Some lovely things

I'm sure the time has long passed that any of my 14 faithful readers expect Alaskan Adventure or Excitement out of me, but I do have queiter pleasures to share. Here are some photos from my Lazy Person's Garden™. For the first time I decided to put in a few annuals, which I got from a local greenhouse:

This little verbena is particularly striking!

I also have three colors of columbine and these orange lilies, all perennials, as well as wild delpinium:

Oh, and of course rhubarb!

Now I have a nearly full color palette!

Mother Nature is doing her part, too. The dwarf fireweed have bloomed, and the tall ones will bloom next.

Yesterday I met SM and Cricket's sister, Bedbug, for a walk at Creamer's Field.

A very pretty afternoon!

SM and Bedbug. She looks just like her seester Cricket, except that her ears stand up.

I looked this up. It's called water smartweed. Very pretty!.

Fields of canola. This was not planned, but I guess it's not considered an invasve either.

A truly lovely day!

My lovely friends!

Dogs and humans!

The juvenile male cranes do not continue to their breeding grounds and hang around Creamers Field all summer. Here are two of them:

Wishing you all a lovely rest of July!

Ravey Gravy in Agility

Please enjoy these videos of weavy-wavy-Ravey-Gravy:

I only started agility on a lark, because Raven was my first young dog, and I found that as that winter was turning to spring was turning to summer, I was not up to her exercise requirements. I was told that mental exercise is as good for tiring out dogs as physical exercise, so we signed up and she's doing awesome!

Pawsitive has been really great, and making it fun. They aren't as Serious as some other training centers, which I super appreciate. Our friend KO has been going to the agility trials to observe, and she said that the other training centers have almost nothing but border collies, while we have huskies and labs and pomeranians and doodles. That made me so proud. Pawsitive was also super patient when I took some rescues there to be socialized, like April.

By the way, April is doing great! Her family adores her, and she even has a little friend! I didn't even know she likes kids, but how cute is this? Kiddo is grinning ear to ear, but I am protecting his privacy since he's a minor.

I hope your summers are proceeding nicely! Here are some photos of the girls eating KALESTEMZZZ

MMMMM KALESTEMZZZZZ!!

Summer is summering!

Lookie this Teeny Tiny Orb Weaver! I posted it to a Facebook group called "Spiders of Alaska" thinking it was a baby, but nope. Apparently it's a fully grown adult male.

These wild Arctic roses are the earlier blooming flowers each year. They smell sweet and faint, like you had put on a dab of rose perfume earle in the day and now it's evening.

And bluebells are the other early bloomer that shows up en masse.

Last Saturday we hiked to the top of Wickersham Dome. It was also the first truly warm day of the season and we were all quite hot! We finished all of our water, which is generally a bad sign (I think one should always carry excess water). But I think we were not in real danger because we were with a group and on a well-known trail. I photographed some pretty mountain flowers, like this anemone:

And these Dame's Rockets:

And one of my favorites, these teeny-tiny mountain azaleas:

And another of my favorites, woolly lousewort:

Phew! They were pooped afterwards! They even let me take a break from Second Walk!

We are also switching back to warm-weather foods, like sticky noodles:

And fully loaded huevos rancheros, with beans for extra fiber and protein:

And omelettes:

A champagne problem for DL: Every meal is a battle to free him from Cricket snuggles.

Two-paw days are harder than one-paw days:

Wishing all 17 of my readers a Happy Summer!

Spring has sprung

Like a punch in the face, but a very lovely one! All green stuff all around, and the scent of rain on alder shoots. A sweet, cloying scent joined it this morning, which has to mean flowering things. Chokecherry trees are not uncommon around Fairbanks. Our power company used to give out saplings, because as they cut the tall trees along the power line rights of way, they don't want to just leave us with stumps or bare earth, so they give out trees that don't grow very high. However, in recent years as the climate has warmed, chokecherries have come to be considered an invasive. Oops.

Both the girls were due for updated shots, so to the vet we went. Look how calm they are!

Cricket updated her rabies.

And Raven updated her kennel cough.

And just last weekend! What have we here?

Finally something for the bees! Violas!

And dandelions!

Bluebells will be soon! I saw their buds!

Spring is springing

Apologies for the long lapse in posting. It has been an exhausting winter, and it's been slow to end. But spring is springing at last! The willows are putting out their fluffy little catkins, which is usually the sign of true warm weather. Migratory birds arrive when it's still cold!

The Isberg Trail is now pretty much snow-free.

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

Yesterday we decided to walk part of the Equinox Trail, on the side of Ester Dome.

Selfie!

Did I succeed in making this twig in front of a trickle of rainwater look like a log in front of a waterfall?

Here we are at the bottom of the infamous Chute. The race course has you run down it. I have done the race 3 times and each time *walked* down it, very carefully!

My fuzzy things on the couch!

And what have we here?

Fairy slippers, just appeared this morning!

Moseying up to the ridge.

There is a steep bit here, too. The Isberg Chute!

Raven

Cricket

Classic Fairbanks birch shot:

Happy Spring to all 14 of my loyal readers!