JUNE

Long time readers know that I have 3 children and that my two girls moved out on the same day last year to begin college life.

Junior, was left alone with his Mom and Dad ... not too horrible a situation, but still a big change for him ... and for us.

It wasn't too long after the move out that I started thinking about a pup for Junior.
We have two lab crosses, Flounder and Feather, but they are 12+ years old and sweet as they are, they've slowed down a bit.
Junior was a tyke when they were crazy bouncy pups and at 16, this is his last chance to be a boy with a wacky pup. I did not want him to miss out on that.

His Mom was on the same wavelength and mentioned it (No, No!) to Junior at some point.
Apparently, he had been thinking the same thing.

All year long, he has pushed for getting a pup.
All year long, his Mom has been aiding and abetting.
All year long, I have been saying, "No. Wait until June. In June, Junior and I will be off and we can give a puppy the proper attention and training."

For months now, I have been strong, ignoring the printouts from Petfinder.com that were mysteriously left on the computer desk, ignoring Junior's constant, "Are you getting the pup on the way home today?" comments, and ignoring the newspaper pup adds circled and left in plain view next to the coffee maker.

Yesterday, Mrs. FC and I turned into the Walmart parking lot to buy groceries and a truck was parked next to the feedstore with pups. Around here, that's a common sight and usually they are pitbull pups. Ugh.

I glanced over, "LAB PUPPIES $100", read the sign. What?
I told myself they were probably half lab/ half pit and I was wasting my time, but I spun the JEEP into the feed store lot.

The two ladies had 4 pups and the momma (definitely a lab) in the shade of big oak. One woman sat holding the smallest of the pups who seemed extremely content to be in her lap.

We talked.
The sire was a yellow lab who I actually have seen before as he lives next to my school. The pups showed no sign of anything but lab and the price was right.
We picked out a big footed healthy looking boy and I told the lady, " I'm going to walk next door to the credit union and get $100. We want this one. We have ten acres, two other labs, and will give him a loving home."

She looked at me and said, " Oh, that sounds wonderful ... I'll give you two for that price if you want another one ...as long as you take the runt."
She pointed to the little cutie in the other lady's lap. She got a little misty ...
"I want him to have a good home and I'm afraid no one will want him."

I glanced at Mrs. FC, got the nod, turned and said, " It's a deal."

We skipped grocery shopping, loaded up the pups, and drove home.
In the kitchen, I sat down and sent a one word text message to Junior who was at his friend's house.

"JUNE"

It was 1:27 pm.
At 1:28 pm, Junior called me up.

"Did you just text me? You never text me."
"Yes, I did."
"June?"
"Yes, I wanted you to know it's June."
"What ... OH, OH, YOU MEAN ..."
"Yup, June came early this year."
"OH MAN, I'M COMING HOME!"
"I thought you were going to spend the night."
"Not now, OH MAN ...I'll call you when I'm leaving ... can you pick me up at Otter Creek?
"Just let me know and I'll be there."


Never once was the word "dog" uttered in our conversation.

The bigger of the two pups is the official Junior dog and he has named him "BEAR".

The runt, is still awaiting an official naming session as Emma and Kate want to have input on his name.
That will happen today sometime.


In the meantime, we are basking in the glow of puppy joi de vie, and experiencing a bit of the same.

Bar None

Sorry to finish this trilogy so late today, but something amazingly serendipitous happened ... after I took the trash to the landfill and went grocery shopping. I'll share it tomorrow.
Tremendous cute factor involved, so be warned ...
In the mean time, where was I ?

Oh yes ...

After stalking the two barred owls and getting a double shot, my cup was full to overflowing.
Lying on the dock in the late afternoon breezes, I was content and only half focused on photography.
It would have been tres easy to doze off, had it not been for the antics of a pair of cardinals, bathing in the tiny puddle formerly known as "The Pond".

They were flitting about, jumping from branch to branch on a dead tree that used to be underwater. Every so often, the female cardinal would slip into the water and splash about a little, before zipping up to the limbs to look around.

I was focusing on her when she stopped, mid splash, and froze.

