This Gets Easier Right?

It’s great being back in my hometown.  I had a little swim this morning before breakfast.  Wasn’t so thrilled when I got caught up in a big eddy and did a few ballerina twirls but after I got my feet on terra firma my thoughts ran to…may be old but this is one dog who stills has has what it takes.

Hill climbing is tough.  Hill climbing where the oxygen pressure is low enough that you can’t suck oxygen down into your kidneys makes hill climbing extra tough.  The problem with Telluride is if you leave for more than two weeks you are back to square one in terms of altitude acclimation when you return.  Sure dogs feel it too but no one feels it like owner.  Her huffing and puffing nearly drowns out the sound of my tinkling bear bell as we wind our way up The Wiebe.  Before we spent time back in Texas we could get up that trail in under 40 minutes.  Now we are back to the hour mark and it is an “ass drag” if I do say so myself.

 Moss definitely grows on the North side of a tree. You’ll just have to trust me on this.  This is old moss.  New moss looks a lot like you’d imagine the hair on a newborn gnome. In fact it is so light that it falls off the trees and lies on the ground so you have no idea what you are looking at. 

 

If for some strange reason you couldn’t remember what month it was (say you were son number two, for example, who never seemed to figure out which month came before which month or why it mattered?) you might get confused and think that this was frost because it bears a similar appearance to a frost photo (the white one IS frost!).  Oh, and by the way moss grows on rocks wherever it damn well pleases so don’t use that as a compass guide.

 

It is difficult to figure out why grass can grow in the most miserable of conditions on a forest trail but refuse to grow in our yard where we have added peat moss and  a sprinkler system.  No matter what we do we always have the ugliest looking yard in all of Telluride.   Suddenly at the beginning of  Fall our grass will take off and start to look nice, then snow falls and back we go to looking like a run down derelict building. Have my people no dignity?  We have a yard that it is not even worthy of a good pee; how bad is that?

 

Personally, I think the summer is looking good.  Town looks great.  The aspens are looking lovely as usual.  Owner has foot problems so she can’t hike for five and six hours at a time which is perfect for me with my arthritic joints.  Yes, she forgot to bring water along on our first hike of the season but graciously gave up her own so I wouldn’t be thirsty.   I had to learn how to drink out of a lid but aside from that all was well.  Every once in a while she proves how much she loves me.

 

 

 

 

For now I sit in my window sill and dream of the next hike.  My dreams also include getting those darn windows cleaned so I can see out.  Think that is happening later this week, FINALLY! Anyway, back to hiking.  Those hikes simply have to get easier. Had to endure one of those “bath” things today but it felt kind of nice to get  a good scrubbing.  You probably didn’t know this but I am currently the poster girl for dandelion repopulation.  It is a job I enjoy and I do it well. See ya later.

 

P.S. The windows are clean.

Back where I belong

 

If you can believe it, today is the first day I actually have full internet access in almost four weeks.  My addiction was raging out of control with no salve to calm me down.  Bouncing into the condo from Lane’s I headed straight to the computer since owner was actually NOT HOME YET and WHAT?  crappy internet.  I was not a happy dog.

Usually I go to Lane’s and just have a blast.  Roll around in some dirt, lie on some other dog’s bed just to piss him off, grab a few rays in my favourite spot out near the tire.  I like to see the action but not have the action jump over me, land on me, or yank at my ears.

 

This time I just wasn’t feeling up to snuff.  Couldn’t quite put my finger on the problem but soon discovered I had two abscessed teeth, a potential kidney infection and maybe something called a thyroid.  The only good to come out of this was  a few extra car rides to the animal hospital.   Bittersweet rides they were because every time we got in the car I thought I was going home to owner and curly haired.  NOT!  Feeling better now but my coat is embarrassing.  That thyroid seems to have made me turn a weird colour in big patchy bristly spots.  Vanity is my second  name and trust me no one is asking if I’m a puppy now.However, as old pops says (granddad to you), “you are only as young as you feel…hmmmm…OK have to work on my attitude too.)

Talking about old pops.  He lives up on the Ontario Quebec border. You all know what happened up there right?  Pops was sitting alone in his house when suddenly he felt his favourite chair shaking all around. He just knew it had to be his girlfriend, Margot, joking around since  no one likes a good laugh better than Margot.  Quick look over his shoulder told him, Nope, no one there.  Briefly it flashed into his head that perhaps the house was collapsing; it is over 100 years old.  As he got up to check out what in heck was going on a far more worrisome thought popped into his head.  Could it be?  Surely not! Had Marilynn, owner’s mum who died quite a few years ago, come back to haunt him because he has a girlfriend.   They had loved each other pretty intensely and she had been of the jealous persuasion to put it mildly.  Stranger things have happened right? In fact I see ghosts all the time, definitely one of the finer aspects of being a dog.  Luckily pops turned on the TV and realised he had just gone through an earthquake not a haunting. I’m sure he had a momentary yearning for the good old days when you think life is never going to change….a yearning owner feels now.

