the garden.

Wilson: Yeah, but my own preference is to have both a great scent and pretty blooms. Nothing wrong with that, is there?

The Mum: No, I totally understand. But mums are one of those autumn plants that seem to want to look better than they smell and that’s okay too.

Wilson: Says the person with about a third as many olfactory cells than most dogs have. Suit yourself.

The Mum:  Right…what else do you have? Did you see any critters this week?

Wilson: As a matter of fact, I did encounter a crawly thing with huge eyeballs that seemed to be taking in all sorts of scenery. I do know he kinda startled you but then once you overcame the surprise, seemed transfixed by his eyes and the tiny little hairs on all his legs. Didn’t you say you thought that was a harmless wolf spider?

Spider

The Mum: Yes, I think that’s what it was. I’ve seen several of them hanging out this summer. The early wet conditions seemed to activate the arachnid population around the garden. I’ve been pulling webs off the water spigot and around the base of pots on a twice-a-week basis. They’re great for keeping harmful insects at bay and are not dangerous. I read that they have 8 eyes but the two prominents ones were the ones I was mesmerized most by them. It was pretty cool. So what else do you have to share today?

Wilson: I noticed a Sorbus tree, known as a mountain-ash in North America and a rowan in the UK. An ornamental, smallish tree is in full berry mode which will keep a lot of birds fed this winter.

Mountain Ash

The Mum:  When my kids were very small, they planted one for me one Mother’s Day and it was a favorite addition. I’ve often wondered how that little guy has fared.

Wilson: Well that’s it for this week. We hope everyone has a great weekend and are able to get out and enjoy nature first hand. Enjoy!

Nature

Live, love, bark! 🐾

Nature Friday ~ July 4th, 2025 edition

~ Tails Around the Ranch ~ 64 Comments

July 4th

Well, here we are on another Friday where we join our pals from Adventures of the LLB Gang for their weekly blog hop. Please hop on over at the link to see what others have posted.

Today is July 4th in the US (well, technically it’s July 4th everywhere but it is a big deal holiday here in the US…but I digress). Wilson here. We were out walking in the early morning hours yesterday and came upon a new inflatable {insert rolling eyes here} at a house we walk past every day. I swear they must have a couple dozen of these things. May I should peek through the fence posts to see if there’s a huge shed to store them all. All I can say is “PSST.” Even if I posed nicely in front of them. I personally think they’re weird. But to each his own, eh?

The weather continues to be ungodly hot, as in pizza oven hot. Very dry with super low humidity so I’m guessing our friends in the Midwest and East Coast likely don’t have much sympathy for us. Enough of my kvetching…let’s get this show started, shall we? Oh Mumm…

The Mum: Good morning, House Pony. I see you decided to use the latest inflatable we saw yesterday to open our post. I’m just blown away by the number of inflatables that family has. All the holidays and even some special occasions-it’s hard to comprehend all of them.

Wilson: It’s a mystery for sure, but let’s stop talking about those fools guys and instead, share some of the beautiful flowers I found this week.

The Mum: O-kay. What do you have to start out today’s post? Got anything special you want to share?

Wilson: Well, I’m rather chuffed about a couple of today’s flowers that are rather unusual. Like this Greater Masterwort that our neighbor recently planted. I’ve never seen anything quite like it. And listen to some of the attributes this plant has. First, it’s a perennial with an erect and glabrous stem, with little branches but few leaves. The small flowers are typically greenish-white with reddish shades. They typically flower from June through September, and they’re native to southern Europe. It’s been in the British Isles since the 16th century. Apparently it’s quite common in mountain meadows and grasslands, in forests and clearings, and close to streams, anywhere the altitude is above sea level. It likes partial shade apparently with moist conditions so we both know it likely wouldn’t survive in our garden.

Great Masterwort

The Mum: Is that some sort of a dig at me because I avoid plants that need a lot of supplemental watering like the plague?

Wilson: Umm, nope, there’s nothing subtle about it, Mum. You only plant flowers that will withstand very arid conditions once they’ve established themselves. Now here’s a plant that will work well for you in our garden…Gaillardia,  commonly known as blanket flower or Indian blanket is a native wildflower to North and South America where they often naturalize in prairies, plains and open areas. Named after  Maître Gaillard de Charentonneau, an 18th-century French magistrate who was quite an enthusiastic botanist. They’re a cheerful lot, aren’t they?