I looked around to see what was up.

The grey squirrel in the willow froze too.

The male cardinal, who had been bouncing around above the bathing female stopped and looked around. I followed his gaze ... nothing.

When I turned back to the puddle, the cardinals were gone and the barred owl was drinking deep from the shallow water.

AN OWL DRINKING WATER!!!

It seems so mundane, and yet, I'd never seen it before.
I think I had assumed they got all their moisture needs from the bodies of their prey, but this guy was slurping deeply.


When he finished his drink, he slipped silently up into the willow, perhaps a little embarrassed at being caught in such a normal, mortal act.

Barred Owl Duet

If you look back at yesterday's post, you'll find a little riddle at the end that pertains to today's topic.

A favorite Minnesotarctican blogger pal of mine, Deb of Sand Creek Almanac, successfully solved the puzzle.

Barred owls ...OWLS ... plural.



After fawning over the two young deer in the front yard Wednesday, I changed clothes and headed out to the garden. It's now sporting a 7 foot high fence to deter deer damage. Entering it is like entering the Octagon for an ultimate fighting match.
There's no more hopping over the hog panel fence for that tool you forgot. Now you have to go out the 7+ foot tall gate.



I planted my 4 little datil pepper plants with my camera hanging nearby on a fence post ... 'cause, you just never know.



Just as I finished watering in the pepper plants, a barred owl called from my southeast woods. Then, another called back.

"Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you?"

I grabbed the camera off the post and crept into the woods, my neck craning up. There's been no rain for weeks, so the ground is dry and crunchy. I was trying to avoid noisy footfalls, but that's hard to do when you're looking up for owls, yet down for a quiet place to place your foot.

Walk, stop, listen.

Walk stop,listen.

No sign of them and they had stopped calling the moment I entered the woods, so that was no help.

It was late in the day and the upper canopy was lit by golden sun. Everything below was in deep shade.

I clicked on the flash for fill, not really expecting to get close to the owls. After all, they could be next door at my absentee neighbor's place.


Then suddenly, there he was.

I crept off the trail and into the thick brush beneath his tree. Every dry crunchy step drew his stare. In between he would turn and look away.

Owls always seem to do that. It reminds me of small children who think if they can't see you, you can't see them.

I banged off a few shots and then he flew silently to another oak ...where the second owl was waiting!!

Sweet Sara N. Dippity!

I backed out slowly the way I came and crept quietly towards the new tree where a brace of barred owls balanced on a branch.

Walk. Stop. Listen.

Listen ...




"Psssst ... There's a guy with a camera down there ... stalking us."

"I know. Whatever you do ... don't look at him. If you look at him, he's there. Just turn your back on him like me and he'll go away."




"Um, he's still there ... we need to abandon limb."

Shhhh, listen, I'll leave first, then you follow a few minutes later ... we'll meet down by the pond"

"You can't see me, you can't see me"

When the last owl lifted silently from the branch and swung out towards the pond, I followed.

I lost track of their landing zone among the oaks that ring the pond, but that was okay. I'd certainly gotten my money's worth of owl time. Barred owls here at PFHQ seem almost wren like in their tolerance of me. Search this blog for barred owls and you'll find a bunch of owl posts where they let me get right on top of them ... well, right beneath them anyway.

Last weekend, as I finished the bench project at twilight, one of them swooped past me, wings outstretched, silent ... so close that it would be tempting to say his wing tips brushed my nose, but they missed by a centimeter or two. Then he landed on a magnolia branch right next to me ... four feet off the ground and stared.

Just amazing.

After the owl duet, I was pretty stoked, but not ready to give up. My light was really going now, but I walked down to the pond and stretched out on the dock. With our severe drought, the pond has shrunk to a wading pool size puddle and I thought I might get some waterhole shots of the deer if I lay still.

The dock boards were warm from the day, surprisingly comfy, and a pair of cardinals were flitting about in the puddle. I took a few shots of them and then just lay there, listening to the breeze and the promising rustlings of something in the willowy brush.

What happened next was something I'd never seen before ...