First warm weekend

Spring is finally here! I can sleep with the windows open, I don't wake up cold, and I can walk the dogs without a heavy jacket. We had three days of highs in the 80s and lows in the 50s.

It will cool down to the morning 40s this week, but I'm happy for that.

I wanted to spend more time on the house. I'm making very little progress. Yesterday Gretel darted out of the RV, ran next door to fence fight with Angel, and bite her on the nose. That panicked my neighbors. I was willing to pay for the vet visit that Chad said she'd need, but I silently wondered if that was even necessary as I've seen plenty of bloody dig noses this past year.

Still, Gretel's aggression toward all the dogs around me is bothering me. I drove to PetSmart to get a training collar but now need to read the manual. Gretel is one of my three biggest barkers. She is sweet with me and my friends, but does not like other dogs. 

Tbc

Walking the Loop from Fort Lowell park to N Sabino Road

It was a full day again. Sweetie wanted to sleep in the truck, so she was my only responsibility in the morning. All the other dogs were in the back of the house and were quiet all night. I walked Sweetie for one block, then went into the house to feed the pack and give Minnie her meds. It's the usual morning routine.

I met Erin in her hotel's breakfast bar, showered, and we checked out just before 10am for the drive to the airport. We had time to chat at the Barrio bar before she left at noon to board her flight back to Chicago and I rejoined Sweetie for the 13-mile drive to Fort Lowell park, where Steve and I last walked part of the loop on 2-21-22.

There is a lot to see at the Fort Lowell park. We were only on the far eastern side last time where there are no ruins. This time I was parked on the west side of the park, where ruins from the old army post still stand. The hospital walls still show some shape, but are now fenced off and covered from the harsh sun.  There is also an artificial pond, a racquetball court, and a few other athletic courts for the public. Plenty of people were out enjoying a cool day.

Weather was mostly cloudy and 64F with a slight breeze. It was near ideal for a walk. Next weekend we are expecting temperatures in the 80s, so the cool weather may be coming to an end.

Sweetie was steady, but a tad slow on today's walk.. I need to schedule her for a geriatric exam. She is giving me that same pained look Zeke gave me last summer. I have patience with her. 

I wanted to walk three miles each way heading south, for about a six-mile round-trip walk along the Pantano River Park. Flowers are starting to bloom. The creosote is strong right now, too, but not much color besides purple lupines and desert marigolds dot the Tucson landscape.

I turned around at the N Sabino Road overpass instead, cutting off a half mile each way.  Sweetie looked tired. She has done a lot of walking this weekend. I walked back via the east bank, but that path ended after half a mile, then resumed my return walk the way I came.

Rain clouds were forming and it started to drizzle that last mile. It was not a heavy rain, but enough moisture to bring out the desert scents of spring. 

I had walked 5.75 miles,  but only 2.2 miles were on the actual Loop going one way. The rest was through Fort Lowell.  

This is Sweetie's first section of the Loop. My other dogs were Sara, Sadie, Zeke, Hansel, Gretchen, Gretel and Sahne. It was an easy walk with her.

I got back to the RV at sunset, but stayed in the truck until the slight drizzle became a steady rain. I don't remember seeing rain in the forecast, but I always welcome rain, even if that means cooler temperatures follow.

Erin's last day in AZ and it was a good one

It was a great day with my daughter. I had a hike planned with her and friends Susan, Holly and Steve (Ellen couldn't make it) at 9am in Brown Canyon. I had to get up early to walk Gretchen and Sweetie before she got to the RV at 830. I gave Minnie her meds, forced Gretchen in the house (I didn't want her on the hike, nor alone in the RV) and took off with Erin and Sweetie.

Taking Sweetie was a good choice as she got along well with Holly's pugs Teddy and Milly and Steve's dog Trace, and stayed near me. Gretchen would have wanted to chase anything that moved.

We parked at the Brown Canyon trail head and walked the first road 0.25 mile to the ranch house trail, then diverted off that trail to walk past both ponds. We rested at the pond, then went toward the ranch house, looked inside, and continued into the canyon 

"Ooh, now I like this trail! said Erin as we entered the wide, rockfree trail!and I decided to continue into the canyon to show her the hidden falls, rustic mining equipment, a pioneer gravesite, a scenic overlook, and the pet cemetery. The loop was just over five miles, so a mile longer than forecasted and Erin said she enjoyed the hike and meeting my friends.

I had planned on taking Erin to the Copper Hop Ranch Brewery afterward with Steve, as they make good cider there. And Erin liked it there as well, sitting outside sipping a variety of ciders, cuddling with Trace and chatting with Steve. She had five ciders, the most I've ever seen her drink at once.

It was a nice afternoon and I'm glad taking her to the nanobrewery is something she enjoyed.

