Tuesday, 6/5

(Sorry for the week's worth of interruption. I really DID have a Weds/Thurs/Fri/Sat/Sun in Alaska, but got too involved in the DOING and was too tired for the documenting, and then didn't have internet OR time over the weekend. At this point, I am going to continue putting this together, so that I have a complete record for myself, and also to give Kristin, but obviously, I'm now home, so....)

Tuesday, 5/29 PM

The sunset, in the west at 11:15 last night as I was headed up to bed

The reflected glow of the sunset on the Chugach Mountains, to the east, also at 11:15 pm. My camera is not good enough to capture the pure pinkness on those mountains. It was SO beautiful, and makes me wish I was a better photographer who could justify a better camera.

By 11:30, the glow was gone, but the beauty remains.

Dogs all tucked in for the night. I love checking on them at bedtime. Most of them curl up on the ground, like Kaki and Jack, here in the forground (though Jack's head is up - I swear he never sleeps!), although a few sleep in their houses, and a few on top of them.

Beverages, Alaskan style. Admittedly, I purchased the coffee for the package (remember what I said - I am totally about packaging!  You could probably sell me dog poo, if you made the package look cool enough!) I did buy a 6 pack of Amber, and plan to drink probably two, and leave the rest here for Kristin. I'm thinking, though, that I may not like it as much - all the Amber I've had in the past has been on draft, and just now I'm thinking, "You know, it COULD just be you like DRAFT beer, not A Amber itself. PERHAPS you just don't like BOTTLED beer..."  Time will tell.

OK, now THIS I did not buy for the label. I DID buy it bc it is my higher purpose in life to sample all local wines, no matter WHERE I am (and discovered early on, North Carolina makes TERRIBLE wine, by the way...)  It was... ok. JUST ok. It was pretty sweet (duh, Laurie, it SAYS berries, honey and grape wine... did you expect a dry Cabernet, perhaps?) and I'm not a fan of sweet wines. But, luckily, I did have some gingerale, so I added a little splash of that, and made a fruity spritzer out of it, which was tolerable enough that I had two glasses. Or three.

It was chilly, so I started a fire just to take the edge off the chill in the house while I made dinner. (Creamy chicken stroganoff, which was AWESOME, complete with tons and tons of mushrooms. Ummm. I am a GOOD COOK!) This woodstove is the easiest one I have ever used, and have not had a problem starting a fire in it, any time I've used it. It also only takes a couple pieces of wood to heat the house up to be super comfortable. Granted, it is only in the 40's, so it's not like its freezing, but the damp chill is gone after I have burned literally two small pieces of wood. And the added benefit is, the heat finds its way upstairs so it's warm when I go to bed, too!

This might just be how I want to remember my time here - the view from the kitchen window, lookking into the dog yard. If I'm not IN the dog yard, then looking at it while I work and type at the kitchen table is the next best thing. Especially if you add in a glass of too-fruity Alaskan wine. THIS is the picture, on of them, of contentment, and a full and happy heart.

Tuesday, 5/29

     Yesterday before supper, Tricky and I hiked around the pond. It’s not a huge pond, but it was a fun hike, for both of us, and it was big enough that I burned some energy off.  It started out with the ground being a little squishy, and VERY moveable – tundra-esque in that moving, hummocky sort of way. There are clumps of grasses that stick up, and holes in between them, so you try to walk on the tufts (someone told me they used to call them “nigger heads.” Obviously not very PC, but I can see why they got that nickname) The holes in between are very wet, and boggy, so it was to my advantage to stay as much on top as I could, although I quickly gave up on expecting the tufts to be stable. You step on them, and move WITH them, because the ground under them is also very wet and boggy. I made the mistake of wearing the LOW Bog boots. Seemed like a good idea when I left. I hadn’t really planned on swimming, so…waterproof boots that come up past your ankles seemed fabulous.  Hmmm.

     For a while, I stayed on a path that seemed to wind its way along the shore, and I even found a couple of dog footballs out there, so obviously Kristin and the pups have been there many times.  There were ducks, and Canada Geese floating around, and they seemed pretty serene, initially.

 As long as we were on THIS side of the pond. We got to the west end of the pond, and it seemed to be, well, more PONDlike.  It seemed like there was more water and less path. In fact, there really wasn’t a path at all anymore, but I could still sort of step from clump to clump, although more of them were UNDER water than above it.

 At this point, I was still dry. And still thinking, somehow, despite the huge expanse of boggy water leading away from the pond on the far side, that I could SOMEHOW, SHOULD somehow, still make my way AROUND the pond. Well, in hindsight, I bet you CAN do that. In July, when it hasn’t just monsooned for several days. But in the back of my head, I kept hearing Kristin say, “You can hike around the pond, if you want, “ so I’m out there thinking, “well, ok, yeah, I WANT to, but it’s kinda wet…how do you DO this?”   And then, I saw a duck siting on one of the bigger tufts. And I thought, “Wow. Maybe it has a nest there.”  So then my focus became to get to THAT tuft.

 And I’d figure out what to do from there… maybe go back? I could, I could ALWAYS go back, but then, that wouldn’t be hiking “AROUND” the pond, which somehow had become a GOAL, goshdarnit.   Well, let me just say, I quickly became aware that the HIGHER Bog boots, the ones that are waterproof almost up to your knees, would have been the better choice. Because really, you can’t step on tufts that are clearly underwater and somehow expect NOT to get wet.  I guess.  So, water fills my left boot. And suddenly, my choices become more limited – or, maybe more expansive. I had a choice. Put my right foot forward, and get THAT foot wet, too, and continue AROUND the pond with wet feet. Or, attempt to go back, keeping ONE foot dry, and not make it around the pond. Well, heck. What a choice. After all, what good is one dry foot? And really, what harm are wet feet? So I’m truly standing there, one foot wet, one not, philosophizing, “What good is life if you never get your feet wet? You might miss the good stuff if you are only willing to venture out with dry feet.” 

     I did have a couple of moments of “Is this safe?” Kinda like the day I took that great hike, and only later realized that I probably should have worn a bear bell, or sung Christmas carols (the only songs I can remember all the words to)  or brought bear spray.  I wondered if I would sink, and drown out there. I wondered if that bogginess was really body-sucking swampiness. But I watched Tricky, and the whole time, he barely got wet, other than his feet, unless he wanted to. He never floundered, never had to swim, and was upright, on his feet, the whole time  So, I figured it was safe enough.   It was great fun after that. Once you’re not trying to stay dry, there were all kinds of things to see. Ducks, geese (not so serene when we got close to them),

no nest but I did find a feather. I found the Labrador Tea plant that Cathy and Tracey showed me last week.  I brought some leaves back to make tea with, but put them in my bag with the moose poop, so decided against tea when I got home.  

     Read and finished another book, and went to bed by 9 pm. VERY unusual for me, here. The sunlight makes it VERY hard for me to feel sleepy much before 11, and even then I have trouble GOING to sleep and staying asleep. I’m usually awake at 2, and then again around 4, although I’ve gotten so I can identify 4 am by the light change.  At 6 am, I feel like it’s probably 8, and am very happy to go back to sleep until 8. I think that 4 am is probably the darkest it gets, and I could still read a book outside by that light. And by 5, it’s much much brighter again. The dogs are quiet all night long, unless the moose wanders through (I haven’t seen her since the very first day – I kinda miss her) or one of them barks once or twice. I wake, and look forward to hanging out with them during breakfast and yard clean up again.

Monday, 5/28 AM

          Today, Memorial Day. It doesn’t feel here like Memorial Day at home feels. That’s not bad. Or good. It’s just an acknowledgement that a) Memorial Day in Belfast has a certain “feel” to it (like Sundays in the summer did, when I was growing up)and that b) I’m definitely someplace different today.