Gaillardia- Blanket flower

The Mum: I do like those and am always amused when they suddenly appear in the garden without my planting them. Those little globe seed heads are chock full of potential new plants and they remind me of dandelions in that their ability to readily propagate around the neighborhood are quite remarkable.

Wilson: Their flowers kind of remind me of these orangey Rudbeckia, commonly called Black Eyed Susan’s. It’s another member of the Asteraceae family. These native North America perennials bloom from mid through late summer and are sometimes called coneflowers. They are deer and rabbit resistant. They grow in both damp woodlands and dry prairies, indicating they are most adaptable. They’re perfect for you, Mum.

Black eyed Susan

The Mum:  Yes, I do like them, and they have a range of colors from yellow and orange flowers as well as some varieties that bloom in multiple colors with dark brown or black centers. There are even some that come in red, bronze and even bi-colored shades.

Wilson: They’re a very good looking plant.But so are these, Mum. Anemones enjoy a nice shady spot in a woodland garden and come in multiple colors. Snowdrop Anemone

The Mum:  Those are really beautiful. And I like this red Monarda you found. ‘Bee balm’ is quite popular with butterflies and other pollinators. This specimen was beginning to get a little past its prime but the color was still so striking, I couldn’t resist taking a pic of it.

Monarda-bee balm

Wilson: And finally I found some blooming bellflowers on our walk earlier this week. Look how pretty it is. “Campanula” is considered another wildflower and can be found across the Northern Hemisphere, the Mediterranean, and its range even extends into mountains in tropical regions of Asia and Africa. A delicate perennial with graceful, slender stems, usually in clusters, rising in height from 4-15 in. The stems can be weak which causes the thing to bend over. Its rounded leaves wither early while the narrow, stem leaves remain. Blue-violet bell-shaped flowers hang singly or in clusters. Those bell-shaped flowers are borne in loose clusters at the tips and may come in a variety of colors from pale pink and light blue to deep violet-blue and pure white.

Bellflower

The Mum:  This was quite the find since I’ve only ever seen the purple/blue variety around the neighborhood. I loved the pale pink/white and will have to look for one at a garden center for future inclusion in our garden.

Wilson: Finally, because I know you love Swallowtail butterflies so much, here’s another one that followed us along our early morning  walk. He sure was beautiful, Mum and looked so cool flitting around on the summer breeze.Butterfly

The Mum: You’re right, I do like watching them. They seem to take all your worries away. Well that’s it for us this week. We hope you all have a terrific weekend. Stay cool (if that’s possible) and stay hydrated. And above all, have a safe holiday.

Nature

Nature Friday ~ June 20, 2025

~ Tails Around the Ranch ~ 63 Comments

Heat advisoryWelcome to the Summer of Hades, 2025 edition. Bloody hell…who turned the blinking heat up?? We are under a heat advisory for the next few days. Good thing my fur coat was groomed last week but I’m still panting up a storm to cool myself down and Mum is sweating like a pig. Neither of us do well in heat and I have to make sure she stays well hydrated. Heck, we both have to stay well hydrated since unlike many areas of the country, ours is what’s known as ‘a dry heat.’ I don’t give a squirrel’s patootie, the bottom line is it’s been ungodly hot.

Wilson here. For those who need a bit of inspiration in the “this too shall pass” category, there are ‘only’ 94 days until autumn arrives. You can count on us keeping track of that number as it goes down. I know there are many of you enjoy summer and extol the virtues of extra sunlight to which I say, “Bollocks-you can have it!”

The Mum: Wilson!! Easy with the language, buddy!

Wilson: Whaaat? I’m just stating facts, Mum. It’s miserable out there. {grumbling} Bloody Summer Equinox…you can have it.

The Mum:  My goodness…you’re sure getting very worked up. We’re going to have to soldier up, do the best we can and hope this heat dome breaks up. It’ll mean our walks will likely be starting at oh-dark-thirty…i.e. 5:00 AM. I’m yawning just thinking about the uncivilized hour.