The evening ended with a surprise drive into Tucson where Erin and I met up with Eric and Margaret at the Yard House restaurant.  It's in the Park Place Mall.  The food was ok and way overpriced, but the company was good.

A day with Erin and another vet visit with Minnie

Today was devoted to Erin, minus two hours I spent alone with Minnie from 12-3pm.

I got up at 630 to walk five short laps around the hood, three with Gretel, Gretchen and Sweetie. It was 44F and chilly, and took a coffee break before walking two laps with Hansel and Sahne, who then stayed with me in the car and joined me for another walk after breakfast at Erin's hotel.

We walked one of the oldest section of the town's multi-use trail. This goes through the oldest neighborhood, with small houses and yards and lots of fat dogs barking at my dogs. Hansel doesn't respond, but Sahne gets revved up.

It was only 2.5 miles round trip and it was already getting warm. I knew we would walk more in Bisbee later that afternoon, so we cut the walk short. I washed a load of clothes here before heading back to the RV (only $1 to wash and another $1 to dry) to get Minnie ready for her 1pm visit. It was in the Sierra Animal Hospital parking lot that I noticed my wallet was missing. I had to call Erin to drive down to meet me, as I had money in my other wallet. I had enough to pay cash for the vet visit 

Dr Baird saw Minnie and his diagnosis of her anal sac gland is as bad as Dr Bone's from February: due to her age, weight, and heart condition, he will not operate on her. He feels it's best to let the tumor run its course, and then treat her for pain until the pain becomes unbearable. I looked at Minnie as she looked back at me, panting and at times whimpering. I will do my best to make the last months her best months.

Dr Baird gave her an antibiotic as her tumor is now leaking and harder to the touch. I'm afraid it will rupture soon.

I took Minnie home. She wobbled back to the back yard. I looked around for my wallet (no luck), packed up more dirty clothes, then drove back into town to meet Erin in the Target parking lot.  She and I had a walking tour planned for Bisbee.

Erin was dressed in shorts and a matching sleeveless shirt. I told her she will need a sweater once the sun sets, but she wouldn't believe it. It was 73F in SV, but 68F in Bisbee. She wore the sweater tied around her waist 

I parked across the Old Bisbee Brewing company and took her uphill on Tombstone Canyon road. I took her to Bisbee when she last visited with Ethan 11 years ago, but due to his age, we didn't walk far or go up any stairs with the stroller.

Today we walked 3.25 miles with only one set of stairs after an early dinner at Contessa's. She liked what she saw, agreeing that the town has character..She took a lot of photos 

We got back to the hotel at sunset. Someone had found my wallet in the parking lot and turned it in. All contents were in it. What a relief!

I stayed until 930 when the last if the three loads were dry 

Erin flies in for a quick visit

 This is something I had been looking for: Erin flying out to visit me over my spring break.  Her flight came in shortly after noon, which gave me just enough time to walk the dogs in the morning, wash up, and drive comfortably to Tucson with Sweetie in the truck. 

A perfect near spring day

I had a lot planned. I had plenty of dogs to walk at sunrise (Gretel, Gretchen, Hansel and Sahne), then had to pack another truckload to the storage shed in town. I took Gretchen and Sahne, then had an early lunch at McDs.

The McDs is a block away from the storage shed, and so convenient for me. I do need to watch my sodium intake, but the cheap daily deals are hard to resist.

It hit 78F at the highest. I took off my jacket while packing up trash in the back yard. It's a never-ending cycle. But at least I have water now, and the dogs have cleaner water to drink from 

The dogs were all happy that I was around. Wolfie and Fritz enjoyed my company, watching me from near and far. Minnie stayed in the house and Sadie stayed in her favorite spot by the shed. She's  getting very thin, but she is still eating well and wobbling about.

Sweetie, however, stayed in the Honda and didn't want to get out, even in the late afternoon. That dog has a high tolerance for heat. I thought she might not be feeling well, but she was just napping away the warmth. I checked on her several times and she was always napping.

Hansel and Gretchen napped in the truck. They like the low cab and the high seats to lock out the sun. 

New Perimeter trail extension

I wanted to see if this southern extension had been improved since I last hiked it with Ellen and Susan a few weeks ago. I took Hansel and Gretel on this hike.

Perhaps because the dogs were eager to get out hiking, after sleeping in the truck overnight, or perhaps because they spotted a deer, but both took off after something  as I neared the turn-around point at the 1.6- mile mark. They took off here in the same area the last time as well.

But this time I had no sign of them. I stopped a few times, called their names...nothing. I hiked up to the first saddle, then went back the way I came, calling their names but seeing nothing. Had they run downhill into a neighborhood in search of water?

Crestfallen, and mentally preparing myself for two fewer dogs, I walked back to my truck.  This is certainly an unplanned means to unload a few dogs. All sorts of ideas went through my head. Missing dogs. Careless owner. Multiple feral packs of dogs roaming through the footbiils. 

