Enjoying Winter, & planning a Summer RV adventure
We’re having a very easy winter this year, and I’m lovin’ it. The days are getting longer now and everybody is starting to comment on how good it feels – today, January 31st,
the sun will rise at 09:22 and set at 17:06. The temperature only dropped to -7°C last night (+19°F – the average low for this day is -21C/-6F), and will go up to -5°C this afternoon (23F – the average high for this day is -11/+12F).
The biggest news in our life is about our old husky, Monty. He was diagnosed with nasal cancer last summer, was supposed to die in November, and was so sick by late September when I was on a month-long RV trip that I wondered if he’d just not wake up some morning. And yet he still loved life, and would get excited about going for the walks that had to get shorter and shorter.
On October 11th, I rescued a puppy from the Watson Lake shelter (we named him Tucker), for a few reasons. First, because Cathy and I both got “the message” that this was the right puppy to add to our family. Also, though, Monty had done such an amazing job teaching our last puppy, Bella, that we wanted to give him another go at it, even if only for the few weeks he had left. We also wanted to make it easier for Bella (and us) when Monty died.
We were in for a huge surprise, though. Five days after Tucker arrived, Monty woke up a new dog. He ate normally for the first time in 5 months, had good energy, and was clearly back as leader of his newly-enlarged pack. About 2 weeks ago, he had another sudden improvement for no apparent reason. This is Monty playing ball with Bella 2 weeks ago.
Monty still bleeds from his nose, though. Last weekend, a series of sneezes triggered an extremely bad one – the house and back yard looked like a multiple-murder scene. I took him to our vet the next day. There’s no explanation for what has happened over the past months, but the very short summary of a long discussion is that he doesn’t have cancer, he doesn’t have any infections, he’s simply not sick. He must have something stuck far up his nose, and a dog’s nose is so complex that there’s no way to find it much less retrieve it, with the equipment we have in Whitehorse.
After 8 months watching the most incredible dog I’ve ever had dying, I’m still in a bit of a daze, but I do bloody laundry every day and thank Dog that he’s still with us.
My pack loves their collective life, and they keep me believing that I’m one of the luckiest guys in the world. A couple of times a day, we take a walk around the property, and it often turns into something like this 🙂
Bella may be the one who has benefitted the most from Tucker’s arrival. She immediately turned into the most wonderful mommy-dog we could have hoped for. Watching Bella teach and watch over Tucker is very special.
They are pretty much inseparable, and Tucker’s energy has worn off the extra pounds that Bella had put on. In this photo shot a couple of days ago, they were hunting mice in the corral (so was Monty, a few feet away).
My life isn’t totally about dogs, though. There’s lots more to do, including quality relaxation.
My biggest project now is planning and getting ready for a major trip in the motorhome this summer. I’ll be on the road as soon as the road conditions allow, probably mid April, and will be gone for about 3 months. The huge figure-8 will take us to at least Ottawa, perhaps Quebec City. Cathy is going to be flying to Winnipeg in late May to join me for 4, possibly 5 weeks, and then will fly back to her job in Whitehorse. Because of the crashed Canadian dollar, we’ll be spending very little time in the States – down through Michigan’s UP, and back across the tops of Wisconsin and Minnesota to make the figure-8 work.
So, lots going on and lots to do, and over the coming months I’m going to have a lot to tell you about!
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