Wilson: I’ll be ready, Mum. So let’s get started with this week’s slices of nature…it’s all about trees. We’re joining our friends from Adventures of the LLB Gang. Be sure to click on the link to see what others have shared. Before the heat set in on us, the mornings were heavenly perfumed by the scent of all the Littleleaf Lindens that are in bloom across our neighborhood right now. Their fragrance is absolutely intoxicating. Don’t the flowers look like Lily of the Valley?

Linden Trees

Linden Trees
American Linden Tree-a grand shade tree

The Mom: It’s one of my absolute favorite trees. I inhale deeply on our walks enjoying that fabulous fragrance once they start blooming.

Wilson: It’s a lovely tree, Mum but what about the Popcorn tree?

The Mum: Popcorn tree? Oh, you must mean the Catalpa tree which is also in bloom.

Catalpa tree

Wilson: I dunno, Mum…it looks like popcorn all over the sidewalk to me.

The Mum: Yeah, it does rather look like popcorn on the sidewalk. Catalpa trees are kind of messy but they’re great shade trees and those blooms are beautiful when you look closely. Just make sure you don’t look too closely, you might inhale a bee!

Catalpa flowers

Wilson: They sure are messy trees. All those orchid-like blooms all over the sidewalk and then those long, cigar shaped seed pods will start falling, from autumn through winter. The blooms and seed pods from the large specimen across the street always manage to land in our yard in addition to our own. Remind me why you planted it?

The Mum: When the city made me take down the Silver Maple, they said they’d replace it with another shade tree. I applied for a Honey Locust which they did plant, but for some reason, they threw in a Catalpa as well as an Oak tree. Lots of leaves, flowers and acorns to deal with. The squirrels don’t seem to mind. They seem to love all the trees that are messy. Me, not as much.

Wilson: Hey, I try to do my part keeping the squirrels at bay. I can’t help it if you don’t want me chasing them..

The Mum: Well they tend to run out in the street and you’re all too eager to follow them. There’s been another flowering tree that’s currently in bloom and it’s also a beauty..

Wilson: That’s right, Mum. It’s a Japanese Tree Lilac. Those creamy white flowers fill the morning air with a luscious scent. This is a modestly small tree but seems to do well in Colorado. We’re starting to see and more of them around the neighborhood.

Japanese Tree Lilac

The Mum: It’s a real beauty for sure. But what about that fabulous cherry tree we walk past every day? It ripened earlier than any of the other cherry trees in the neighborhood. The owner even said if we could reach the fruit at the top, it was ours.

Cherry tree

Wilson: Well I’d have been up for it but don’t think you could have reached the top fruit without a ladder and then we’d have to carry a bucket with us then wash and pitt them once we got home. You told me you did that once and it was pretty much an all day project.

The Mum: Yup, it sure was. Pitting was the pits-no pun intended. But the jam sure was yummy. I might consider making peach jam later in the summer but cherries are a lot of work and we’ve been pretty busy with hospital visits and rescue work.

Wilson: Speaking of busy, there was the rescue picnic over the past weekend. We were unable to attend but it sure looked like a fun event. Lok at all those sheepies! And we managed to raise about as much as we raised last year for the rescue. Everybody had a good time even if it was somewhat warm.

OES Picnic 2025

The Mum: Yeah, maybe next year we can attend and you can run around in a beautiful setting with loads of other sheepdogs.

Wilson: Oh that would be so posh, Mum. I do hope I can attend.

The Mum: Well we’ll see. Well, that’s it for this edition of nature. We hope you all have a lovely weekend and we pray everyone stays safe and hydrated this weekend and especially don’t overdo it. But if you’re out, please try to savor the wonders of Nature.

Wilson: Meanwhile I’ll be wondering why Nature has to be so doggone difficult and likely making plans to visit Yellowstone National Park and lying near the air conditioner vent. We hope you have a wonderful weekend.

