We managed to survive the snow and relentless cold this weekend and hope you did as well. Our forecast for the last Monday of the month will see Mile High temperatures reach the mid-40’sF (7C). Woot! It’s still dark in the morning when we rise and will take longer to rectify that as I heard on the morning news we’re in the 10 hours a day range of sunshine. Today’s smile reminded me there’s one thing that remains constant no matter what time of year it is.
Here’s wishing you have a ‘wagnificent’ Monday and an even better week. Let’s just hope the coffee kicks in to match my alarm clock.
Welcome to this week’s edition of Nature Friday where we join the pups from Adventures of the LLB Gang. Elsa here. Well you can blame Mom for this week’s post since she’s been whining about the drab color lately. Nature said, ok, you don’t like drab…how’s about we change the palette to white? Good grief! And then she doubled down and turn off the heat. It’s been freezing, in fact, it’s been so cold, we haven’t been able to go for walks. Heck, I barely want to go pee but here we are. Yesterday we finally were able to go for a walk around the neighborhood to check out the updated color palette.Umm, Mom…not sure this is an improvement. Just saying.
Wilson: Well I jolly well was happy to be able to stretch my legs and see what I’ve missed at the various canine bulletin boards. Wow, can you believe people were walking their dogs in the snow and cold? Crikey.
Elsa: So that’s why Mom has been shaking her head. Walking a dog in sub-zero temps seems cruel to me. We even saw several dogs without coats or snow boots. Mom said that was not going to happen to us. She got creative with snuffle mats and a new gadget to entertain and exercise our brains. She’s constantly thinking about keeping us occupied…but mostly out of self-defense. I don’t do well being bored and will stand in a room and let her know in no uncertain times that I’m displeased.
Wilson: Boy was I glad for this wobble bowl. Mom smeared pumpkin, canned dog food and yogurt all up and down those knobs and because it’s bowl shaped it rocks. It took me forever to snarf up all that delicious spread. Way to go, Mum!
Elsa: Even as picky as I can be about stuff like this, I didn’t mind ‘working’ for the reward of that tasty spread. Wish the darn thing wouldn’t walk all over the place though.
Wilson: Mum said that’s the point. We had to ‘think’ about how we were going to get those tasty snacks. I don’t know about you, but I was tuckered out and enjoyed a nice nap after all that work.
Elsa: Well I wouldn’t want to do that for extended times, but it helped while Nature turned our world into a deep freeze. Can’t remember the last time it snowed for a solid day and a half although some of the snow dribbled down to flurries. It wasn’t the most snow we’ve received, probably only about 7 inches or so, but it was super dry. The cold must have squeezed out all the moisture.
Wilson: Could be. But the past couple of days the temps finally got out of the cellar and we were able to walk in reasonably comfortable temps with the appropriate snow wear. Neither of us are keen to paddle about in those snow boots, but Mum insisted. She said it’ll keep ice balls from forming in our pads. You know she always has our best interests at heart.
Elsa: That may be but I hate those bloody things and I’m gonna let her know my displeasure by making it hard for her to get them on me. It took us forever to get dressed and then she had to bundle herself up. That’s when I get impatient and try to make her to fall down. Heh, heh. I’ll show her.
Wilson: We really should cooperate more so that we can start walking sooner.
Elsa: Oh yeah…hmmm, guess I better rethink my strategy so it’s more in our favor.
Wilson: Right-o, Ninja!
Elsa: So Mom loves encountering Canadian geese, though I swear, I have no idea. Those fat birds aren’t very friendly and the poop everywhere. But she almost always takes photos of them and there were a bunch of them out on the lawn at the Mullen House, an assisted living area nearby our Ranch. They stomped all over the snow leaving tracks and yelled a lot at us.
Wilson: I was fascinated watching those strange creatures and was torn between staying or moving along to catch up with latest gossip at the various doggo bulletin boards. By golly, it was a hard decision for me but when they took flight and honked their displeasure that we interrupted them, it was an easy decision to move along.
Elsa: Move along? Ha…that’s one to sugarcoat it. Mom practically had to tie an anchor around you to keep you from trying to chase them! Why do you think she only caught the tail end of them taking flight? It’s because she was trying to hang on to you while fishing her cell phone out of her pocket and stay upright. You have an interesting way of interpreting reality.
