LIFE'S BETTER IN THE MOUNTAINS

Friday, November 20, 2009

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!

37 comments:

carolina nana said...

You have a wonderful week-end also and a very HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!

Coffee with Cathy said...

I love your backyard! Thanks so much for sharing.

Anonymous said...

LOL! that's exactly what Drop It! means at our house!

Dog_geek said...

Oh, but Goldens are puppies for at least 4 years! Thankfully, B seems to have outgrown the need to pick up every piece of mulch/gravel/twig/dirt clod/bark/etc that she comes across. I think for the first 6 months we had her, every other sentence I spoke was, "B, don't eat that!"

troutbirder said...

What a fun place for a walk. So many smells and exciting things to investigate. Lucky dogs!

Cedar ... said...

How nice that you have those chairs out in the woods. I've thought of doing that with either chairs or a bench. As always, the girls are beautiful!

RuthieJ said...

When I used to work at Wild Birds Unlimited, the owners had a Golden Retriever/German Shepherd cross who came to work with them every day. There was nothing Ginger wouldn't put in her mouth, but she usually ended up eating it too. I sure loved that dog--it made going to work much more enjoyable.

Lynne at Hasty Brook said...

I always look forward to your Friday posts. It's fun to see what your Golden Girls are up to. I can't wait until Art and I can live up at Hasty Brook so we can have trails cut in the woods and little sitting areas like yours!

I especially love your final thoughts on Fridays. I often find myself thinking of them when I feel the need to slow down, think of the important things, and just let the rest go.
I'm thankful for you-

Carol Murdock said...

Ellie and Lucy are the two most beautiful dogs EVER !! :0)

Deborah said...

That was a beautiful post, especially the "slow down" part (although it was all beautiful!), how true that is.
Your backyard is so beautiful!
Happy Thanksgiving!

Rae said...

Wonderful post as usual. Lucy's behavior reminds me of my Lab's actions. He finds things and hides them in his mouth and is very reluctant to let us see what they are. Must be some sort of retriever quirk.
Your backyard is wonderful. It looks like an ideal spot to relax and enjoy nature.

Janet, The Queen of Seaford said...

I saw your comment on another blog and came to see your blog. I look forward to reading more and more of your future as well as past postings....need to finish vacuuming now.!!!

Cheryl said...

Hi Caroline....what a wonderful environment you live in....I would never be indoors.....and the creek, I have just died and gone to heaven. What a dream, and you sometimes hear it trickling from the house....am I envious, of course I am.

The golden girls have a beautiful area to play and investigate. It is always a joy to see their Friday adventures......

YD, sometimes with ♥June and ♥Angel Samantha said...

Your backyard looks lovely!
Have a great weekend!

Busy Bee Suz said...

Your Friday posts always put a smile on my face and make me stop for a few moments to reflect on your last words. You are so weise and seem to have your priorities in order. Thank you.

I think Lucy is still a puppy...at heart!!

Golden Daily Scoop said...

Beautiful pics!!!! Have a great weekend!!!

lotsa licks,
Miley

Janet said...

Reading your post, I believe I felt my blood pressure come down.

Thank you for that!

Happy weekend too...

Rudee said...

I live for Fridays here. I especially appreciate your closing message and plan to take it to heart this year.

Courtney at SL's No Ennui said...

Love your steps and chairs in the woods... they aren't so out of place! They just say, "Someone is enjoying these woods very much!"

KB said...

I love Lucy's goofy look! She looks guilty yet almost proud at the same time.

Your husband did a great job with the outdoor photos. The golden coats literally glow. I bet that, if you could ask them, the Golden Girls would say how thankful they are for having such a great yard, great life, and great family!

Betsy Banks Adams said...

I love your Goldens---but I REALLY love your backyard.... That is so PERFECT in every respect... I love my home--but that private, woodsy backyard would be the ULTIMATE to me. WOW--you have a fabulous home!! I know that you know how blessed you are.

We always fix a turkey and the trimmings during Thanksgiving just for us--even if none of our family can get here. We sometimes have it on another day besides Thursday. BUT--- I wouldn't have it any other way.

Enjoy your weekend.
Hugs,
Betsy

Anonymous said...

They look as if they are enjoying their time outside after that long period of rain. They always brighten my day too.

D.K. Wall said...

What a great area to go exploring. Hope you get to sit in those chairs some days for an extended period of time.

Vicki Lane said...

Beautiful girls! We have a pair of Adirondack chairs like that in a quiet wooded spot -- so very comfortable!

Jeannette StG said...

It's wonderful when you can call the forest your backyard! Lucky you!
You are right, but the business already starts this weekend for us LOL - it snuck up on us:)

Jeannette StG said...

sorry, I meant busyness!

kks said...

beautiful path through the woods!!! looks like my kind of environment!! my Tahoe does the same thing when she has something in her mouth and i'm sure she thinks drop it means sticking my fingers in her mouth too!
thanks for the words of wisdom at the end of your post....will do...:)
xoxo

Cicero Sings said...

Am dog sitting again today and just got in from a 1 1/2 hour walk. The old dog is sleeping and the other two are chewing bones. Walks are SO wonderful in their eyes!

You have a great back yard! Oh to have ones own creek. We are fortunate too as we have greenbelt behind us and lots of easily accessible trails.

George said...

It's really nice to see the girls enjoying their time in your back yard. I hope you have lots of sunshine this weekend for you and the girls to enjoy.

Barb said...

Your forest is an enchanted place and is certainly even more magical with your two beautiful Girls as part of the scenery. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

This Is My Blog - fishing guy said...

Carolyn: That is certainly a wonderful place for the girls to exploe.

Kathryn Magendie said...

This makes me smile, this post.

We have a creek that we can hear when on the porch during dry times, but when we get adequate rain, we can hear it with our windows closed! Ahhh - love where we live, don't we? *smile*

Janie said...

You're so right that we should enjoy every day and be thankful for the wonderful gifts (of family, friends, a loving partner) that we have.
The golden girls are so pretty and well-behaved. I love your trail into the woods.

1000 Goldens said...

That looks like heaven to me...

Donna said...

Your golden girls are so beautiful! And what a beautiful place to live, I love your back yard!

Hugs,
Donna

Twisted Fencepost said...

I would love to go exploring with the girls in your back yard.
But I promise not to bring you anything that you have to take out of my mouth. tee hee

NCmountainwoman said...

Thanks everyone, for commenting. We opted for more land rather than a great view and are so glad we did.

Dog geek - You sound like my husband, but we already have one Golden who definitely grew up at 4.

Cedar - We do so enjoy those chairs and they don't really look all that out of place.


RuthieJ - thank goodness Lucy rarely eats anything she picks up, although she once at an acorn that really made her sick.

Rae - Actually, Lucy doesn't seem to mind when we take her pocketed treasures out of her mouth. She actually comes to us before we even know she has something.

Cheryl - I envy your lovely garden, so I suspect that makes us even. Oh, but no! You have those lovely grandchildren so you've definitely got it better.

Suz - I do think Lucy will always be a puppy at heart. She is our first dog with a real sense of humor and she cracks me up sometimes.