      But it is sunny, and beautiful. A lovely and joy-filled treat after yesterday’s soaking, nonstop rain. I was beginning to think yesterday that perhaps I should think about building an ark for the pups and I. Their dog yard was a little soupy. In fact, it’s a good thing dogs know how to swim, because poor Kobe, in the back, was creating a vortex in his moat as he ran around and around it at dinnertime!  No, it wasn’t really all that bad. But it did rain, and has rained, a lot. Or so it seems to me. Two different days it was just constant all day long. But I think it’s probably a good thing here, a jumpstart to the short growing season coming up.  And anytime I was tempted to feel disappointed with the rain, I realized I would still rather be here, right now, in the middle of this rainy day in Big Lake, than home where it is sunny and 80 degrees. It will be warm and sunny there all summer, but I won’t be able to be HERE all summer. Perspective. It’s easy to find it when you look for it!

      So I did what I needed to do yesterday, and have needed to do all along – what any sane person who also happens to be a teacher on a two week hiatus who has three weeks left to teach when she goes back – would do on a rainy day: I corrected papers for  12 hours.  Yep, sat at the kitchen table with coffee and a pen and corrected ALL DAY LONG. I started after morning feeding, and ended with the last set just after evening feeding.  It actually feels GOOD. I was THRILLED to be done. (Don’t even ask why I have twelve hours of correcting to do in the first place, or why I brought papers to Alaska with me to correct. These things happen. And then, they have to be taken care of!)  So, before going to bed, I packed them in a box, along with my Carharrt coat which is unneeded here, and a few other things that I don’t need, and am going to just mail them home tomorrow, to save weight in my suitcase.

      It’s funny, because when I packed, at home, I had in a pair of Bog boots, which are waterproof, warm, and a little heavy. I also had my work boots.  Kristin said she had Bogs here that would fit me, so I took them out, and at the last minute, also took out my work boots. I figured I could get by for two weeks with her Bogs, and my sneakers. Well, at the last minute, I also added IN that whole pile of papers to correct (decided I wouldn’t likely do them ON the plane, but I would maybe do them here, so I transferred from backpack to checked bag.  )  When my bag was weighed at the airport, it weighed 49.2 pounds! WITHOUT the boots!  Whew. So, I think mailing that huge stack of heavy papers home will save me a few pounds.

     I spent a long time in the dog yard this morning, to make up for a shorter amount of time yesterday. I don’t think the dogs missed me all that much yesterday, as long as they were fed and cleaned up after, since THEY spent the whole day in their houses, too. Some of them didn’t seem to even come out to poop yesterday. I guess if you don’t REALLY need to, why get wet, and cold?!  Except Jack. Oh Jack. He stood outside in the rain ALL DAY LONG. Every time I looked out there, he was just standing there, next to his house, looking puzzled. Maybe wondering where everyone else was? Remember this is the same dog who, the other day when it rained all day, stood with his HEAD in his house, and the rest of him out in the rain. Zumi, the other “rain dog” from the other day, was tucked away in her house yesterday. And Tricky? He slept in here all day yesterday. I had no idea dogs could even sleep that much, or stay that quiet. He moved around – from living room bed, to footstool, to upstairs bed, but pretty much slept until middle of the afternoon. He is SUCH good company. He woke me with kisses this morning, which I thought was pretty funny.

     I had thought long and hard about going to Anchorage for the public market either Saturday or Sunday this weekend, but on Saturday, decided the traffic would be too crazy (I’m not worried about driving itself, just worried about driving someone else’s really nice, new truck) so I thought, maybe Sunday. But, it just didn’t seem worth it yesterday. Rain, worried about leaving the dogs here alone for that long, worried about driving Kristin’s truck in the rain with a lot of Memorial Day weekend traffic, worried about whether Tricky would want to walk around with me, or could sit in the car for a couple of hours. All in all, as much as I LOVE the public market there, it just seemed like a really bad idea. So once I gave up on the idea of maybe going, I actually felt better. So I KNOW it was the right thing, not to go. I think I can catch it for a couple of hours next Sunday, on my way back from Homer. I won’t be worried about the dogs alone that day, won’t have Tricky with me, and have to go to Anchorage to the airport anyway. Seemed like pretty logical thinking. (Whoa- did that just come from me???)

