Happy 10th Birfday to Cricket!

The snuggliest bug who ever hugged!

According to Jodi's blog posts at the time, Cricket was "The Noisiest One". She kinda still is. :D

Throwback photo

Awww. I think they are together again, and Roo is happy to run and play with a lively Autumn and Linden. (She only knew them as elderly ladies, in this life.)

Fall is peeking around the corner

The first of the 4 birch threes in front of the cabin is yellow:

And the fireweed has gone to fuzz!

And look! This one plant has turned red!

For some reason, lately the dogs have been acting like it's Opposite Day when we do our off-leash walks. Cricket walks beside me all staid and calm, while Thistle zooms around like a puppy. I can't figure it out.

We walked part of what is called "The Equinox Trail" today, so called because it's part of the Equinox Marathon on Ester Dome. I have not run it in 8 years! And I don't think I will anytime soon either. The trail was quite slippery today, due to the recent rain and the resulting mud. I know I have run it when it was slippery before, but it seemed scary today, of course now being a veteran of a broken leg.

Anyway, there are beautiful views throughout.

Here we are, just 'a-walkin down the trail, singin' "Do wah diddy diddy dum diddy do". It's nice to be able to go hiking again. :)

The Equinox Trail is well-used and well-maintained. People even cut drainage pathways so no mud accumulates. This one filled a little pool before it continued down the hillside, and some clever person added some artificial flowers to make it look like a miniature tropical grotto:

If you look at a birch leaf from the right angle, it makes a heart. :)

I also noticed a heart-shaped rock.

This really steep part is called "The Chute", and the marathon has you go DOWN it. I do not run down it!! I very carefully mince down it sideways. There is an aid station at the bottom for people who get injured on it. I do not understand how people can run down it. It sounds like a bad idea to me.

Thistle is not very physically affectionate, but sometimes they almost appear to spoon.

I do think dogs mimic each other, especially more submissive dogs mimimic more dominant dogs. Thistle likes to hang out like this:

And now look what Cricket does! She used to follow Roo's lead on stuff, now she follow's Thistle's. Cricket is a very smart dog in her own right. I see her learning patterns and figuring things out. But when it comes to behavioral conventions, what I call "doggie etiquette", she is a follower, not a leader. And that's fine!

The World's Cuddliest Dog

Here are some screenshots of Cricket helping me test the software for my online class. She's REALLY CUDDLY.

August Rains

Tney came a week late, but they came! Miss Thistle Greatly Objects to being toweled off, but alas! I chase her around the yard, and then around the house, to dry her off.

I got a new rain hat! Cricket models it for me very nicely!

A photo of surface tension!

And there are fungus amungus!

Happy 11th Birthday to Her Royal Highness

Happy birthday to the Wise and Wonderful Queen Thistle, veteran of four Iditarods (three times as leader!) and countless 200 and 300 milers, also puppy trainer extraordinaire. Now her most challenging jobs are (1) Coming When she is Called and (2) Refraining from Eating Vile Things She Finds. Big challenges for huskies!

She Objects to being towelled off after a walk in the rain, so she remaines pretty damp.

Best Ankle Milestone!

(1) The Day I Got The Cast off, and (2) The Day I Could Walk, and (3) The Day I Could Ditch The Compression Boot were all REALLY EXCITING, but (4) The Day I Am Dismissed From Care is surely the most exciting of all!

I have just gotten back from the orthopedist's office. They said I was healing great, the bone was filling in nicely, and the PA said in particular that my range of motion was A-MAY-ZING! She said she had never before seen anyone with my range of motion when at my state of healing, so I was doing awesome! She also said I should cut back on wearing the ankle brace and only wear it when walking the dogs or on uneven ground. I've now been dismissed from future follow-up appointments and been pronounced an Independent Person Who Needs No More X-Rays.

However, since I'm still healing, I think I still need to eat extra cheese. In fact, just to be on the safe side, I may need to eat more cheese than most people for the rest of my life.

I'd take a photo of my Awesome Ankle, but I've got some unsightly eczema around the incision site. The Internet says it's because the area is flooded with histamines doing their healing thing, and my skin is overcompensating in an allergy-like way. I've got it under control with topical creams though.

So here are some miscellaneous, non-ankle photos for you to enjoy.

Here is a dog couchal photo from yesterday morning. Right now, Thistle is on the floor in front of the fan, and Cricket is sunbathing in the yard because of course she is.

I took this photo the other day when it was I think 85 degrees F? I think Cricket is nuts.

When it hit 90, she finally moved to the shade.

Look! I grew a Cthulhu tomato!

Here is a phenomenon that I was not sure whether was new. A friend of mine who was born and raised in Fairbanks, then moved Outside for a few years, then returned home two years ago, said she didn't recall them from before she left. Multiple heads on a single fireweed stalk! This one has fourteen!

The gentle rolling hills of this trail system have been great for my ankle rehab. And it's all in the shade, although still hot. Too hot! I hope it cools down soon!

Summer continues..

The fireweed is not only exceptionally prolific, but really tall this year!

View from one bedroom window:

And then the other:

By the way, Alaskan realtors don't consider this a "view". A "view" means to the mountains or of a river. However, this view suits me just fine. :D In cities, you can have a view of your neighbor's house, or of a wall, or of a dumpster, so I'm definitely okay with this view!

Also, I planted two new rhubarbs this year since a friend was thinning his, so I figured what the heck, since they don't require any labor. You aren't supposed to harvest them the first year, so they put all of their energy into making good roots. But this one is blocking sunshine from my pansies!

A fitting end to the Broken Fibula saga: I took the giant scrub pants that they gave me in the hospital post-surgery (since I couldn't get my pants back on over my cast) and made them into a pillowcase for a couch pillow. (I'm leaving that pocket there; maybe I'll use it for snacks, or maybe I'll leave naughty notes to DL in it, or something). The crutches, the boot, and the shoe-lifter are in the back of the closet. I'm now walking with a light ankle brace. My only two limitations now are (1) I can't run (which is fine! I'm just glad I can walk.) and (2) I only have two pairs of shoes I can wear comfortably, and neither is water proof. So... I have been doing some trail walking, but have to stop if we encounter a big puddle or a muddy patch. I'm doing pretty well though!

Look what season it is! Oh yes!

The wild raspberries in our yard have also been very prolific.

One of our local hardware stores has mandated vaccines for all of their employees! AIH has always been my favorite hardware store, and now that place is cemented for sure. Anyway, look what I found there! A tool pouch that is perfect for a berry bucket! I also recently got a neoprene belt for bear spray that makes it much easier to grab quickly in case of Big Animal encounters; so the bucket holder clips on the other side!

Oh yeah!

Berry stains and Cricket snuggles! I think my new pants are properly broken in!

On the first cool day in a while, I took the liberty of making a classic strawberry-rhubarb pie:

Mmmmm Pie!

Do you think they are comfy? I sure hope they are comfy.

Oh, but they jump up to share canteloupe with me!