 

 

My real life back in Telluride has returned.   I’ve marked  my territory to let everyone know the Caseinator is back and on the loose. Owner is dreamily looking at all the photos from Italy and Spain.   Curly haired is down in his office with the telephone stuck to his ear twenty four seven….don’t know why but all of these things just make me feel safe. Life as I know it shall go on.

Off we go to hike the Wiebe.  It will be easy since owner is not altitude acclimated and the hike will be painfully slow for Curly-haired.  I, on the other hand, love those long slow hikes where I have time to sniff every bush, roll twigs over with my nose, pee on an unclaimed rock and revel in the fact that I’m alive and loved.  Is there anything else?  See ya later.

Even a repeat is new again…

Hello everyone.  Travelling has made it hard for Casey to get her blog out. For the first time in almost a year you will see a repeat.  The good news is that with over 80 readers on Facebook alone many of you will not have read this post.  This is an opportunity for you to get a few ideas of what it is like to live in Telluride.  Once Casey gets home, minus a few teeth that had to be pulled,  with her diagnosis of thyroid or lupus problems and her kidney infection, she will once again get her postings out regularly to all her loyal fans.  Really she’s doing fine, don’t worry.

If you can’t tell, that’s me getting up close and personal with my favourite water source on a hike!  It just makes so much more sense than the water bowl thing that my owner has to carry for me. I hear she’s thinking about me carrying my own water next year; personally, servants are the way to go but you can’t always get what you want.  And, to get what I need I’ll do what it takes.

At any rate  we headed out recently on one of our  jaunts and halfway up the hill there it was, the white cold stuff.  Ah, Nirvana I say.

How great it is to live somewhere where the natural world is always in an obvious state of flux. Change is right before your eyes.  Texas is where I was born and raised you know and although it can cool down we rarely get this stuff.  It has happened twice in recent years.  Both times I was already here  rolling in a  thick white carpet of snow  so I missed all the excitement back at our old homestead.

Snow changes everything.  Smells change, views change, people’s moods change.  This town has a long history with snow and it is one of the most welcomed events of the year.  Most of the time  people walk around  town smiling  due to the sheer beauty of our location.  Snow, however,  makes the grins wider, the hellos heartier, and   hearts beat just a tiny bit faster.  Everyone is  dreaming of their big run down the mountain…albeit some glide an awful lot faster and crazier than others (I can pretty much guarantee that this would NOT be my owner.)

Now skis I can do without.  They take everyone away from home.  People   rush through the morning walk with me so they can go home and dress up to take off for the day.  The general mood is happiness.  My owner on the other hand  has been known to get grouchy and say things like  “I can’t wait until they invent spray -on ski clothes.”  She then groans, whines, moans and grumbles as she stuffs herself sausage like into her long johns, ski pants, helmet, gloves, goggles.  Even I know how much she is sweating at this point because she has told anyone  and everyone within hearing distance  about fifteen hundred times.     Usually curly haired  tries to ignore  her and wanders away on some urgent matter.  I’ve watched him…he’ll see if snow has gathered  under the car or he’ll act like counting icicles is a logical thing to do just so he can get out of her vocal  range.  Many is the time though that he has patiently helped her stuff her “I know they are going to freeze off” feet into those gigantic moon boots they wear to go skiing.

Then they disappear and I’m left lying on my mat wondering when they’ll be back .  I lie there knowing  I will  have to cross my back legs for an hour or two before I get out for a pee break and some checking of the neighbourhood  pee-mail.

Anyway, we are still a long way from ski days.  I bet Bobbi at the bookstore could tell us exactly how many hours and minutes are left until the lifts open – depending on the snow. Knowing her mania for skiing she likely hikes up huge mountains to ski down them long before the ski area opens. 

Although I’m not in town I hear some snow  has fallen a few times and everyone is getting wound up.  As I said it is early days yet and  you never know what is going to happen in  our beloved San Juans.   So for  now I’ll wait for my owner to come back home to Telluride.   I’ll dream fondly of wintertime  and the snow we had just before I moved down to Lane’s house to hang with my second  family.

