Happy Birthday, Jake

Jake turned 9 today. For some reason, I thought he would be turning 7, but no. He is 9, and old man like me. He got to sleep in for his birthday. We had leftover pizza for breakfast. Jake got the pizza bones (the crust) after his regular breakfast. We went out for our morning walk at noon.

We walked down to the beach, and Scoopy took Jake for a scoop on the wet sand.

Then Jake claimed his own island in the middle of the Rio Grande.

He made a couple of laps around the beach in celebration of his island.

Jake was a little dirty, a little tired, but satisfied with his birthday celebration on the beach. The rest of our walk was uneventful.

On our evening walk, Jake romped with a miniature Austrian Shepherd and made a new Japanese friend.

Dusk

Daddy Owl hooted “Happy Birthday, Jake” from the top of a tree.

Dusk sky

The Scoop That Fell To Earth

Silver: “Hey, Paparazzo! What does it take for a kitty to get some shut-eye around here?”

Neither hither nor thither
Over hill nor dale had he come
To be found lying face down
In a state of perpetual dither
Scooped up into the nether
He was lost
But on the fourth day
He fell back to earth
Dropped by the ether
Under the influence
Of a blue moon
So bright
What’s one to do?
Other than continue the saga
Of Scoopy on a frozen beach
Waiting a spring thaw

Glenda

Glenda, again

A Sliver Moonrise

The river and sky were blue at twilight

Jake and I stood on the edge of the river at twighlight and watched the Sliver Moon rise this morning.

The Sliver Moon did not get to rise very high before it was swallowed by Dawn.

Osric Owl. Nora and Osric

Cranetrail

Quite A Surprise

After we came home last night, I opened the door to the bedroom and there was a bird flying around in the dark. Before I could turn on the bedroom light, it flew into the bathroom. When I turned on the light in the bathroom, it was a Western Screech Owl. 

I offered my hand like I do to our birds, and told him to step up. He stepped up onto my hand with his sharp claws and iron grip. I lifted him up and he hopped over to the towel rack where we photographed him. I stroked his feathers behind his head while I talked to him, and then checked to see if he was injured.  He did not seem to be injured, so I put on a glove and tried to get him to step onto my gloved hand so I could take him outside and let him go.  He did not like the glove, and bit it while he held tightly onto the towel rack. I finally got him into a sweater box, covered it with the towel, and took him outside to let him go. He refused to fly out of the box, so I offered my hand, he stepped up on it, I lifted him toward the sky, ad he flew off.

It’s a real mystery how he got into our bedroom. He had to get on the deck, which he could through the 4-inch vents near the top of the roof. Then he would have to get through two cat doors to get to the bedroom. Even though screech owls are small, I believe he is too large for a cat to carry in through the cat doors without the cat getting injured by the owl’s sharp claws and iron grip, and the owl getting injured by the cat. 

I think like Spunk disappearing for a month, Sasquatch and the scoop shovel, the Screech Owl in the bedroom will remain a mystery.

Screechy is a handsome little guy. Not happy with il paparazzo taking pics of him.

Laurie’s GIF gives you a sense of scale. He is full grown. He started to relax and closed one eye while I stroked him.

Jake in Jail

Scoop shovel saga update: Old Scoopy had gone missing for a couple of days after Sasquatch left by way of the portal. I presume Scoopy was out looking for Sasquatch. I found him standing next to a sad seedling that’s tied to a post and wrapped in chicken wire.

Jake in jail

The Longest Mile

Well! Five point seven/eights miles to be more precise. While it’s only a mile and a half between mile marks as the river flows, and the treks to the river and back, plus all the winding around on different paths in the bosque added up. This was the longest walk Jake has made with me since he moved in.

One

Beaver point is at the 194.5 mile mark

Surprisingly, I saw a dragonfly. The temperature was around 48º F (~9º C).

Two

Bushwacking on our way to Three

Three. A couple of dragonflies lying eggs in the shallows.

Four

On the way to Five

Five

Six

The Portal to Seven. Seems all portals look the same!

Seven

Jake recharged his pee-shoot in the Rio Grande by a cocklebur bush at the 194-mile marker.

Eight

Søren seemed impressed. Or not!

Spunk: “Why take a stinking 6-mile walk in the bosque when you can lounge in fresh-dried underwear?”

Silver: “Whoa! I can’t beieve you made Jake walk that far!”

Jake was a little slow after his long mile, and got caught in the skeeter net again.

A couple of women were walking five dogs and let two loose to chase the coyotes. Jake was not happy about those dogs chasing his coyote pals.

Coyotes with cranes overhead

Dusk from the spot where photo Two was taken.

A Sinuous Walk

Cat sees dog

The slow acceptance

Note to self. “Don’t get so close to dawg!”

Jupiter over Resa’s Wolf Tree. Orion on the right.

A sinuous walk
Winding through three sunder miles
Born to see the light

Sunset

Dusk