Wilson: What? Can I help it if those geese were afraid of me? I’m not responsible for how they view things, am I?
Elsa: {eyes rolling} You know you should become a politician…the way you parse things, you’d be good spinning things.
Wilson: Erm…I don’t think that’d be a good vocation for me. I already have a terrific job being a pet therapy dog. Let’s just leave it there.
Elsa: I’m telling you, man…you could be the James Carville of the canine world. We continue to be shocked at every turn since January 20 but know Mom couldn’t take any more political news that sucks the oxygen out of the country and underscores the meanness of some humans. What else you got from our walk?
Wilson: We walk past this beautiful Queen Anne house that is always fascinating any time of year, especially in autumn and winter. From the large trees surrounding the beautiful architecture to the sights and sounds of nature in the city, it always provides an interesting view. This home is listed on the national historical registry and is known as the Heiser House. Built by saddle maker Hermann Heiser in 1893, the home is fully restored with an incredible stained glass front door. Mum told me she’s toured the inside of this home and it’s just as gorgeous and tastefully updated with modern touches. I’m just sure there’s a squirrel or two in that yard. That turett would make a great place to scan the yard for those little buggers. Do you notice how much the evergreens absorbed the melted snow from this southern exposure pic or how crystal clear the blue the skies were? It was a gorgeous afternoon, even if temps were only around freezing.
Wilson: Here’s a photo of the front entrance showing the front door stained glass taken ove the late summer.
Elsa: I can see why Mom likes to walk past that house. It truly is something to behold. Well that’s it from us. We hope you like the new palette. Judging by news reports where snow fell all over the South, I guess Mom will be careful what she wishes for in the future. Her granddaughter from Houston sent her this snowman pic from their yard. While they’re from Colorado originally they now live in the Houston area and people were insane about the snow.
Wilson: No doubt snow and cold in Houston were a real eye opener for folks, but probably not as much as the 10 inches that fell in New Orleans. Folks down in the South aren’t familiar with the ways of cold and snow but we heard kids enjoyed a free day from school to sled down hills on cardboard boxes. Well that’s it from us. We hope everyone has a safe weekend and can enjoy some of the beauty Mother Nature provides us. We hear she’s planning on delivering more snow, but at least it won’t be cold as it was this week. Have a jolly good weekend!
Live, love, bark! 🐾
P.S. Mom apologies in advance in case there are problems with this post. In its quest to irritate the snot out of users, the latest update has things really screwed up and Mom had to hunt and search and hunt again to find things that used to be easily located (like categories, the save button, you know simply things like that). When you have a laptop with a trackpad instead of a mouse, you have to scroll down to find %$#@ up and down to add photos, change formatting and even the save button. It was maddening. She continues to think it’s a way to make everyone switch to that hell hole known as the Block editor. What a cluster!!
Today is Martin Luther King Day in the U.S. When I found this quote/meme, it occurred to me it was even more poignant to share it today. I had just came back inside from shoveling the snow that fell overnight on top of all of yesterday’s snow. One way to honor the civil rights leader, is through participating in some sort of service on this day. So, I chose to shovel the two houses sidewalks next to my corner lot. Both are somewhat new to the neighborhood and I haven’t met them. While it’s below zero, it was quiet, I was well bundled up and being out pre-dawn, it allowed my thoughts to percolate softly on that idea of service today. I also couldn’t help but think that Mother Nature’s calendar is definitely messed up. January is normally our driest month of the year. Guess the powers to be didn’t send out that memo to her.
And while it’s MLK Monday, we still felt it was important to start today out with a couple of smiles. Stay safe and warm; we hope MLK’s words strike a note in your heart.
Not to be outdone, as I was trying to shovel out the ‘pee-tio’ yesterday, a similar scene made for some interesting maneuvering at the Ranch.
Welcome to this week’s Nature Friday post where we join those cute pups from Adventures of the LLB Gang. Hiya, Elsa here. It’s winter and any photos are fairly slim showcasing nature around the Mile High. The National Western Stock Show is going on but Mom said she’d rather set her hair on fire than deal with the traffic and wannabe cowboys than go to that event. Since she no longer works downtown, she didn’t even see the annual parade of Longhorn cattle up Seventeenth Street.
