Fridays are Golden

Sometimes the most fun can be found right in your own back yard. We call the woods behind our house the "back yard" although in truth it is forest. We had the underbrush cleared and made a few trails. One trail was already in place, made by the deer and other animals using our little creek. We had huge stones placed to serve as steps where the hill is steep, along with a handrail on the side to assist when the stones are icy or covered with wet leaves.

No matter how often we let our Golden Girls play in the backyard, they love it every single time. They sniff the wonderful smells and chase each other all through the laurel thickets. They sometimes wade in the little creek.

Ellie sprints to the edge of the creek. She knows not to go in the water without permission, so she stands and waits to see if this is her lucky day.

[All outdoor photos in this post were taken by my husband. Thanks, dear.]

Here is our little creek. We love hearing the trickle of the water running over the rocks and sometimes after heavy rains, we can hear the creek from our house.

The girls are extremely interested in something they have found (or smelled) under a couple of branches.

Ellie looks up, always aware of where we are and what we might expect of her. Lucy is likely to do her own thing regardless of where we are. She requires much more reinforcement training than Ellie.

Invariably one dog or the other instigates a jaw-biting contest or a chase.

Ellie sits to rest after a long chase.

Lucy rests in front of the two chairs we have in the wood. We have other seats made of fallen logs, but we have come to prefer the comfort of these even if they seem a bit out of place.

This is a photograph of Lucy's specific look when she has something in her mouth. It could be a rock, an acorn, a pine cone, or any number of things. She constantly picks up such things and then walks straight to us to let us know she has something in her mouth. She has not been called, but approaches in a submissive stance...tail down, head down and with a really goofy look on her face. She seems to think, "Drop it" means "Oh, they are going to open my mouth and stick their fingers in there to take away my rock."

We have no explanation for this weird behavior. My husband would like to think (and says) "Well she's just a puppy." That excuse doesn't work anymore. Lucy is FOUR

After quite a workout, the girls walk back to the house.

Once inside, they settle in to rest. Sometimes I wonder why we have two dog beds up here.

We are having a sunny day after several days of hard rain. I've got my Thanksgiving menu ready and we will surely enjoy the day. We will not have visitors, but my husband and I will do a turkey with all the trimings. We will reflect on how truly grateful we are to have our health and our mountain home, our children, and our Golden Girls.

As you approach this weekend...SLOW DOWN! It might be your last chance for a "normal" weekend for a while. Everything and everyone will try to make you frenzied from Thanksgiving day until the end of the year. Don't give in to the hassle. Focus on what is REALLY important in your life. Enjoy the season whichever one you celebrate.

HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEKEND!