Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Spring mornings with Baby Dog

The redbud is budding right now. Yesterday morning this tree was barely pink, and this morning, well, as you can see. Two days of 90 degree heat have acted like rocket fuel to push the greenery at a speed almost impossible to believe. Since I’ve seen it happen, I know it’s not impossible, but still. Boy, that was quick.

This hot spell is supposed to end when a storm passes later today, and I’ll be glad to see it end. I’m not ready for 90 degrees just yet (not that I ever really am ready for it), and I’m really not ready for it when I still had the heat on as recently as last Thursday. I still have sweaters in my dresser drawers, for heaven’s sake, and I have no idea where my shorts are at the moment.

Dog and Baby Dog are shedding so much that not only do I have a fur carpet, but I can’t believe they can have any hair left on their bodies. Baby Dog is not yet used to having the door open, and every sound she hears is cause for barking. A car a quarter of a mile away needs barked at. A dead branch falling from a tree 100 yards away needs barked at. The cabin is tight enough that during winter we can’t hear many outside noises. Now that the windows are open, and the screens down, lots of little and unimportant noises are heard again. Baby Dog has to bark at them all, even the blue jays scolding outside the door or the great-horned owl calling from further up the mountain early in the morning. Yelling at her doesn’t make her stop. The only way she stops barking is for me to go to the door, look outside and confirm that there’s nothing to worry about. Then she stops barking at that but soon, very soon, Something Else needs barked at.

I hope she gets over this before long or it’s going to be a very long summer.

6 comments:

tiptoethruphylsgarden.blogspot.com said...

My dogs have never gotten over barking at sounds,but they do understand now when I say...there is no one out there!They grumble a little when I don`t go look,but they seem to understand.hah,hah,phylliso

Carolyn H said...

Phylliso: I wish Baby Dog would stop barking without me going to the door. That would be a help, since I have to drop anything I'm doing to go look now.

Carolyn H.

Grizz………… said...

My own Moon the dog has quit barking at everything—though there's still plenty along the river to bark at…canoes and kayaks, fishermen, coons, skunks, possums, geese and ducks in the yard, the pileated woodpecker, the meter reader, the UPS gal, the groundhog by the drive, and especially SQUIRRELS!

Cooler here today. And you know, I'd be happy if it never got about 72 in the spring and 80 in the summer. If I wanted 90 degrees I'd move to Georgia.

Cathy said...

Good post. yea my leaves up here just burst open overnight. Woke up this morning and it was like whoa. The hummingbirds are also back now, well at least one came back.

Tomorrow I have the day and I'm really looking forward to it.

Jacqueline Donnelly said...

Thanks for the Redbud photo! That winding road just beckons me to come for a walk. Lovely!

We had this weird heat in upstate NY as well, popping lots of flowers out all at once. Tonight it's rainy and chilly. And I'm glad.

Carolyn H said...

Griz: Now that it's cooler again, the windows are closed, so Baby Dog has less to bark at--for a while.

Cathy: Ah, blessed relief from that hot weather. Weird storm too--no thunder, no lightning, just a cool breeze that instantly refreshed.

Woodswalker: I have redbuds everywhere this year--dogwood, not so much. I spent the evening trying to find a spot with both redbud and dogwood so I could have both in the same photo--didn't work.

Carolyn H.