The Monarchs are Migrating...

Early in the year we heard a story about the thousands and thousands of Monarch Butterflies that were dying due to cold and rain in Mexico. We knew we might not see many this year. Any normal year, they are flitting around on our garden flowers and weed flowers in the field. How sad to think they may be missing this year. And, although we saw some, not very many were spotted until this past week. Apparently they are migrating now, and our field full of goldenrod seems a favorite stop to load up on nutrients before their long flight south.

How something so fragile and delicate can travel the distances they do is another of natures' wonder. I hope their journey this year will be kind to them.

Our Front Porch Toad

This is our nightly visitor and has been for some time. He shows up each night - in a precarious (for him) place - in front of the sliding doors, before the dogs are going out one last time before bed.

David goes out and "protects" the toad from being stomped on, and Mr. Toad justs sits still and watches. A couple of nights ago, David very gently rubbed his side, and to his amazement, the toad "leaned in" to him. He called me to see, and did the same on the other side, and Mr. Toad leans over as if he's just loving it. We hope he will continue to get lots of bugs.

Playing in the Rain....

Blast was thrilled yesterday (Saturday) to have had a huge downpour. We walked down the driveway and played in numerous puddles. I was tossing stones into the water, and he tried to find them...actually, he did get a few of "mine".

What a great change from the heat, to have wet weather along with cooler temperatures.

Trying to kill one of those stones in this picture!

A sudden stop to grab the right one! Blast is still very much a puppy but with an intense play attitude.

He seems to be asking me why I'm not continuing with this 'game' - well, the other dogs want to get out for a 'wet' walk also!!!

And a Wet Track for Blast this Morning.

Our new tracklayer walks out on the first leg for Blast. I had plotted the track yesterday, leaving flags out, and David, my husband, walked it this morning. Blast has only had him lay a track once before, I think back in May.
This was (like Trusts' track) his first one in months that was "wet". It was also a "new" tracklayer, over me, walking it the day before. Like Trust, he didn't do as well as I thought he might in the wet conditions. After a number of tracks with Blast doing a great "down" at the scent pad, today, he just refused to go down into it. Was it because our tracklayer (his dad) was behind us? Was the track too "strong" with the wet grass? Another of those..."who knows"!!!? that drives me crazy...
Once he got going, he worked along fine.

On our second leg, just after turning the corner. He's doing fine here, although he did look back for "dad" a number of times.

Turned left and heading out towards our third corner.

Another right turn and we're on the fourth leg getting near the last corner. The grass changed height twice already and is about to change completely to what I refer to as beaver grass for the fifth leg.

Blast was trying to run along this leg, and I had to keep looking for mucky ruts and not go flying.

He has found his article and I'm trying to pull out the large pull toy I had stuck in the back of my pants for him. Note to self...leave it home next time. It was stuck half in my pants and half up my back and not terribly comfortable!

What is he looking at?! Do you see the head of a wolf howling? David and I both looked at this and couldn't believe it. This was the glove I had tossed up in the air for Blast, who was getting ready to jump up and catch it. If you double click on the picture to enlarge it, it really does look like the head of a wolf or husky barking or howling. Too funny...

And this was the pull toy I won't be bringing with me again. We took turns playing with this and the glove.

Unusual to see him standing still...we must have worn him out with the throws and running after the track.

Finally....a track in rain....

Ah, but be careful what you wish for...problem is...this was the first heavy rain in nearly 3 months and how do you practice in 'all weather' when you have no control???! This track was laid just before thunderstorms and heavy downpours went through for nearly 2 hr. Everything was drenched, and I had no idea how Trust would do. Naturally, I expected the worst would be the hard surfaces....not! The toughest was the grass; much more than I had expected. Above is her first leg. She did not start well, was circling from the beginning and continued like this along the first leg. I felt she never got locked onto this track in the grass. Her corner was near the far fence and she did not indicate strongly. I did not think it was there, and she then just began searching all over the place. We were eventually heading in the right direction for the next three legs on grass, but turned out we were not really ever close to the actual track. She was obviously not able to pick it up very well, and I was not feeling good about the whole thing.

When we got to the first hard surface, she cut way down towards the building, then began working up, and circling around, on the paved area. I saw an article, and she actually circled around it three times before 'finding' it. She sure wasn't using her eyes and was working very hard to find it. I was pleased with this.

She has just found it, it was a plastic lid upside down and filled with water, which she began to lick.....interesting.....

She was right on here, cement with weeds growing through and then a brick area, to the final corner.

Again, you could see this article from the final corner, but she was working with her nose, and had moved left over a sandy area/grass before sharply turning to the article. You can see pooled water by the walkway here, it is just lightly raining at this time.

Trust is happy, she's found her glove and that's the end of 'that' track. It certainly was difficult and just what this heavy, heavy rain had done on the grass really has me stumped. Hopefully, on trial day, if there is rain, it will be nice and light, just enough to hold the scent down and not

completely obliterate the track!

Would love to know the story....

This old farmhouse must have an interesting story. We drove past it way out southwest of here yesterday, on a tracking location adventure. It had been pouring rain - which are the marks - took picture through windshield. Spotted it driving past and just had to turn around to take a better look. No-one could possibly be living here.....or could they? The grass is cut and there's a little, but well-tended flower garden in the front. There's a storage shed off to the side, with no windows, couldn't see the door...does someone live in that?! I would have loved to get out or drive in further, but didn't want to offend anyone, if indeed, anyone was there. I've been thinking about it ever since. Would love to know who lived (lives?) there and what happened. It was very sad, yet I was so drawn to it.

Jess and Storm retire today!

Carol, Jess and Storm. Today was their last visit at the nursing home, where they've been doing 'pet therapy' for six years. Jess came to us only a few months before she began her "job". Storm and Jess have been a great team, and have been very loved at the nursing home. Storm did three years of pet therapy when we lived near Orillia, where he passed his St. John Therapy dog test, along with Diva and Spook.

Jess and Storm are one month apart in age, and are both fifteen and a half years old now. They have certainly enjoyed their almost weekly visits for the past six years, making many friends and we will miss them. I am taking a 'holiday' and then will take turns with Tank and Trust.