( Not to complain but my family has done their fair share of dumping me this year….well maybe just a tiny complaint.  Family, what the heck are you thinking?

 

It can be Paris, Israel, Canada, and a jaunt to Maine or ME? I mean look at that camel’s ugly mug!  You are not making intelligent decisions guys.  I should always be more important than a vacation.So you made some cool memories…what about the cool memories we missed out on? huh?  eh?) 

So when I do get home  count on me to give you lots of great photos of snow, ice, frost, cold toes, and frozen noses. Yes, they will all be of me and hopefully the photos won’t all be of me eating my way through a snow bank.  As you can tell, I do love frost…. I love what it does to our everyday landscape.  It keeps me excited about what is headed our way.  What storms will we have, how much snow can I actually dive into and manage to dig myself out of without floundering and  looking ridiculous?  Will I smell a mouse under the snow bank?  Oh so many great things to dream about over the next month or so.

 

Some of you have never lived in the mountains.  Just so you know what kind of snow I’m talking about --last year in the month of December we received 110 inches…..talk about happy skiers!   There weren’t quite so many happy  people shovelling snow  but that’s the risk you take when you decide to live in a snowy fairyland. So I leave you now.  I shall continue to sit and and wait patiently to go home to Telluride. My dreams will be full of magically falling champagne powder.   See ya later.

 

 

Flickr Tags: Telluride,ski,San Juan',snow

Complimenti al cuoco

Dear Casey:

Italy has been fabulous so far.  However, I’m learning some important lessons.  One would be how important it is to to fill your food bowl with love.  Everything  undertaken  shouldn’t only be done well but done with passion. This will translate into  no more Ms. calm cool and collected simply throwing food into a pot. Equating food with love and showing love through food is something I’ve discussed in previous posts but now I’m not sure I knew what the hell I was talking about.  Frederico has moved me to a higher plane!

Never have guests come to my table and felt a tiny tear in the corner of their eye as I explained to them how I came up with the menu.  Never have they felt like they had to get up and hug me to say, “it’s OK, I understand your strong feelings about this food, this oil, this cheese and we will get through this together!” No…I sling some hash out on the table, expect guests to chow down and slug back a beer or guzzle a glass of wine and head on home.  If it’s a really good day they might get a piece of apple pie  that I made in “memory” of love because I can’t make a pie without remembering mum, my mother. (who did feed us love in every bite she prepared…thanks, mum.)

The other night after meeting up with our host, Frederico Isernia, everyone had small tears in their eyes.  Frederico had rushed in from work at the bank – not his favourite pastime – and thrown together a meal of teeny tiny local clams and pasta, fried up some local fish delicacy, shown us how to eat a piece of fruit we had never heard of and then  blew our minds with the best strawberries and cream on the planet.  Of course some incredibly  delicious white wine was  involved as well.  We had to stop him at the champagne as we were becoming overwhelmed.

 

However, it was his words that made us want to cry.  As we were eating he told us that he had chosen this menu to demonstrate his passion. His passion for his country’s cuisine, his love of food, his delight in extraordinary ingredients,  his pleasure in the preparation of the food, and his presentation of delicious a delicious meal to welcome us into his home and his life.  Cooking without love is not possible  for him because  it is through his feelings for his guests that he chooses the right shellfish, the perfect wine, an extraordinary cheese.   Frederico’s guests can actually touch and taste the friendship he is offering.   Now tell me Casey, after a couple of glasses of wine wouldn’t you be extraordinarily moved as well.  I must admit though that Sylvestro, the cat who kept leaping the balcony to dine with us, didn’t feel Frederico’s love…..I heard capito stupido a few times and  Sylvestro was returned to his ledge with less than a gentle toss.

 

After dinner we headed to Genoa with Frederico so he could indulge his other passion.   He and his former “best” student, Christina, are teachers  of the Tango here in Chiavari.  We whipped over to  Genoa at 10 p.m. to see the two dance – and it really does take two.  None of us moved a muscle as we sat at our table.  It was quickly apparent no one wanted us on the dance floor so we sat and passed commentary on everyone there – now there’s a pretty woman, wow that is one heck of a slit up the front of that dress, that guy LIKES that woman, etc.  Soon a professional couple all the way from Argentina hit the floor to show us how it is done.  Our jaws dropped.

  

 

 

 

 

 

So Casey, we continue our trip through Italy.  Today we did the big hike along the sea coast of Cinque Terre, the Five Lands.  It was hot and the crowds were large but we had a good time.  Let me add no one makes lemonade like the Italians!   The beach at Monterosso was lovely and we all took little naps on our beach  chairs. Soon we will say good bye to Frederico and head to Sienna.