       Now what to do with today. Dogs are fed, watered, cleaned up after (I even dumped 4 buckets of old poo in the dumpster – heavy! ) and super played with, for now. I got face and ear licks from EVERY SINGLE DOG this morning. And hugs. And we had great conversations. I was very aware of just how lucky I am this morning to just BE here. I feel like it’s important I don’t take a single second of this for granted, how lucky and blessed I am. It is going to be very hard for me to leave this place, these dogs. I love these dogs.

     I am thinking a walk around the pond, maybe.  And maybe I will run to Three Bears (the grocery store) for some food for this week. Guess I’d better think what I feel like cooking, first. OH, the ONLY picture I got yesterday, because of the rain and my hibernation, was a picture of my dinner. OH. MY. GOODNESS. It was SOOO good. I made those Kodiak Cakes Flapjacks, with blueberries? Yeah, cleaned the whole entire plate. YUMMM. They may not look beautiful (the prettier ones were underneathe, the top ones I just filled the pan and then cut them apart to flip them. Not pretty at all, but boy were they good. ) And flapjacks DON"T taste just like pancakes. They are less sweet, less fluffy, more hearty somehow. The syrup seems to give it the right amount of sweetness, without being overly sweet like pancakes with syrup can be. I think I'll be eating these again, AND taking a box home with me!

Off the Grid...



A Junco at the feeder. They are very tame, and make have kind of a cool call.

I'm getting very behind in my posting, not for lack of time, but for lack of electricity and internet. It takes a long time to upload photos, and put a post together, which I love doing, but I'm totally relying on the generator charging the computer and running the internet long enough to do that, and for most of today, I could not get either to work. I was a bit worried that I had somehow fried the battery bank, or the power inverters, but all is well tonight, finally. I will try to post yesterday's and then get caught up tomorrow, if I can. I don't want to push my luck tonight, since I've just got it all working right again!

I got some good pictures the other day of the female woodpecker, but caught the male, with his red head, yesterday. I never get tired of birds at a feeder.

Saturday, 5/26 PM

Oy....what a day!  Funny, Caedran asked me earlier today if I was bored yet. I laughed out loud. How could I POSSIBLY be bored? The hours FLY here, faster than at home, if that is even possible, and yet, I cannot tell you how I fill them all. Just by being, I guess. I never have time for that at home.
And funny that today, the day she should ask me that (wait... I think now it was last night... oh no matter) I learned several valuable lessons. I'm thinking of making a list of those, a separate list: Lessons Learned In Alaska. Valuable for myself, if no one else!  Though I think that falls under the "retrospective" category, so I'll wait til I"m home to write them down.

Jack, Kaki's brother, even though they look NOTHING alike. Clearly, their mother
was a wandering hussy, who curried favor with more than ONE village
suitor.Jack and Kaki are both at the yard entrance, so they both greet you
when you come in, but Jack gives THE best hugs, hands down. If you hug him,
and then turn away, he hugs your back as you do so. Honestly, it doesn't
even feel like he is jumping on you, just HUGGING you with his long legs and paws!

