FLEXIBILITY

Ready to leave on XT250

I awoke at 6:20 Sunday morning to realize that Mike was still in bed. “You didn’t get up at 5:30 to go hunting?” I asked.

“No, it’s not worth it,” he said, adding that it took four hunting sessions over two days to get one day’s limit. (A limit is now 15 doves.)

“What are we going to do today then?” I asked.

“Go back to town,” he said.

Smoke fills Little Canyon again

Discussion ensued. Somehow I had expected we would return on Monday and was ill-prepared to leave. I needed to water and pack, and since the Silverado was full of wood, we would be unable to take a lot with us. I needed to think things through and organize – probably taking just my laptop and what I could fit in the laundry basket. So, Mike decided to make another trip into the Selway River country on his XT250, delaying our trip to town for a day. He was off by 9:00 and I set to work.

Two pumpkins -- woohoo!

Actually, the day was uneventful for me and the dogs. The highlight (don’t laugh) was the discovery of a second pumpkin in the tire bed. I don’t know how I missed it. It’s about the size of the first pumpkin but isn’t turning orange yet. It remains to be seen if they will mature in this hot weather with limited water. I also spent an hour in the sewing room where I’m making karate uniforms for dolls.

Elderberry bush makes comeback after burn

At 4:00, it was time for the walk. At first, Bess and Nellie seemed to come along willingly, but as we headed down the lane, I sensed some resistance. Both dogs walked right past the apple tree. (Do dogs know whether or not apples are on the ground?) And when we reached the bottom of the lane, Bess said, “I’m not in the mood. It’s too weird without Mike. See ya.” And back to the house she went.

So, that left Nellie and me, and she wasn’t keen to continue either. She moved into June's field and watched me as I hiked up Plank’s Pitch. I felt like saying, “Come on! I’m doing this for you.” I tarried at the top, thinking she might like another soak in Pete’s Pond, but she said if it was all the same to me, she’d rather just go back to the house. And that’s what we did. 

Smoky view from town house on Tuesday

Not long after, Mike arrived home, and all was right in the dog world. And he’d had a brainstorm as he traveled. He remembered the old trailer in the barn. He would load the rest of the wood in it, he said, and it would allow us to take the cooler and my sewing box. Despite my trepidation, that’s what we did, and we made it just fine. KW