Yap Island and Dr. Rosemary: March 2021

March 2021 came in like a lion. We could hear the wind blowing hard and heard quite a few snaps and crashes as tree branches fell around the yard. Fortunately there was no damage to the house or car! A little time doing some yard clean up and hauling branches over the hill to the brush pile and the yard is mostly clean again - still has packed snow and ice in many places but you can see the brown grass and flower beds that will need cleaned soon. Spring is coming soon!

Then it was warm - really warm. The 6 foot snow banks that the dogs love to climb to play "king of the mountain" are quickly melting. We even had lunch outside on the deck on the sunny side of the house. It felt so good to be warm outdoors. Everyone has Spring fever. The dogs are running around chasing each other, squirrels, birds and any little mouse that dares pop it's head up through the underground or snow bank burrows. And now it is cold again. Welcome Spring!

It won't be long before we are in our Spring routine. I have already been dong some garden preparations by removing some dead plant leaves that I left so the ground would not be muddy for little paws when it rained. Am removing only a little at a time until the gardens can be mulched to try to keep those paws as dry as possible. The dogs are also helping me with the Spring garden preparations by digging more holes for me. Dirty faces, dirty paws, happily wagging tails! What could possibly be so interesting in the ground for them? They saw me coming and I called No digging and they starting furiously digging as they must know their time is limited for this apparently most pleasant and intriguing activity for them. Really dirty faces!

There is always something interesting happening outside the gate. They watch for birds, squirrels, chipmunks and any family member of our neighbors to come outside. They also listen and then call out to Tukka and Oliver our neighbor dogs. There are times when all of the dogs are howling at each other! That is when it is time to come back inside the house. There are other neighbors that may not appreciate canine communications!

Signs of Spring. The daffodils and hyacinths have broken ground! These are close to the house where is it warm. Won't be long now for more flowers to poke through the earth.

We are all enjoying a little warmth and sunshine after lunch.

Gunnarr. He has become very attached over this past year of the pandemic. He likes having me home more often and really becomes quite upset when I must go to the office. He is a precious companion, loves to sit right at my side and looks at me with loving eyes. he tilts his heads and listens to my every word. Sometimes I just tell stories as he listens intently. No one has ever listened to me like that! He has had a few challenges this year - one trip to the vet for a torn dew claw that really bled and this month he sprained a knee running in the yard. But he recovered well and is back to normal chasing Fionnegan. He is such a pleasure.

Fionnegan. Loving, ornery, athletic, and how he loves to cuddle and sleep on my lap. He has a special place on a desk near my computer to keep me company while I work from home. He sometimes will look at the computer screen and looks very mystified when I show him pictures of himself and Gunnarr and Shorty. And he was really stunned to see the video of them all playing in the yard. I wonder how these little brains handle this technology! He has such energy - he rarely just walks - but runs in the house and outside with such enthusiasm. He is a joy.

Shorty. My Yapese dog and excellent companion. He too is ornery, clever and very smart. He is very inquisitive and watches me like a hawk whenever I am cooking, cleaning and doing household and outdoor chores. He also is the guard dog of the house and barks loudly to alarm me of someone at the door of my house, the mailman at the mailbox and the neighbors in their yard.

He has adjusted so well to a more structured life than the life we had in Yap. And he loves his forest walks in the mornings when the weather is nice. But I must always keep an eye on him. One day he slipped through the outside gate while I was shoveling snow. He wanted to visit the neighbors! He walked along the road and my concern is that he never has shown any fear of cars. Fortunately wondered into their driveway and up their sidewalk. And most fortunate for both if us, he let me readily connect his leash to his collar and walked very calmly home with me. A short lived adventure, no doubt. Since then he is still very good by the gate and doesn't rush it when I am passing in and out of the yard. He knows better. And so do I. I must be very careful so this does not happen again. He is a love.