Image from the 2015 National Western Stock Show parade
Elsa: {continuing} The big thing that we’ll be watching is the newsworthy story of a winter advisory in the form of an Arctic blast that’s slated to arrive later today (more on that below). Mom and Wilson will once again be spending the day at the hospital visiting folks. I heard he visited with a jillion people yesterday and made friends with even more. He tried to make ‘friends’ with a local hoodlum right before he left for his shift. Trust me, he didn’t get close but there was one tuckered out squirrel that collapsed from exhaustion on top of the wooden fence. His sides were heaving as he tried to catch his breath. Mom said he seemed pretty traumatized since he didn’t even run away when she went to see if he was ok. The House Pony was foiled {again} and life moved forward. Guess you had to be there to appreciate the drama.
Wilson’s friend
Wilson: Hey, I almost got him! He didn’t realize how speedy I am.
Elsa: Don’t kid yourself. No matter how {ahem} speedy you think you are, you’re always going to lose to that rodent. You should save your energy for more important endeavors, like Olympic style napping, like me. Trust me, that’s a much better use of your time with a greater chance for success.
Wilson: I just know I can get him at some point. I just know he’s going to make a mistake, slip off that top rail and fall on my side of the fence. And I’ll be there to ‘welcome’ him. {smiling with teeth exposed} Heh, heh.
Elsa: Well, I’m just saying, you’re wasting valuable time trying. I mean, wasn’t it Groucho Marx who said “paying alimony is like buying hay for a dead horse.”
Wilson: Perhaps, but because it’s almost MKL Day, I subscribe to the his quote, “It’s a job that’s never started that takes the longest to finish.” Martin Luther King, Jr.”
Elsa: Whatever, bozo.
Wilson: I think this is just something that you and I will have to agree to disagree about. Now about that Arctic blast you mentioned. The local weather channel said we can expect a “flash freeze.” What the bloody dog is a “flash freeze?” How cold is it going to get?
Graphic courtesy of Denver 7 channel
Elsa: Glad you asked though I’m not looking forward to those days with the minus symbol. One of the local meteorologists said a “flash freeze” is when there’s a rapid drop in temperatures from above freezing to below freezing in a really short period of time. She said Colorado rarely gets them. There’s a chance we’ll get some snow later today, even if it’s practically balmy as of this morning (32ºF/0ºC). That cold front will move in later this evening and any existing moisture on the ground like rain or melted snow will quickly freeze into ice. It’s gonna be nasty and brutally cold out there for the next few days so Mom is most grateful her calendar is clear and she won’t have to drive anywhere. It will likely be way too cold for us to do anything outside beyond super quick potty trips, so expect lots of sessions with the snuffle mats.
Wilson: Mmmmm, I can hardly wait. Well that’s it for us. Because this Arctic blast is going to hit a lot of the country and affect so many, we hope you all stay safe and warm. I strongly recommend you snuggle with a dog. Just saying.
Elsa: What he said. ⬆️ Stay warm and don’t let squirrels or Jack Frost put too much of a damper on your weekend. Hugs and tail wags. I’m going to get started on that nap now.
Welcome to Nature Friday. Today is the last Friday of November, 2024 and no doubt some of us are moving a little bit slower today, no doubt still under the influence of a Thanksgiving Day food coma. For those needing a spot of pressure, there are only 26 days left until Christmas and only 33 days left in 2024. As always we’re joining our pals from Adventures of the LLB Gang. Don’t forget to click on the link to see what others have posted. We hope your ‘holiday’ was safe, full of good cheer and that you were able to enjoy Thanksgiving with friends and family for those who celebrate it.
Elsa here to start things off. Mom got a hankering to trim up my paws because she said, and I quote…”my feet were looking like a muppet.” I hate getting my paws trimmed and won’t let her use clippers. She can only trim them with scissors but she’s gotten fairly good making them look halfway decent. But we’re here to talk about Nature things. Mom went to spend the Thanksgiving howliday with our Grandpa with a few family members. He’s going to be a busy fella over the next few days, as other siblings will show up extending the holiday and food fest. I’m jealous as there will be some amazing foodables while they’re celebrating which will be good for him to see other family members from out of state who will begin to arrive this weekend. Let the fun and food continue.