 So, first lesson learned today was funny, once I confirmed one vital piece of information: Tricky is, indeed, fixed, and can only be shooting blanks. Good thing. Because as I was filling water dishes, after feeding and scooping the yard this morning, I suddenly heard some whining, persistent whining, from Miyuki.  I turned around to see her attempting to go in circles, but dragging Tricky along with her. Hmmm. I get closer, and stand there, totally puzzled. He wasn't humping her, he wasn't on top of her, he was totally "bum to bum" with her. AND, it appeared to me that his back left leg was, uh, missing? As in, it was lifted up, and I could not see his foot, anywhere. So, ok, I'm NOW thinking, "oh dear god, he has somehow gotten his foot entangled in her,  uh, private area." Like IN in her. I'm really trying to figure out how that happened, and what to do, and she's whining like she's in pain, or annoyed or something, so I get ahold of Tricky's collar, and tug him a little. Not much happens. I tug a little harder, hoping neither of them are going to bite me if I am causing them pain. Finally, I pull him free. Well, yeah, it wasn't his FOOT that was stuck in her. For SURE. Clearly, VERY clearly, other parts WERE. I'm not at all sure where his foot was that whole time, and I'm not sure what book he's been reading that suggested THAT position, but I could not confirm fast enough with Kristin that it was all just in fun, no babies were made. Tonight was even funnier (not that dog sex is normally particularly funny - just the "position" and the fact that I honestly thought he had lost his foot...).  It happened again, and THIS time I obviously knew what was going on (.. I'm thinking no Tricky in the kennel for awhile...), so I go over and gently attempt to separate them, not sure if you're supposed to or not, but it was pretty easy, so I guess it was ok? and Tricky then spent the next five minutes going around to Eewa, Yama and Yashi, all males, and letting them sniff his parts...I swear it was the equivilent of teenage boy lockerroom boasting!
     After dinner, I let Eewa loose to run for a bit, and boy, did he. Run and run and run and run. He loves the tennis ball. He would pick it up, throw his head up so the ball flew out of his mouth, and then run and chase it, grab it, do it all over again.


Not a great picture but I love how you can see he's running as he's about to round the corner!



Happy Eewa!

                                     Then, mistakes were made. I made a big mistake.

THAT was a piece of cake, and fun for both of us, so I decided to let Taki off to run after putting Eewa back.  I could avoid this telling this, pretend it never happened, but  I want Kristin to know so that she trusts me, trusts  that I will tell her the truth, even the bad or dumb things I've done.Thankfully, VERY thankfully, no one was hurt, and I learned a valuable lesson.  I let Taki off his chain and because he's in the back of the yard, and the dogs were already riled up because Eewa had been loose and running, they were circling, barking at Taki being loose. Taki was excited to BE loose, so he was loping around the yard like a crazy man, trying to get to the gate where I was headed. He went to jump over Kaki's chain, just as Kaki circled toward him, and Taki got caught, his back legs got caught, in Kaki's chain. I tried to reach down to pull him up and over, but Kaki then went the other way, encircling Taki's legs. That scared Taki, which then scared Kaki, and then both of them were snarling at each other. I could not get to either of them to get them loose. Thankfully, even though my brain was panicking, I did not, not outwardly. I talked to both of them pretty calmly, and quietly, which quieted them down and they both kept looking at me, like "Fix this, please, NOW."  Somehow, Taki ended up going into Kaki's doghouse, which was probably a good thing. Then I was able to slip Kaki's collar off, which let HIM loose, and then, Taki was freed. I got Kaki before he left the yard and put his collar back on him, and let Taki out of the yard. Then I checked Taki all over, completely, to make sure he wasn't hurt, or cut. He was fine, and ready to rock and roll, so off he went. I also checked Kaki, and he, too, appears to be fine from head to toe, and was giving me big slobbery kisses as though I hadn't let anything dumb and scary happen to him at all.

I swear they were playing both Tag, and Hide and Seek out there. So much fun to watch them.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

Happy Taki (though his markings make him look more worried, than happy, but he was a very tired, happy dog. Honest.)

     So, the lesson learned from that was, even though the dogs are "friends," and all very friendLY, when one encroaches upon another's space, even accidentally, things can get ugly, quickly. I need to remember this, and be aware of this. I put a leash on him to take him back to his house, to keep a little more control over whose territory he was in, to be fair to the rest of the dogs, AND I took him in by another gate closer to his house, and only had to pass Miyuki, his sister, and Eewa, his brother,(Kaki is NOT related to him - I wonder if that makes a difference? It feels like it might?)  and Guiness, whom I don't think would hurt a fly.  It was easier that way. Far calmer, and I felt more like I was using my head. I love dogs, but there is a lot I don't know about keeping 14 of them, a lot I have to learn. I WANT to learn, but not at their expense. I need to think more, and act less with my heart. Thankfully, I feel pretty forgiven by all of them tonight, and will do better tomorrow.