Miss you Casey but you’d hate it here as it is very hot and there aren’t as many dogs around as you’d like. I think you would enjoy chasing Sylvestro around the apartment, however! See you soon. Love, owner and curly haired.

It Never Pays to leave Telluride

 

 

It never pays to leave Telluride.  Owner and I arrived back in town ready to roll on Monday. We’d journeyed with curly haired as far as Durango and left him at the airport for his flight to Canada.  He had some important stuff to take care of up there so she kissed him good bye, I rubbed around his knees a little (it’s how we do it) and then we took off for home.

Disaster struck. Owner’s phone wasn’t working or curly haired’s wasn’t working and so  his frantic calls asking us to return to the airport to grab him never arrived.  There he was stuck in Durango with no car, no airplane, no family, no Canada.  After journeying back to Albuquerque he called again to let us know what had gone down. Curly’s a patient guy but even I could hear his consternation over the phone. Don’t forget that last week his important trip to England and to Dimi’s graduation in Vermont got scuttled due to volcanic ash, whatever that is.

I was only in Telluride  18 hours and owner was chasing  after my hind end with some sort of plastic container.  She needs to learn to chillax. So what if I peed in my bed a couple times in the truck, big deal.  I was stressed; I drank a lot; I’m an old lady.  You’ve heard of shrinkage right; well this was leakage.  She whisked me off to the vet where they too chased me around with plastic containers near my nether regions.  I’m not a fan of attacks on my personal hygiene. They got a few drops and that’s it.  Now we are waiting to see if I’m sick. Sick and tired of them all making a big deal out of nothing is more like it.

It only gets better.  Next owner dropped like a rock with her altitude migraine. Ice bags to the head, boiling showers to  relieve pain in her sinuses, crawling around weakly from bed to couch to bed to couch.  Pill popping on a level I’ve never attempted also took place.  No go.  She knows better than to leave this paradise; six weeks at sea level did her in big time. If those guys in Texas want to hang out with her they need to move up here. She can’t take these air pressure changes.  Sometimes I heard her moan, “sell the condo, sell the condo,” but surely she can’t mean it.  She loves it here. I know she’ll smarten up when she feels better.   Owner for Pete’s sake just set up an appointment with Jolana Vanek as soon as you know you are coming to town.  She always makes you feel better with her little oxygen chamber.

Then Lane arrived to whisk me off to dog camp. She took one look at my coat and noticed I look a bit like a giant jigsaw puzzle.   Some nice black bits are linked up to some large brown bits in quite an attractive pattern. Personally I thought I was just turning a bit more cinnamon to highlight my chow status.  One look is all it took and she pronounced me a thyroid dog.  What the hell is a thyroid dog?  Yes, I put on four pounds in just under six weeks and my coat went to hell in a hand cart (could it be that drastic shave that took place?)  but thyroid dog? Don’t forget it was so darn hot down there that I could hardly drag my butt around the building in a tight little circle so naturally I gained some poundage.  

Owner is leaving me for a few weeks and for this I heaved a huge sigh of relief. I knew no vet could get their nasty little hands on me.  However, Lane called the Telluride vet. They were too busy to see me; hurray!  Next, she told owner she’d take me to the Norwood vet. Foiled again, me that is, I  just know they are going to stick one of those picky things in me to drain my blood. Lane used to be in my good books but now I’m not so sure we are friends.

So sorry guys.  With everything that has been going on we didn’t get out with our camera much.  Owner is more concerned about feeling better before she begins her three flights to Maine to visit Benj.

OH! there’s another reason we’re all a bit down. At first glance you too will think it is good news. Benj is dropping College like a hot potato. Owner bought a new dress to celebrate.  She was so glad to see the end of that girl. College, who  also goes by Bates,  has had her hooks into Benj for four years now and enough is enough.   Excitement ruled the roost because we knew he’d come home again and hang out in Telluride.  No…..that darn kid had to go and find himself another girlfriend.  Now he’s crazy about Job.  What kind of name is that for a girl? Job lives in Boston so Benj went and got himself an apartment so he can see her every day.  We are all feeling abandoned. Sick, tired, and abandoned.  It’s enough to give owner another migraine.  See ya later.

Yoga Woodlands Style

 

This Texas heat is killing me guys.  My wants and needs are minimal…..an icy wind and  a heartfelt shiver starting  deep inside my chest cavity would  feel so good.  Heard we are making the big trek back to Telluride in a couple days….oh boy, I can’t wait. Damn!…I’m naked? Shivering will be on my agenda for sure, won’t it. 