But first, jeez Mother Nature, could you be a bit more kinder on the thermostat? It was 18ºF freaking degrees this morning when I went outside to pee at oh-dark-thirty. As the popular musician Collins Obinna Chibueze (otherwise known as Shaboozey) sings in his chart topping A Bar Song remake of the 2004 single song Tipsy, “oh my….good Lord!” We aren’t nearly ready for walks on the frozen tundra.
Wilson: ‘Morning little sister, boy are you right about the temps. I hurried my morning constitution in record time. For a quick minute I thought perhaps it might freeze to me private parts! Since you’re the native of this landscape, I’m guessing this is the norm for this time of year but even with my double coat, I’m grateful Mum will be taking us out for our morning walk later, hoping for a few degrees of warmth from the clear skies and sun. But I’m guessing those same clear skies are why it’s so bloody cold. Brrrrr.
Elsa: Right you are, House Pony. Those clear blue skies, while pretty as all get-out, are what makes things so cold. But they also make for some beautiful pictures, even when you’re whizzing past familiar sights. Mom can never get enough of seeing Pikes Peak; she’s written about that view before. It’s that view that inspired author and poet, Katherine Lee Bates to write the lyrics for America the Beautiful after she saw the gorgeous view from the summit of this well-known 14,000+ ft. peak.
Wilson: She really enjoys seeing it, both when she drives through Colorado Springs where it looms over the city as well as the back side once she gets to her Dad’s house.
Elsa: It’s very close, it’s easy to see why it’s such a draw. Then again, it’s our Mom so there’s always that. She loves seeing mountain majesty anytime and Pikes Peak is so close and can be easily captured even with a cell phone.
Wilson: I guess so…the area is so different from what I was used to experiencing in Missouri where the highest point was a mere 1,772 feet (540 metres). These fourteeners are something else.
Elsa: Our state is very lucky to have so many tall mountains; and especially at this time of year, when we’re focused on gratitude for the views they provide. By contrast, the Great Plains spread far and wide and have their own special beauty. Mom volunteered at the OES rescue booth at last weekend’s Denver Dog Fair where there were over 150 adoptable dogs from breed rescue organizations with scads of inside and outside activities with loads of vendors.
Wilson: Righto, Ninja. Mum loves the views on the plains and captured this windmill at the event site in eastern Arapahoe County with the landscape being so wide open with nothing to stop the wind.
Elsa: My ears would be flapping like the Flying Nun in those breezy conditions out there.
Wilson: Indeed. But you’d have enjoyed it inside where your first vet, Dr. Jeff of Animal Planet fame gave a talk to the attendees. He and Mum talked about how you’re doing these days since he relocated his practice up in the foothills southwest of the city.
Elsa: Oh yeah, I remember him! He’s a good guy and does so much for the community on the topic of overpopulation despite being diagnosed with cancer and challenging the local veterinary community with his low-cost affordable care model. Glad Mom got a chance to talk with him and find out how he’s doing these days in foothill area of Conifer, CO. He was well received at the event.
Wilson: And here’s a trained pup from one of the many dog trainers with one of his graduates. This Doodle fancied about carrying a bag of treats in his mouth. I can’t. even. begin. to. fathom. not eating treats I was carrying. I mean, I barely taste them as it is without having to carry them.
Elsa: Oh brother…there you go again thinking with your 17 stomachs. All an all, it was a good event and the rescue managed to receive a decent amount of donations. Their first mission was to promote a senior OES named Reagan and we have our paws crossed that someone will adopt her. If you’re interested, please check the rescue’s website and fill out an application. Technically we’re not fully set up to take in dogs but Reagan’s situation prompted a special case scenario and we are doing what we can to help her. Isn’t she quite the gorgeous lady?
Wilson: Miss Reagan has come a long way since we began to foster her and we hope she will find her fur-ever home soon. She truly deserves a second chance.
Elsa: Well that’s it for this week’s hodgepodge of rather unrelated photos. We hope everyone has a great weekend and manages to find a lovely view or three of Mother Nature at her finest. Stay warm and make it a pawsome weekend.
Wilson: Yes, what my little sister said. Happy Friday and have an even better weekend.
You may (or may not) have realized we’ve been MIA lately. In case you’ve missed us, we (as in me) have experienced some technical difficulties. Last week a particularly ugly stomach bug showed up so I’m a bit behind on visiting blogs. Please be patient as I rejoin the human race and regain my strength mojo. For the record I have turned the corner and am feeling better but it’s going to take some time getting all the pistons running smoothly again. I’ll get there but don’t worry, I’ll get caught up (eventually). Meanwhile the dogs think my return this means extra walks/attention to make up for the time they missed out on last week.