Wilson

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Nature Friday ~ June 6, 2025

~ Tails Around the Ranch ~ 44 Comments

WilsonGreetings mates, Wilson here for the first Friday of June and the 157th day of the year. Today we’re doing something different as we join our friends at the LLB Gang for this week’s edition of Nature Friday. Trees have leafed out but blooming flowers really haven’t changed, Mum has noticed the only thing new has been the direct result of our weather. It was the second week in a row where rain showers fell nearly every day. In fact, yesterday’s afternoon walk around the neighborhood saw us getting soaked. Again. What the bloody dog? Mum knows I don’t like rain on my fluffy white head but there she was dragging hustling me along to try and find some cover under the trees.

So what does all this rain mean? Well things are green and lush. So much so, grass seems to grow overnight. And so do the weeds. And if you haven’t guessed by now, Mum is highlighting the weeds this week {eyes rolling}.

Yes, you heard me right…bloody weeds. I’d think she was in the sun for too long yesterday before the clouds and rain rolled in after working in the garden all morning, pulling two bins full of weeds. She said it’s the yang aspect of Nature and she thought we should see the other side of what happens when there’s lots of moisture. Not that we’d ever object to moisture, mind you…but weeds? Come on Mum, just admit it…your brain is fried and you’re suffering from writer’s block.

The Mum:  Good morning, House Pony. I see you’ve set a somewhat negative stage for today’s Nature Friday focus on the reverse side of Nature. When you usually have a lack of moisture, plants struggle. But give them even just a little spot of rain and voila!…they are transformed into a scene from Little Shop of Horrors where gardeners swear they are hearing the baritone wail of Levi Stubbs (of Four Tops fame)  who was the voice of Audrey in the movie-Feed me Seymour.

Feed me Seymour

Wilson: Ermmm, didn’t mean to cast dispersions, Mum, but seriously…weeds. That’s the best you’ve got? Surely there’s gotta be something far more exciting, not to mention far more visually pleasing.

The Mum: Sorry, it’s just reality. You can water the garden like crazy and it’s so-so but even with a tiny little rain sprinkle and poof, instant greening up and lushness.

Wilson: Well, ok…if you say so. I still stand with my observation that you might be suffering from a spot of writer’s block but let’s move along. Some of these weeds universally vex us all summer long, rain or not…like the bindweed and spotted spurge but some of the have grown to gargantuan dimensions like the prickly lettuce and that plant that resembles hemlock which is a member of the carrot family.

Prickly lettuce
Prickly lettuce-wear thick gloves when removing this bad boy.
Hemlock
Poison hemlock, a member of the carrot family.
Argemone - Prickly Poppies
Argemone – Prickly Poppies, another weed that requires thick gloves for removal
Spotted Spurge
Spotted Spurge loves getting between flagstone pathways
Bindweed
Bindweed sheltering other assorted weeds

The Mum: I swear that bindweed is going to be the death of me yet. I have yet to be able to eradicate it and the recent rains have acted like nitrogen fertilizer. Oh sure, the ‘morning glory-like’ blooms are pretty but this weed will strangle the life out of everything around it.

Wilson: It looks quite innocent but I noticed it went from just a few blossoms to an entire carpet of them. This weed may be your Waterloo, Mum but mine are the foxtails that typically show up along sidewalks waiting for unsuspecting dog legs and paws to attached their bloody barbed seed awns.

Foxtails

Foxtails

The Mum: As I was researching foxtails for this post, I noticed “wall barley” (sometimes called false barley), is very similar in appearance and can’t be 100% certain if what’s pictured is actually foxtail or false barley. Either way, you’re right saying these seed awns can be not only dangerous to dogs but depending where they’ve entered a dog, can be lethal if not promptly and fully removed.

Wilson: I will chew on my toes if some piece of grass gets stuck which apparently is some sort of code to dog mums that something is stuck between our toes/pads and needs immediate remediation. I swear even if I just look at my feet, you’re all over me examining me with a whole battery of combs and other grooming tools to remove any offending bits and bobs. I appreciate it but you descend on me like grasshoppers/locusts from the Dust Bowl and that’s somewhat terrifying.

The Mum: Trust me, the alternative would be much worse. It’s for your own good.

Wilson: It’s funny how things us dogs dislike are always accompanied with that phrase. Anyway, I’m glad you’re obsessed on guard for them. And because I’m a benevolent floof, I had you take a photo on our walk for this morning’s post-dawn walk of a white lupine in bloom. We have the purple and pink variety in our garden but had never seen a white version before. It’s rather pretty and a nice offering for Miss Rosy after all these lame weed pics.