 

 

Well to be perfectly fair to owner she does put her heart into everything.  Take her and her yoga practice for instance…she tries.  She’s been trying for three years now and she still can’t scratch her head with her leg.  For Pete’s sake I’ve been doing that since I was a puppy and I have never been caught in a yoga class yet. I’m not against instruction in principle just don’t particularly believe it is necessary.  Yours truly can also do a pretty quick twist and catch a fly on the  end of my tail…bet she can’t do that either.

 

Recently she had a huge breakthrough.  She managed to get from  an anticipatory “standing on  head” position, to the tripod near the wall, to the tripod away from the wall, to actually standing on her head…oh crap, near the wall. Was she content…no! Instantly she was working on the anticipatory pose for manipulating herself feet first into a handstand.  She doesn’t fool me for a minute. Figured it out yet?  The only way this woman can have her boobs sit anywhere near where they sat twenty years ago is when she’s upside down. You are likely to see her getting her groceries as she walks on her hands, upside down and dialing her phone with her toes, oh the list goes on.

If her pictures didn’t exist it would be hard to prove she’s ever been to a class.  True, not as much moaning and groaning takes place as she crawls out of bed in the morning – perhaps the word should be “slithers” as she’s really getting up only to look for  another dark place to hide. Morning person she is not. (note to self, Christmas idea….giant rock for owner) And for those who are curious…no she’s not a night  person either.  She’s always admitted freely she’s an 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. person.

Every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday she’s been leaving me in charge of curly haired while she goes to Sam’s.  This is a nice time of year because he has jasmine growing up the telephone posts, up trees, in his garden,and  the back door. The heavenly odour wafts in the windows as the students sweat their way through yet another Ashtanga class. Who wouldn’t enjoy that?   Sam says he did it to make the place look nice and to enjoy the scent ….pretty sure he did it to disguise the incredible body odours that result in his studio. Me…I’m into stinky.  My advice would be  cut the jasmine increase the B.O. 

 

 

Once you remove your shoes, you are welcome inside.  Be warned, Sam is a certified torturer from some secret sect of yogis.  He can work on you mentally as well as physically.  Apparently you can be in a tortuous position and he will come over and move your knee more to the right or more to the left and then twist your left shoulder so it thinks it’s your right shoulder….or, hey, why not have him push your shoulder under your kneecap (don’t laugh….he’s the man for the job!).  He looks like a gentle soul, amiable, encouraging but it is all a big facade.  Owner tells me that she has heard  muted evil chuckles  from his lips after he’s done a particularly nasty torquing of yet another uninitiated student. But hey…they go back and they go back and they go back and NOT ONLY THAT….THEY PAY.  You couldn’t ask for a more reasonable price though is what owner says and she should know…she seems to love giving Curly haired’s money away.

 

To be fair, Sam doesn’t let himself off lightly.  If you can get one shoulder under your knee, he practices to get two.  If you can balance precariously in a side plank with your arm up, he can do it and hold the other  leg in the air and gently grab his toe with his fingers.Plus, he looks peaceful.  It’s the peaceful bit that confounds me about humans.  I can do my downward dogs  with a sad frown or employ an angry stare; peaceful doesn’t really enter into my thoughts. Owner tells me you have to keep breathing calmly and deeply while all this yoga posturing is taking place.  I, on the other hand, sometimes  hold my breath while I scratch, just because I can.    Rosena apparently never holds hers.  It looks like that girl could be related to my aristocratic canine lineage with the way she can place her leg behind  her head.  She’s very in touch with her animal side. GRRRR!

Pretty much all of these moves, from what I HAVE OBSERVED AROUND THE HOMESTEAD are down the road for owner, a lonely windy hundred mile road. For  Curly haired….HA!!! never in a month of Sundays but then he can run better than I can (mind you I AM SEVENTY in HUMAN YEARS…and so what if Jim Braden can still run like the wind, I’m just a normal old dog.)

 

 

So on owner plods.  She’s working hard on shoulder to knee stand.  BIG MISNOMER she says since it is really KNEE IN FRONT OF THE SHOULDER STAND.  There are many components to the asana but she is at step one….get the feet up, breathe, and then manage to sit back on her ass without falling like a ton of bricks and cracking the studio floor.  From what I hear…..well, i can’t tell you everything!

Must add, however, that owner is perplexed at how two other Ashtanga students , Sue and Marti, conveniently managed to miss photo night. And  Wojtek? Where were you…don’t give some cokcamamy story that you were on a plane to Paris for fifteen hours…no one buys it!  See ya later.

 

 

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