The Dogs of Bacon's Acres

There is a lot I do not know about some of these dogs. I know I will get SOME information wrong, and I know I am leaving out a lot. I intend to take a lot more pictures, especially when the yard dries out a little, and save them, post them when I get home, when I know more about their origins, their history. What I know, the little I know, for now, I will post.

This is Kaki. He's a "village dog," though I cannot remember from WHAT village.
He's a total goofball, friendly, lovable, and such a joy to be greeted by when you firstopen the kennel gate in the morning. I adore him,

AHHHHH - I just realized I left out JACK, whose house is in between Kaki's and Charlie's. Oh no!  Poor Jack. I think I accidentally deleted his picture from the file, and will make sure his is the FIRST one I post next time. He's such a cool dog, too. The yard's best hugger.

 

This is Zumi - her name means "Hedgehog" in Japanese (I THINK they are all
Japanese. I will feel pretty stupid if I got THAT wrong, but I'm pretty sure
that's what she told me.) Anyway, I wish you could see her coloring. I will have to
do a better job next time, on a sunnier day. She is a mixture of the coolest colors:
brown, but not really a brown - almost more of a copper, with silver? And cream.
SO pretty. And a VERY cool "singer" when she's next for her food!

This is Raven. She had a Japenese name, that I think MEANT Raven anyway,
but she just gets called Raven. She's a sister to Zumi. VERY pretty, very sweet, but VERY wild-girl.
I think she has ADHD. She really can't stop moving. Which is actually GREAT, since she's meant to
be moving!

Kazi. A brother to Zumi and Raven. I can't remember what his name means. He is the
last in the kennel to get fed, because of his placement, but is a pretty patient guy.
I like him a lot. Kinda nutty, but not knock you off your feet, nutty. Also, apparently in Kazi's
world, you can't have water in your bowl. The MINUTE I fill his bowl with water,
he picks it up with his teeth and dumps or throws it.
I even REfilled it this morning, just to see, and yep: teeth grab, throw. Silly boy.
He will need a water dish hooked to the side of his house, I guess. Most of them
have that anyways, but he just got moved the other day before Kristin left.

THIS is Charlie. He's one of my favorites. I think he was a Ryan Reddington dog?
I like him because he is shy, and when you first come in the kennel, or go to reach for
his bowl to fill it, he scoots away from you. Sometimes he even goes into
his house. You would think he was not social, and would prefer to be left alone.
But it's really not true. He is SUCH a lover, when you just give him a little
bit of time and space. If you don't rush him, don't crowd him, pretty soon he's out there
asking for kisses, pets, and hugs as much as the rest of them. And loves it. I swear he
smiles. Shy, but loving.

Eewa. One of the pups!  He is, to me, a lot like Kazi. Big, loving, a little hyper,
as one year olds will be (just large puppies, still, really), but not TOO
crazy. Loves to be loved, like they all do.

Ah, Berkley. I am going to have to do some research on her when I get
home, and can read my Jeff King, Cold Hands, Warm Heart, book that
I bought, and for some unknown reason, never read. She was a Jeff
King dog, which, if you know ANYTHING about the Iditarod, you
will know that Jeff King was one of the top, top mushers, THE guy to beat,
for awhile. He won 1st place in '93, '96, '98, and '06.  I think Berkley came, most
recently, from Jake Berkowitz, but she was originally on King's Iditarod teams, and
was a top dog for him. She is a little bit of a conundrum for me. She's VERY sweet, and loving
BUT... standoffish and shy at times. She has a bark that is unlike the other dogs- more of a
"come near me and I'll rip you to pieces" kind of bark, and yet, she doesn't mean it.
She acts shy? Almost like she is afraid of you, and yet, she doesn't cringe, and I KNOW she
hasn't been abused. And when she's fed, she's VERY lovey. Need more time to figure
her out, but I really like her.