Whether you’re suffering from writer’s block or have loads of things to write about, we hope your weekend is full of joyful exploration and discovery of both sides of Nature. Have a great weekend.

R-White Lupine

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Nature Friday ~ May 9, 2025

~ Tails Around the Ranch ~ 54 Comments

WilsonIt’s Friday and that can only mean one thing…time to reflect about the nature and share what we encountered this week. As we do on Friday’s, we are joining the blog hop hosted by those fur kids from the Adventures with the LLB Gang. Don’t forget to check out what others have shared.

Wilson here. This week was really different. We received LOTS of rain…something that’s fairly rare around the Ranch. All that rain was very welcomed but it did impact our ability to check out nature. It started out nice but then after nearly two days of constant rain, things got a little challenging for me to get out for my usual multi-mile walks. The fact is, I don’t like rain. I know, most dogs don’t but I really don’t like rain. Mum thought she’d be clever and go in between showers. Well that sounds like a good strategy but it didn’t let up much that first day. She bundled up in a raincoat (the day was also chilly in the low 40’sF) and made sure I was bundled up in my lined rain slicker. Ok, I’ll be honest with you, I wasn’t all that crazy about it, but hey, it would keep me mostly dry if it was just misting or sprinkled. Besides, I’ve decided I won’t relieve myself in the dog run anymore, only along our walks.
The Mom: Yes, it was a good idea but Nature decided it was going to play tricks on us. Sure wish you weren’t so picky about relieving yourself only on walks. It’d have made things much easier. That said, shortly after we began, it started to rain steadily.  Long story short, you and I both got drenched, I mean I was soaked to the bone and I’m sure when I walked, I ‘squished’ from all that moisture. And you looked like a drowned hippo.

Wilson: Of course, it waited until we were about half way on our regular 3-1/2 mile jaunt. Nature sure can be quite the prankster, can’t she?LupineThe Mom: Indeed. On the plus side, look how gorgeous this Lupine looked in the garden when we came back-it’s so lush and I’m sure all the garden plants loved the rain. You can supplement water like crazy but nothing revives a garden quite like rain, even if it’s just a sprinkle. Nature seemed to make up for the lack of moisture this spring with this storm.

Wilson: Right-o, Mum. But it sure throws a wrench in what we planned to share today. You have to admit it’s ironic we planned to show off succulents around the neighborhood as they are beginning to bloom right now.

Cactus

The Mum: It is rather paradoxical. Just look at all those cactus flowers! Sadly the Walking Stick cactus isn’t on the same schedule and hasn’t started blooming yet with the prickly pear. Apparently Nature likes to stagger things. Too bad she didn’t want to stagger the times it rained so we could get our walks in without being drenched.

Wilson: You’re right about that, Mum. Every time we’d try to get a walk in, the skies would open up and we’d get soaked. It took a day and a half before you got smart and dug out the umbrella so it wasn’t as bad. In your defense, it rains so infrequently, we never think about using umbrellas and you probably forgot where they’re stored. My paws and undercarriage got mucky and you must have used every towel in the house to dry me off. Did you notice how curly my coat got after all the rain we encountered? Who knew I had such curls.

The Mum: Yes, those curls are going to take lots of brushing out for your coat to return to regular fluff. Anywho, I’m glad you decided to stay with the southwest theme for this week. You’re a good egg, House Pony.

Cactus

Wilson: Well no point letting a little rain put a damper on things, right? Notice what I did there?

The Mum: You are too clever, lad. What else did you notice while we were getting drenched this week?

Wilson: Look at this prickly fella! It was so fascinating to look at but I didn’t want to get too close to check it out more thoroughly. I was afraid it could easily ‘bite’ my nose.

CactusThe Mum: Smart thinking, buddy. While that plant is fascinating to look at, I’m glad it isn’t in my garden. What a pain to try and clean out dried leaves every spring. Literally! I don’t think there are thick enough leather gloves to tackle that project!

