Our poor Hildy is pushing 13 now and she is suffering the effects of youth. As a typical cow dog type, she is the smartest dog we have ever had the privilege of owning, or perhaps she owns us. Arthritis in her front legs limit her activities. She is no longer able to chase a ball or jump for a stick or frisbee and her patience is shorter than ever. However, she loves a back massage and with a nutritious diet and meds, we try to keep her as comfortable as possible. Above, I caught her napping in Roger's bed. He weighs about 32 lbs and she is over 55 lbs. She managed to squeeze her body into his bed, sorta. These types of dogs are active and often live to be quite old, in fact, we know of one case where one was 21, but that is rare. They bless us with their presence but unfortunately we say goodbye too soon.
Again, we have beautiful sunsets and this is an example taken from my front porch. With a few beautiful days now, the Mr. and I have been busy trying to get the yards in shape. New plantings, mowing, watering and weeding have kept us ready for a good night's sleep. I have also been able to quilt on Mondays with a great group of ladies in Encampment. They and others there are planning a quilt retreat in August. The date however is in conflict with several events in the region. This means that I probably won't be able to participate, but I plan to contribute. I recently discovered that each state has it's own quilt square. My contribution will be a Wyoming square in glass for perhaps a silent auction item. Documentation will be here...stay tuned.
On another note, since I have been a little remiss about this blog..this is the time for the BABIES to be born...the antelope does are dropping babies. The Mr. and I had the privilege to witness a mama cleaning the 2nd of a pair of twins this week. Awesome!! Their wobbly little legs won't allow them to stand at first and they struggle to figure out from which end of mama the milk is. She was quite large as we watched that morning as she grazed and I knew she was in labor as she stood and then lay down and then stood up again trying to get comfortable. Amazing to watch her clean and nuzzle the pair. The Bucks are staying in herds alone now, but a soon as the young are big enough, they will all gather again in herds to start the cycle again. On that note..it is Father's Day this Sunday so be kind to your Buck.