On the plus side, Wilson earned his official pet therapy dog status just before I got sick. He is now able to visit as an official member of Lutheran’s pet therapy program. He lit up a lot of people up during his test and made a jillion new friends. In all the years I’ve been the pet therapy chauffeur, I don’t think we’d ever seen as many people. He was so tired when we came home he actually snored, something he’s never done before.
Hope life has treated you well during our absence. Please stay safe and healthy and by all means, do not catch this bug. It’s ugly and mean. Happy Monday.
Sleigh bells ring, are you listening…in the lane, snow is glistening…a beautiful sight…hmmm, hmmm, hmmm…walking in a winter wonderland. Humming continuing…oh hiya, Elsa here. Welcome to this week’s edition of Nature Friday.We’re once again joining our pals from Adventures of the LLB Gang. Don’t forget to click on the link to see what others have posted.
You know how often we’re whining about lack of moisture, right? Boy howdy…did Mother Nature finally decide to turn on the faucet. Before the temperatures decided to hover in the mid-20’s, a soft misting rain fell, later joined by wet slushy snow. The snow has barely stopped and Mom tells me the forecast is calling for another 10 inches between now and early Sunday morning. I asked her, where are you gonna put all that white stuff? She just groaned and shrugged her shoulders. Rude!
Wilson: Oooh, oooh, is it my turn, yet, huh…is it?
Elsa:WAIT! Sheesh…talk about ruining a perfectly good intro.
Wilson: But…but I waited while you opened and even let you post the first photo. I’m so confused about the rules for our Friday posts since they seem to defy precedent.
Elsa: Get used to it. Changes are in the air after this week’s ‘happening’ of which we shan’t get into, but I’m sure everyone knows to what I’m referring, so I’ll just leave it at that. And no, this isn’t some sort of Ninja logic…I can’t help but wonder if logic just became extinct this week but this is a pet blog, not some political podcast so let’s just get started. Ok, House Pony?
Wilson: Yeah, I’ve noticed Mum has the sads and wondered if that’s what’s been bothering her. I hope she knows we’re here for her.
Elsa: Of course we are and with your pet therapy skills, I’m counting on you to really step up. I can’t wait four years for her to smile again.
Wilson: I’ll do my part and with your help, we’ll make her feel better even though she won’t to be able to affect the political world around here. Luckily our state passed sweeping changes to codify some of the social issues in the state constitution. But because we’re a pet blog, that’s all we will say for now. Let’s move on to Mother Nature and what she unleashed on us the past couple of days, shall we?
Elsa: You got it, brother. So I already alluded to the heavy wet snow that’s been falling for the past day and a half. I think we had about 6-8+ inches so far. Hard to tell because with that heavy snow, there has been a lot of leaf drop.
Wilson: Boy, you can say that again. Leaves have dropped along with the temps after they were heavily coated in a layer of white stuff. Sadly, some of that droppage has included lots of tree branches with it. Mum was out at midnight and at 4:00 AM, trying to shake snow off branches and various wires for the past couple of nights. But first, let’s share a couple of pics from last weekend.
Last of the clematis
Water feature
Elsa: Wow, those seem like such ancient history. Fast forward to just two days later and you have this.
Wilson: Righto. Talk about a huge change.
Elsa: It sure was pretty.
Wilson: Pretty but deadly. As we were doing our morning constitutional in the dog run, Mum heard a loud crash and walked out front to this scene. A huge limb came down, blocking about 90% of the street. She went over to talk to the guy who lives in the house to see if there was anything she could do to help since she had just obtained the name of a licensed tree trimmer the day before.
Elsa: Yikes! So that’s why she was gone for so long. She told me the guy said he’d talked with the police department and they indicated they would send someone out to clear the street.
Wilson: Mum knew that would take hours, if not days but the Ranch is on a great block and the neighbors came out, one with a chainsaw, and between four of them they managed to cut up and move the pieces out of the street. They worked like beavers taking care of that huge catastrophe.
Elsa: When everyone works together look what they can accomplish that’s positive and divisive. Oops, there I go again injecting a political slant. Sorry. It’s going to be hard to remain objective I suspect and hope people don’t take offense.