Miyuki. She's CRAZY!  No, not in a bad way. In a totally GOOD way. She's funny, and
has a sense of humor, and loves, loves, loves to play. She and Tricky are BEST friends,
and the two of them together make the best noises when they play. Tricky has a play "growl" kind of noise
that I only hear from him when he plays with her. She can not WAIT for her turn to be fed - comes
to the end of her collar/chain, and almost swings around on it, waiting. She, along with Raven and Zumi, are
on the smaller side, as girls from that litter. I would love to let her, or any of the girls, in the house with me,
but she's been in heat, and is clearly still there, so, I'll pass!

Just behind Miyuki in the yard is one of her brothers, Yama. I call both
Yashi-Nomi (means Coconut), behind him, and him, the two "wild men" of
the kennel. They are big, and enthusiastic about EVERYTHING. Eating, playing,
jumping up, kissing you, EVERYTHING. I LOVE their enthusiasm, and can only imagine
that they must be pretty enthusiastic sled dogs as well. I am going to let them loose (one at a time)
tonight to let them run off a bit of their energy. I'm looking forward to it, as I think
it will be fun for them, AND for me to watch!

And this is Mr. Coconut, the other "wild man" of the kennel. He's GORGEOUS.
They all are, obviously, but there is SOMETHING about that all white (actually,
far more of a creamish-yellow) color that I am drawn to. Same color as
my Anvik. I know it's common. And I don't love him more than anyone else, but I do
love him a lot.
I guess there is something about EACH of them that I like a lot, and for
Yashi, besides his great personality, it's his beautiful color.

This is Taki. I think she said it meant "talker." Which is kind of funny, since whenever I get close to feeding
Taki, Kobe next to him, starts "talking."  I love Taki. He's beautiful. He's a good boy. He loves to kiss, and clearly let me know that, had I left my earrings on after the first day, they would have been part of his next supper.
I took the hint, and took them off! I love his facial expression, and his tail, in this one. Can't wait to let
him have a turn running, too.

I love, love, love this dog. He is the BEST singer in the whole kennel. He has
a totally unique voice. He "half" sings when I'm feeding Taki, and, if the moose is
around, or dogs in the neighboring (but far off - not close) kennels are howling, he
adds his voice. He is a little on the skinny side, which always makes me want
to fatten him up. And although he could stand to put on a little weight,
MY inclinations to give everybody "just a little bit more," are not good for the
dogs. Probably one of the hardest lessons I've had to learn this week.
(Though I now VERY CLEARLY see why my own dogs are SO overweight and
downright fat.They really DON"T need half as much as I feed them, especially
since my own dogs are total couch potatoes. I'm going to bring this lesson
home, and feed my own less, to take better care of them)

And then, there's Guiness. Ah, Guiness. I am pretty sure she will be 9 this summer. And, strangely, I know that first-hand, and can mark her birthday by the Graduating Senior Class, the FIRST class I ever studied the Iditarod with. Guniness was a part of that. She is, actually, a HUGE part of my heart. I told you there 's a story about her. Trying to pull a few of the old pieces of it together before I tell it, so I can tell it right. In the meantime, I am enjoying giving her so much love. She is a sweetheart. Totally calm, because of her age, and a total total sweetheart of a dog. I would LOVE to have her on my couch. She gives VERY gentle kisses, lots and lots of them. She loves to lay on top of her doghouse and be petted. She loves having her belly rubbed. She is the Guardian of the Yard, though. The one who barks when there is an occasion for barking. Not randomly, not annoyingly, just the one to let you know SOMETHING is going on, or maybe it should just be meal time, or something. Not loud, not a lot, not even persistent. But she definitely has one eye open on what's going on, all the time.
Even if there was no prior attachment to this particular dog, I think my heart would still be drawn to her because of her absolute sweetness, her gentleness, her goodness. She's open, and trusting, not shy, not hyper, just calm and happy. Definitely gettting older, but has been a good dog in several Iditarods, several Alaska Sweepstakes, etc. She's paid her dues, for sure. Hopefully, her instincts and wisdom will be a help to Kristin in training the puppies. And when she's done, I'm already working out how to get her home to rest under my apple tree in my back yard. I want this to be the LAST dog yard she is in. How fortunate she ended up here, with Kristin.