Wilson: Right you are, Mum. This next pic is what made us pursue the whole southwest theme. You always have your eyes open for unusual garden art and I must say, this is the most unlikely thing you’ve ever found, I daresay. Mirrored cactus sculptures! I half expected you break out singing “Stayin’ Alive.”Cactus garden artThe Mum: I know, right? I was flabbergasted. We encountered this sculpture as we were returning home. It was on a different route but I thought, why not check it out. When I saw this shiny thing from half a block away I couldn’t figure out what it was and had to look more closely. Lo and behold, it was mirrored life sized cacti! How. cool. is. that?

Wilson: It was something else, that’s for sure. And I could even sniff it without fear of getting my nose poked. Hey, that reminds me, why didn’t you let me sniff it?

The Mum: Now, you know perfectly well the rule of our walks is we don’t ‘sniff’ (talk about a euphemism) in people’s gardens. We don’t appreciate when dogs pee on things in our garden and try to set a good example for others.

Wilson: Umm, I don’t always try to pee on everything, but you must know that a dog processes life through his nose. Which means, I have to get up close and personal to see what the heck something is. But you’re right, I probably would have tried to pee on it to let others know I appreciated it’s unusual appearance.

The Mum: I rest my case.

Wilson: Sorry, Mum. There are some things dogs just can’t change about their personalities. Yellow mirrors probably wouldn’t have improved the garden look.

The Mum: Glad you understand. So what are your plans for this weekend, House Pony?

Wilson: Well it’s Mother’s Day this weekend in the US so naturally I’m going to do something nice for you. But it’s a surprise. I can’t spill the beans, just know I’ll be a good boy and try to make you proud.

The Mum: {blushing} I’m always proud of you, sweet boy. Thank you. We hope all pet mums have a wonderful Mother’s Day and hope you are able to enjoy getting out to check out Nature up close and personal. Have a great weekend!

Nature Friday

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Nature Friday ~ May 2, 2025

~ Tails Around the Ranch ~ 66 Comments

WilsonWilson: {Yawn} Good Friday morning everyone-as you can see I’m a bit slow getting started after a very busy week but wanted to welcome you to another installment of Nature Friday where we join our friends from the Adventures with the LLB Gang. Don’t forget to check out what others have shared.

Well, the calendar page turned yesterday and we’re now in full blown spring mode. Hope you had a wonderful May Day. We spent the day catching up after celebrating National Pet Therapy Day the day before. It was a bit overwhelming for both me and Mum. Mum learned a valuable lesson (though she wasn’t a bit surprised at realizing it). She knows I struggle with a large group of overly excited people wanting to meet me for the first time as well as their excited pups all trying to get up in my grill. I’m afraid I was less than hospitable with a couple who didn’t seem to understand it’s too overwhelming for me. Here’s a fraction of the approximate dozen number of dogs who participated. Mum stopped trying to take photos because she was concerned about my reaction and couldn’t get the whole gang in the frame.

Pet Therapy
Lutheran’s pet therapy dogs come in all sizes and shapes

Wilson: Mum, I sure hope we don’t have to do a group thing like that again any time soon. I was so stressed, all those dogs wanting to be so close, I mean, I was just a wreck.

The Mum: I know sweet boy, I’m so sorry and promise I won’t put you through that again.

Wilson: Whew-thank you…I was a total wreck and am so grateful you decided to let me to visit with the nice folks in Medical Records instead of participating in the dog conga line upstairs on the floors. For the record, I do not conga.

The Mum:  Totally understand. I enjoyed meeting with Records as well and you were a big hit. We’re adding them to the other stops we make before our regular floor assignments. Let’s change the subject and focus instead on all the beautiful signs of spring we encountered this week, shall we?

Pet Therapy

Wilson: Happily. Well it’s official- spring has definitely sprung. We had a few days of gentle showers with coolish temperatures and things are greening up nicely. The trees in particular really have enjoyed the moisture. It looks like the cherry and apple trees were particularly thrilled and I can’t wait until I can taste the fruit first hand, later in the year.

Cherry blossoms Apple blossoms

The Mum: Flowering trees have indeed been quite lovely. Check out this Eastern Redbud. I just love their bright color.

Red bud flowers

Wilson: Does it have fruit after blooming? You know I’m a big fan of fruit.