Wilson: It’s hard not to but I’ll be here to gently remind to stay above the fray, deal?
Elsa: Deal. I just hope I can keep up my end of the bargain.
Wilson: I’ll be patient and gentle, I promise even if I feel the same.
Elsa: So with the colder temps, it’s making things really interesting. Our Catalpa tree leaves keeps making funny noises.
Wilson: You can say that again. It’s been dropping frozen leaves like bombs. Luckily no tree limbs, just tons of leaves. Normally these leaves hang around longer than most but the weather did a major number on the tree. We were lucky, the neighbor across the street, lost a huge limb, just barely missing his car. Everyone in the neighborhood is on high alert and with parking always at a premium in this dense neighborhood, it makes things interesting.
Elsa: I can only imagine. I know Mom had a hair appointment scheduled yesterday and fortunately the hairdresser’s salon in only a couple of miles away so she walked over there and it gave her a chance to see how other people fared. It was a bit of a war zone out there.
Wilson: Crikey…glad she didn’t take me with her. I’m still not comfortable around garbage trucks and the sound those broken tree limbs must make. I’m grateful to have been spared that outing, though I’m beginning to get a spot of cabin fever.
Elsa: Yeah and my weary bones won’t be happy in icy wet snow either. Mom said she was going to bring out the puzzle snuffle mats so we could exercise our minds. She said something absurd about not wanting us to cause mischief. Mischief? Us? Bwahahaha!
Wilson: Well you know me, if there are treats involved, count me in!
Elsa: {eyes rolling} Of course you are but it’ll be good for some mental stimulation. Let’s leave everyone with a few pretty pics and not just carnage, shall we?
Wilson: Happy to oblige.
Elsa: Those are lovely, House Pony. I just looked outside, and it started snowing again. But we hope whatever you do and wherever you are, we hope you are safe and warm while still enjoying all that Mother Nature provides us. To those who share Mom’s current inner anguish, please know we are with you in spirit. Let’s continue to be supportive to each other.
{Whispering} Welcome to this week’s edition of Nature Friday where we join our hosts, Rosy and Sunny from Adventures of the LLB Gang. Don’t forget to click on the link to see what others shared. Elsa here with the latest skinny from around the Ranch. I wanted to start today’s post before that numbskull messes it up like he did last week. On the one hand, it’s still pretty dark early in the morning so pardon me for whispering-don’t want to wake up the kraken. On the other hand, it’s dark and by getting up early to beat that fool, I’m missing out on my beauty sleep. The things I do for this blog.
Anyway, this has been a whirlwind busy of a week…
Wilson: {yawning and smacking his lips} Huh, blurp…uh, what’s going on…where am I? I’m up!
Elsa: {rolling her eyes} Dude, you interrupted me. I was laying the foundation for you to open up with this week’s post. You’re awake? Your bedhead looks pretty gnarly, House Pony.
Wilson: Umm, yeah…I haven’t had a chance to brush my hair yet but thought I was hearing you talk to someone. So…is it kosher for me to start now?
Elsa: If you must. Go for it.
Wilson: Well, when you put it like that…this week we are joining our friends…
Elsa: {smacks paw against her forehead} You fool, I already took care of that.
Wilson: Right, okay, then I presume it’s ok to start sharing photos?
Elsa: Yes!! Sheesh, I don’t know why I…ugh…you just can’t get good help. Go already!
Wilson: {shaking off the annoying little sister’s comment} As I was just about to say…it’s been quite the week. You managed to eat more mail again, including Mum’s ballot she just received. You seem to be on a mission to send her over the edge.
Elsa: Maybe I was just irritated that she took you on a separate, longer walk after our initial sniff-ari. Besides, did you see it was 6 pages long? Sheesh, Mom’s busy and doesn’t have time to investigate all those citizen initiatives on the ballot. She just wants to make sure her vote for President is counted. The ballot was too long, I was just shortening it for brevity’s sake.
Wilson: We dogs are a smart lot, but Mum said you’ve lost the plot, little sister.
Elsa: Get over yourself. Besides, it was good for Mom to get out and see the world. Even if it’s the construction zone formerly known as downtown. Whoa, what a cluster. If it makes you feel better, I felt bad that she had to endure the crazy trip. She took the bus downtown to avoid the outrageous parking fees on what was a very nice autumn day (we’re hoping autumn temps will now dominate the landscape) but had no idea she was going to have to be plunked in the middle of such a major construction zone and would need to walk about on foot to get to the election board.