But there they were, resting under the truck!They looked exhausted and didn't bark with excitement at seeing me.  I spotted Gretel first, then Hansel.

Both jumped into the truck. A Cochise county deputy sheriff vehicle drove into the parking lot to witness this. Was he responding to a frantic caller of two loose dogs in the area? The deputy parked close to me but didn't get out of his vehicle. I gave the dogs water and petted them both. The deputy perhaps was more interested in my truck being a suspect load vehicle. I drove off without incident a few minutes later, after making sure the dogs drank enough water.

Whatever the dogs experienced, they were tired. They had all the water they could have, then later each a tall can of food, as they rested quietly in the truck while I drove off to McDs for lunch.

Lower Hunter Canyon (short loop)

The school district has now made wearing masks optional beginning today. The vast majority of staff and students were maskless, including me. 

Gas prices rose another 30 cents today, to $4.29 at the Speedway I use. This large price surge is insane. I don't even want to drive anywhere anymore.  

The Russians are now in the 12th day of the Ukrainian invasion. They are heading toward Odessa now. A top Russian general, Vitaly Gerasimov, from the 41st Army was killed when a command post was bombed near Kharkiv. This is the second high-ranking Russian officer killed.

But I did, to lower Hunter Canyon where Ellen led a large group of 20 people and seven dogs, including Sahne, who initially lunged at SteveD's Morgan and then at a 6-month old Malinois. She calmed down quickly and showed no other aggression toward the other dogs once we got started.

Helen asked me to sweep up the rear, perhaps to keep Sahne out of the spotlight. I didn't get to talk much with new members as I was in the rear for most of this 2.5- mile hike.

I got more trash ready for tomorrow's trash pickup, then walked Gretchen and Sweetie for the third time around the block. We're back to low 30s again. I'm tired of this cold. Ok up

Sadie turns 14 today

I'm so happy to still have my Sadie Girl, despite her weakness slowing her down. Her hind legs are getting weaker by the day. Lately she prefers to lay down rather than walk because she is very unstable.

She still eats and drinks and takes her treats. She likes to greet me by the side fence with the other dogs when I come home.

She is using the dog house that John dropped off the day Kevin died. It's a lightweight plastic house big enough for her. It keeps the wind off her. During the day she prefers to lay under the juniper tree.

I didn't plan anything special. I wanted to take our photo together, but she didn't want to get up. I took a few solo shots of her instead, her advanced age clearly visible. She is going blind but navigates by smell. When I hand her a can of food, she sniffs around to locate it. If she is too slow, the other dogs will take it away from her.

It was a quiet weekend otherwise. I didn't hike, but logged in over 11 miles walking the dogs, both around the neighborhood and along the maintenance road, where the dogs can drink from the stock pond  I get the best mileage early in the morning  with them; I like starting the day with some miles under my belt.

Today I spent the afternoon digging up more ash from the old patio. The dogs enjoyed having me around. It's really the only time Wolfie sees me.

The biggest pile of debris was where Kevin once sat. I still found a few nice things that were left undamaged, small things like pet clippers and some of his wrenches. Carrying the heavy bags to the trash bin really hurts my back, though.

First mild morning this year

It was a mild 44F this morning as I walked Sahne, then Gretel and Gretchen before school. I got to see a pretty sunrise as I drove to work.

The sky gave a repeat performance at sunset, as again I walked the same three dogs after school, in the same order. I'm so looking forward to warmer weather. It's expected to be a low of 51F on Friday.

Minnie and Sadie are still hanging in there. The furomeside is helping Minnie with her breathing. Both dogs deserve better living arrangements in their final year.

Warm morning for a sunrise

I looked forward to this morning. I got up with the 440 am alarm, as I had six dogs to walk. I 

got the first two dogs walked twice around the block. Fritz and Gretel slept in the RV with me, but only Gretel was on bed. Fritz went back to sleep on the sofa.

Both  Fritz and Gretel then went back into the house. My second two dogs were Hansel and Sahne. They also got two laps in, but Hansel refused to go into the house. He went back into the Honda and insisted on his own lap solo in the end.

Gretchen and Sweetie were the last two dogs. They are easy to walk as Sweetie doesn't pull, but Gretchen is hyper and jumps around, getting herself tangled in the leash.

I gave Minnie meds, made sure there was plenty of water, and drove off at 640 to school.

It didn't get as warm as predicted. The biggest shock was the steep hike in gas prices. It was $3.59 in the morning, then $3.99 in the afternoon at the usual Speedway I frequent. All this because Russia is now in its second week of destroying Ukraine. How will this conflict end?

I got home by 5pm, only to discover that Gretchen had peef on the mattress cover. Again. I know it was her because Sweetie can't jump up on the bed. This is getting old!!! This is the third time I will be washing that new mattress cover.