The Mum: Umm, no, in fact, I often forget about these trees after they bloom-the tree is unusually nondescript once it’s finished blooming. It’s a shame too, they so pretty when they bloom.

Wilson: Well that’s unfortunate. I’ve noticed the tulips are just about finished blooming too and what a lovely year it’s been for them. This has to be the absolute prettiest one we’ve seen.

Tulip

The Mum: You’re so right, I so love walking past that house and especially enjoy that beautiful variety. It’s so delicate looking and the color is so pretty.

Wilson: It sure is, Mum. I noticed your favorite lilac bush is blooming. It’s not quite as lush as it was last year when you created today’s header but it’s still gorgeous as is the second bush right next to it. What’s nice is they aren’t the usual purple-ish color we usually see.

Lilacs

Lilacs

The Mum:  Their fragrance is deliciously amazing, too. What else do you have to share?

Wilson: I started to notice some Hedgehog and Prickly Pear cactuses that are starting to bloom. I’m not getting close enough to sniff at those guys but they sure are fascinating to see.

Cactus

Cactus

The Mum: No doubt they provide valuable cover for tiny garden mice and small birds from various neighborhood predators as well as an interesting change from our usual blooming landscape.

Wilson: When we walked yesterday, this bright patch of Golden Alyssum sure caught my eye. Talk about a cheery look on a somewhat cloudy day.

Golden Alyssum

The Mum: It sure was an exuberant sigh.! And they smelled sweet too.

Wilson: How come it’s okay for you to sniff flowers but you fuss at me when I do?

The Mum: The difference is that I don’t ‘leave‘ a message on them after I sniff.

Wilson: Oh yeah, I do try to leave a note. But, in all fairness, I’m just telling other dogs how beautiful the flowers are. Yes, that’s exactly what I’m doing.

The Mum:  {eyes rolling} Right. You might be able to fool others, but not me.

Wilson: Doggone it, I was hoping you wouldn’t see through me so easily. But I am doing better about leaving little messages, especially since you’ve pointed out it’s against the rules. I know you don’t appreciate it when dogs leave messages on our flowers and I respect that when we’re walking. Weeds are a whole different category though. Especially when they pop up in sidewalk cracks. I don’t have to remind you I’m doing a public service then, right?

The Mum: Umm, if you say so. Got any other photos to share?

Wilson: A couple; here’s a shot of some elm blossoms. Usually you only notice the little round seeds that blow all over the place, but you’ve never noticed the flowers that produce the seeds before. Aren’t they fascinating? I’m going out on a limb by saying I think it’s going to be a good year for elm seeds.

Elm tree

The Mum: Yes sadly, I’m think you’re so right. Which leads me to chat about the subject of Silver Maple tree seeds. Since you’ve been noshing on the flowers against my wishes, I’ve noticed the past couple of days that you’ve graduated to now snarfing up the seeds. You have to stop doing that, you hear?

Silver Maple seeds

Wilson: You mean those aren’t little green crepes? I mean, the flowers tasted like truffles so I just figured they were crepes.

The Mum: NO, THOSE ARE NOT LITTLE GREEN CREPES, you dingleberry! What is wrong with you?

Wilson: Umm chill, Mum.

The Mum: You are going to be death of me yet with what you find tasty. Elsa only ate things like reading glasses and socks.

Wilson: Maybe that says you’re not feeding me enough. I mean, the vet may be pleased with my nice trim physic but I’m a growing boy and growing boys need lots of calories to maintain.

The Mum: I give up.

Wilson: Oh Mum, don’t be so uptight. It’s not like a tree is going to sprout in my tummy is it? How about we end with a nice pretty blue flower. Blue flowers always make you smile to forget. I think this is some variety of forget-me-nots. I think it’s pretty, how about you.

Forget me nots

The Mum: Yes, House Pony…it’s a lovely shade of blue and the two tone color of the leaves add to its beauty. Sigh. It looks like the sun is returning to the Mile High City for the next few days. It’s a gorgeous morning with crystal blue skies and will be in the 60’sºF…totally perfect for checking out all the beauty Nature has to offer this weekend. We hope you have a great weekend and do try to get outside to enjoy it.

Nature Friday

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