The Weather and The Dogs

Thanks for your comments on my first Foto Friday post. I'm glad you enjoyed the pictures and I'm looking forward to posting photos only every Friday. 

The blue sky and warm weather took a break yesterday. It's been very, very windy here for several days and yesterday the weather turned very cold. It was around 50 F, with a wind chill factor and as gray clouds gathered and blocked the sun it got really cold. I had to fish out my wool sweater and my hubby was thinking of making a fire in the fireplace. Well, that didn't happen, but it may today since it was a chilly 38F early this morning. That's around 3 plus Celcius (this for my Lindsjo Taxar friend, who gives me updates on the heat-wave in Sweden).

Last night it rained and hailed for a while. If it had continued, we could once again have had some snow today, May 26, our last snow day in 2011. Had you asked me last week, I would have said, "no way." Our spring had been way too warm, but then that's the weather here in the mountains. It can get pretty crazy. 

Soldier and me in 2008 ~ We are both a bit older and grayer now.

I have felt sad since Angel died and it has helped a lot to lavish love and attention on Soldier and Samson.  Soldier, whose back was so injured and so painful he was unable to get up on his own last fall and we were giving serious thoughts to having him euthanized, gave me a gift of grace and joy this morning.

Soldier last November.  Thanks again Terry for the harness that helped him so much.

He actually ran through the living room on his way outside to the dog run. In horse terms, it would be called a canter, almost a full out gallop. Never did I think he would be able to do that again! It thrilled me so -- I'm still smiling.

Samson with Gracie 2 and his bone. 

Samson gets very sad at times and goes off by himself, I know he misses Angel. In the house he plays with Gracie 2 and his bone, but outside he always used to play with Angel. So he has done a few things to amuse himself outside lately. The other evening, he brought a half-dead mouse in the house, jumped up on the dog couch and played with it, like a cat. My hubby killed the half-dead mouse and brought it outside. Samson was not to be deterred, while outside alone a few days ago, he dragged down one of his daddy's pepper plants from a table and began to play with it. This it what's left:

Daddy wasn't too pleased. But this made me realize that Samson needed some toys to play with outside as well. So in my hall closet, I found some old toys and a bunch of tennis balls, left behind by Angel and Princess who both loved to play catch and retrieve. So yesterday, after resting from our walk, Samson and I played and played with the toys and the tennis ball. He got the idea that I wanted him to pick up the ball and bring it back to me almost immediately. Soldier never understood this, so while he may look like part lab, he definitely isn't. Samson is smart though and it's very easy to teach him things. He is no real retriever, but he enjoyed the playtime. And as the gophers begin to pop their heads out of their holes and mice and lizards invade his space, Samson is developing his hunting instincts and they seem to be very strong in him. That part of the story will be continued some other day.