Sow and three cubs

Bears, bears, everyone has bears. For 15 years we've been bear free around the pens, but last night a sow came visiting with her three cubs. She stopped for a drink of water from the deer trough. Possibly it is the same sow I saw last spring out at the front forty gate. Whatever, I asked her to go away and she did. Hopefully she thinks this is not a good place to be. She came in from our running trail, so back to carrying the bear spray.

Another View

The new camera has much potential but I need to study it to do a better job of photographing these beautiful flowers.

Secret Garden

The top photo is of our 'secret garden'. The old stone foundation is a 'flower pot' for delphiniums and wild roses. It is just a beautiful riot of flowering plants and well hidden from the main trail.

There are some barn cats that like to go in there and Sierra (Elkhound in photo) is ever vigilant to see what is in there, now. Neighbors are all seeing bears, but we haven't seen any here.

We take our morning walks and the dogs free run in the morning, but the afternoons, whew!

Skinny went swimming with me today. It was my first summer swim and it was great. The flowers are still in bloom but they're getting fried .

If this keeps up, the blackberry blossoms will fry, too. There is a cool down in the forecast.

Record Breaking Heat

Another relentless day of heat and sun, but this morning it is cool (57 degrees) and the sky is cloudy. Reminds me of how things grow in Alaska... the pines with their foot long new growth, the grass and tall field flowers, everything spurting up with the hot soil.

This flower is actually about three weeks late in blooming because of the late frosts. They are making up for it.

Hot Huskies

91 serious hot degrees yesterday. We started early with feeding , watering and cleaning, but all the extras required in the heat took most of the day. At 3PM rather than their usual biscuits, they were very happy to have cold ice cream. Even in the heat they like their routines, however, so they did have their early a.m. free runs and house dog walks.

EVALINA... IN MEMORIAM

EVALINA... June, 2003 to June, 2009

Evalina passed away yesterday, following her thunderstorm adventures with her pal, Tanni.

Evalina's injuries were more extensive than they first appeared. Stoic huskies do not present signs of pain very readily, perhaps a harking back to the wild need to hide one's vulnerability.

Her spine, colon, bladder were all injured and she had a very long puncture wound... all presenting a future of possible pain and infections for her. Evalina was six years old. Her mother was Liller and her father was Skinny. She was the smallest of the B puppy litter, shunned by her mother, but surviving by hand feeding. A tough little rascal, she was one of the fastest dogs in the kennel... one of the 'blacks' who are the sweetest, toughest, fastest and most frenzied dogs at SPK. Her spirit was indomitable but even in her toughness she could not survive this accident.

We buried her on the same knoll near the birch tree and the blueberries with Tanni. They are overlooking our trails and we will feel their presence with us. Godspeed, Evalina and Tanni.

Photo: One of many trail walks with Evalina out in front, Tanni on leash, Chena and Sierra.

Tannheuser (Tanni): In Memoriam, June19, 2009

In this photo, Tanni is on the red line on the left. Tanni came to us a rescue from a dropoff at a farm as a pup, 13 years ago, 1996. On the same day, Sierra, on left in top of photo, came as a rescue from a dumpster. These two wonderful companions lived together, almost like a couple.

When Evalina had no other dog who would tolerate her, Tanni and Sierra took her in and learned to live with her. Tanni and Sierra ran a two dog team very well; Sierra led and Tanni never quit pulling. His first run as a yearling was ten miles. He is of possibly Siberian or Malemute heritage, with behaviorally seemd like he might have a mix of Lab (he loved retrieving his 'bunnies." He bred Scuba, our main kennel dog early on, and the pups, King , Power and Glory are still living here. Tanni was unique and sweet and tolerant and tough. He would pull with great honesty, sled or ATV.

In a pounding thunderstorm on the 19th, Evalina dug out and Tanni followed her out (he must have been very squeezed). We found him on 2st Crossing road, dead early in the morning.

He had been hit hard, and appeared to have died instantly, his position was still in a running form. We buried Tanni out by a birch tree and a blueberry patch where he can have a view of all of our activities from a nice hillside.

We love you Tanni and miss you so sadly.

Buddy and Sierra

On an evening stroll.

Mow Mow Mow Your Grass

And it keeps growing and growing. Next four days we expect rain, which is fine since it keeps the dust down in the pens, but the mower is going to mutiny soon.

My camera died so I ordered a new one. No photos tonight. A friend just called from atop Pine Mtn... she had just climbed the steps to the top and met a young bear ... he stood up and looked at her and she left on her way.

40 Days and 40 Nights

Photos: Top, Lillen , age 13, on morning stroll.

Center, Skinny, Buddy and Sierra sleep away the rain, ages twelve and thirteen.
Bottom, Lillen, again, down by the lilacs, good smells.

And the rains came and it rained and it rained.

So, we work it in it and walk in it and sleep in it... the dogs adapt, the humans complain a bit.

Lilacs and Trilliums and Ticks (and Loons)

So what IS the best tick prevention product? We are currently testing Frontline Plus and Bio Spot. We did the same thing last year. To date, the BioSpot is winning... i.e. there are fewer noticeable ticks on the house dogs with Bio Spot than with Frontline. However, Buddy had a skin plague of a sort and his second treatment was with Frontline... end of skin plague. Still experimenting, but we always know when the lilacs and trilliums blossom that it is the worst tick time.

The boats are in and today it feels like SNOW! This unusual photo is of a loon diving under our boat.