Mainly, I took a break from blogging. But it seems that
even with being on sabbatical I’m still the Internet’s “favorite
dogblogger”. (Go ahead and ask the Google! I am so not making this up.)
Lots of stuff has happened! But it’s a beautiful day out
today, so take hold of my leash and come walk with me, and I’ll catch you up on what’s been going on.
Winter here was kinda cold, especially at night. But it was a
really pretty time of year, especially when there was snow on the ground. And
as a bonus, we got to see all the paw prints and tracks that the critters and
birds left in their comings and goings.
And in January, my Peeps took me to Camp for a few
days. Since it was a Camp for dogs (and,
regrettably, a few pesky cats), my Peeps had to find something else to do
without me. They went to a place called Monument Valley, on Navajo Nation land
on the Arizona-Utah border, where there’s all this amazing scenery that you
see in the western movies. They went there with some friends to be part of a chase team at a hot
air balloon rally. When you combine iconic scenery with hot air balloons, it’s
pretty spectacular. Here are some pictures they sent me:
Back when we lived in Virginia, the tall trees and gentle hills
usually kept us from noticing how much the paths of the sun and moon change
over the seasons. But out here in New Mexico, up so high and with such long views,
we really notice these things. When we first moved here, the sun and moon were
setting behind the high peaks of the Jemez Mountains to the northwest. But as
summer gave way to winter, the settings gradually shifted further and further
to the southwest, less over the mountains and more over the rolling hills.
Here’s what the setting moon looked like just before sunrise in late February:
But now we see the sun and moon on the move again, setting further and further northwest. It makes for exceptionally nice sunsets over the mountains:
But Spring is finally getting here, and it’s about time! The days are getting longer, the temps are really comfortable, the morning sun comes in so warm and golden, and soon the deck gets nice and toasty for my mid-day nap.
The shrubs and trees are waking up and turning all green and flowery:
And the cottonwood trees that grow along Tesuque Creek are waking up from their winter naps, turning green and highlighting their path as they snake down the valley.
And all the other critters are starting to wake up, too! Lots of birds and bees
flitting about, doing their Spring chores. We even got visits from our first
two hummingbirds of the season, with many more to come. We’re beginning to see
lizards on our walks, just daring me to catch them. And other critters, big and small, are showing up around the neighborhood, but they're learning soon enough that I'm one terror of a terrier!
And speaking of the birds and the bees, there seem to be bunnies everywhere! We see them year-round, but recently it seems there are a whole lot more. Dunno how that happens. I chase them, of course, ‘cause that’s what I do, and I’m pretty sure that real soon I’m gonna catch my very first one. But I’ve noticed something else that’s a little strange … Each year the bunnies seem to be getting just a little bit faster than the year before. I don’t know if any of you have noticed that where you live, or if it’s just something that happens with living at higher elevation. (And don’t get me started about how the couches are a little higher each year!)
And on Mother’s Day weekend, we all watched Driving Miss Daisy.
I thought the movie was going to be a documentary all about me and how my Peeps
chauffeured me out here to New Mexico last summer. But it turns out instead that the movie was
about some Peep named Daisy and her
driver. I got named Daisy by Russell Rescue; I’m not sure where she got her
name. But even though the movie wasn’t all about me, it was still fun to watch,
especially after Dad told me this FUN FACT: He and that other Miss Daisy are
cousins! True dat! Alfred Uhry based Miss Daisy on his grandmother, and her Dad
and my Dad’s great-great granddad were brothers. And since my Dad grew up in
Atlanta, he knew all the places in the movie.
But watching that other Miss Daisy being driven around reminded
us of our own driving excitement last year, and our Big Move out here to the Land of Enchantment. Me and my Peeps read back over our
travel blog and decided to put it all into a book for us to keep. That gave us
a chance to reflect on what a busy, exhausting, but ultimately fun and
fulfilling year it was, and we also spiffed up some of the pictures and texts.
So if you want to download a copy of Dan
& Robbyne & Daisy’s Excellent Adventure, you can use this link. (My getting third billing in the title is a gross injustice, if you ask
me. Just sayin’ …)
Gotta go! I hear my name being called, so it’s probably time
to help Mom with her deskwork. After that, an evening walk, then dinner, then
maybe some TV. I tell ya, the days are just packed! But around here you have to
be able to multitask.
I like our evening walks. It’s good to give my Peeps
a little exercise, and it’s a nice way to wind down the day, not to mention
that there’s a certain bit of business I need to attend to. And who knows, today might
just be the day that I catch that bunny!
So in closing, in case you were ever in doubt, it’s still
good to be Daisy. And I hope it’s still good to be you, too.
Daisy
Jones-Klein
Santa Fe, NM
May 2013