Wilson: Well you should feel badly. Without wheels, she was forced to wander hither and yon, back and forth, to get around all the construction on the mall (they’re resurfacing it and there was loads of heavy excavation equipment and workers directly traffic) in order to get over to the election office to obtain a duplicate ballot. She was too cautious to take photos of all that chaos with uneven surfaces, holes and the like and that wasn’t the kind of nature she wanted to share anyway so when she realized she was going to need to walk home, she walked along Cherry Creek which runs parallel to downtown. She discovered the creek was clear, but it was littered with all kinds of trash. That 3+ mile walk home was pretty depressing. Here’s a gallery of some of what she saw.
Cherry Creek
Ducks on Cherry Creek
Mallards on Cherry Creek
Trash on Cherry Creek
Broken bottle
More trash
Confluence Park
5 / 7
Elsa: Whoa…the first couple of pics looked pretty good. The golden light was nice, everyone loves seeing ducks and things seemed all hunky-dory.
Wilson: Right, but the longer she walked, the more depressing and filthy it got. Despite multi-million dollar lofts on the east side of Cherry Creek, there was a lot of trash in the creek. Broken bottles, wrappers and even a chair. Come on humans…do better for our planet. Mum has never seen it like that before.
Elsa: I couldn’t agree more, brother. I see she got a decent shot of Confluence Park where Cherry Creek and the South Platte meet. Surprised there weren’t more people hanging out-it used to always have people playing in the water, kayaking and throwing sticks for their dogs in the past.
Wilson: Why would anyone want to deal with the traffic, construction and trash?
Elsa: I see your point. So now to the portion of our post where you gleefully get to post the latest Halloween scene from around the ‘Hood. I know this will make your bum wiggle with joy.
Wilson: I truly have found this neighborhood really gets into the whole Halloween decorating thing. It’s puzzling to me. This first photo is what is known as Halloween central. People from all over the city come to see this yard which has dozens of skellies including a lot of animal skellies. They change up the scene, usually weekly. Can you imagine dressing up all these guys every week? The latest theme-Olympic, is complete with flags from France (the most recent host to the summer Olympics), USA and even the Olympic flag with the iconic rings. They even went to the trouble of getting placards for the various displayed competition events which included a some gymnastics scenes, judo, swimming, table tennis and wrestling. Everytime we walked past it Mum finds another thing she’s missed before. She stands there in awe some days. People drive or walk by taking photos and shaking their heads in awe. Humans are truly odd.
Elsa: That’s an understatement. So big guy, anything on your agenda this weekend?
Wilson: Just the usual dog stuff. Chase squirrels, nosh on treats and cuddle with Mum. It’s been quite crisp in the mornings and I have found she appreciates me blanketing her and keeping her nice and toasty.
Elsa: {under her breath} More like being pinned down and unable to move a muscle.
Wilson: Huh, what’s that you say?
Elsa: Oh nothing. Whatever you do, we hope you’re able to enjoy a lovely autumn weekend. Our forecast is calling for snow in the southwestern part of the state with Wolf Creek Pass already getting some yesterday. Naturally Denver remains a brown spot. Sigh.
Image courtesy of the DenverGazette.com website.
Wilson: Maybe if we’re lucky, we might get a drop or two of rain in the city with a couple of inches of snow in the nearby mountains. Hope springs eternal.
Elsa: {practically apoplectic} What the dog do you think you doing?!?!?!
Wilson: I’m starting our post with the latest Halloween photo from the neighborhood.
Elsa: No, you moron…we don’t start out Nature Friday with a Halloween photo. What is wrong with you? And singing the British anthem…that’s definitely a faux pax. You’re no more British than I am!
Wilson: Well I am a British Isle breed and figured since I am, it would be okay . Don’t you think that was clever and fun to switch things up a bit. Sorry.
Elsa: Not even a little and your apology is not accepted. Let me just say for the record, you seriously miscalculated. We always start out by saying…Welcome to this week’s edition of Nature Friday where we join our hosts, Rosy and Sunny from Adventures of the LLB Gang. Blah, blah, blah…don’t forget to click on the link to see what others have shared. Then I say “Elsa here, ready to share this week’s latest scenes from around the Ranch with the House Pony. Then, and only then do you enter. Now you’ve just gone and killed the entire post’s mojo. Thanks for screwing that up big time, bozo!
Wilson: Oh my heavens…someone seems a bit testy this week. Guess Mum isn’t the only one who’s short on sleep. Fine, I’ll start all over…
Elsa: {Interrupting} Oh never mind. Just get on with it.
Wilson: {harumph} Fine…moving along then, Mum has been super busy this week so photos of Nature around the neighborhood are a bit thin but I’ll try to do the best I can.
Elsa: Don’t bother. You can’t put the genie back in the bottle and try to save this train wreck now. {head shaking} Dang, I still can’t get over you opened with a photo before I set it up for you. But go on, proceed now, Bozo.
Wilson: You’re not going to let this go, are you?
Elsa: This is the biggest deviance in the history of deviances on this blog. Of course I’m not letting this go. You’re making me regret letting you be a contributor to these posts.
Wilson: Look, I apologized. What else can I do? {proceeding ahead and clearing his throat} Ahem…guess I better soldier on as best as I can. Last week we shared the pictures of leaves changing in the mountains but they’re barely changing here in the city. It’s still very much summer, temperature-wise although a few trees are beginning to ‘golden’ up. Which segues nicely to this week’s featured images. Mum recently participated in a hospital event for the hospital in nearby Golden, on one of those pretty autumn-ish, and warm days. Mum hadn’t been to Golden in forever and according to her, it had changed a lot. It’s not the cute little town west of Denver anymore. It’s turned into hipsterville these days with loads of fancy galleries and more restaurants than one can shake a stick at; the riverwalk was lovely (but crowded) and it was cool to view Clear Creek from the bridge and do some people watching.
Elsa: Whoa…look at that clear water in downtown Golden! Is that why they call it Clear Creek? Very nice view from the bridge. Clear Creek has lots of activities going on all the time from kayaking to fishing, to just plain old fashioned people watching. What do you know about Golden’s history?
Wilson: Golden began as a gold rush mining camp back around 1859 and was named after Thomas L. Golden, one of the first prospectors to strike it rich in the area. “Golden City,” as it was called back in its early days actually was the territorial seat. Once Colorado achieved statehood, Denver became the state capitol, much to the chagrin of Golden locals but it hasn’t stopped Golden from continuing to grow.
Elsa: Interesting. What else did Mom see?
Wilson: She walked down to get a better view of the riverwalk but it was crowded with lots of people to really get many good photos. Still, it could be a fun walk strolling around all the public artwork when there aren’t as many people around.
Elsa: Wait…is that a dog in that sidecar on that e-bike? Can you imagine how much fun it would be to ride in comfort checking things out on the road.
Wilson: I know, right? Mum said I could never be a passenger since she doubted she could pedal with me in it. Something about too much ballast.
Elsa: {snicker} You know that just means she say you’re a fat dolt, don’t you?
Wilson: Fat? {gasp}, I am decidedly NOT fat…the vet said I was perfect with a nice slim waistline now.
Elsa: That may be but I guarantee Mom is still not pedaling your big tush on any riverwalk, even if was all downhill.
Wilson: Gosh, you are quite harsh today…
Elsa: You’re the reason, dude. If you would have just followed the rules, everything could be all hunky dory. But no…you had to go off the reservation by beginning with a Halloween photo right off the bat. I mean, who does that?
Wilson: I guess I do. Sorry. You can be sure it will never happen again.
Elsa: Relax brother. I’m not completely pixxed. I know you meant well, you just failed to execute properly. I’ll forgive you; just don’t let it happen again.
Wilson: Thank you, Ninja-you got it. This whole experience has reminded me that we should have more editorial meetings so I don’t get it wrong again. You know like training sessions.
Elsa: Deal. I’ll bring some treats and we can gnaw over details on how to do this in the future. Waddu say, big guy?
Wilson: Treats? You know I’m all in. So what are you doing this weekend? Whatever you do, we hope you have a wonderful weekend and can enjoy this glorious time of year while enjoying nature. We understand the Northern Lights have been putting on quite the show in northern latitudes. In the meantime, we will continue to pray for everyone affected by the latest hurricane and hope all of you stay safe and strong.
