New Guinea Singing Dogs

 

 Now this was a day I'd looked forward to for several days. I'd heard via Facebook that Tom, who owns and rescues New Guinea Singing Dogs, was coming to Denver, right past our kampground. I asked if he could stop here, and he agreed. He came with 2 pups and 2 adult dogs. In this photo we see Jeff, our KOA owner, holding a pup. For those who don't know, the Singer is a wild dog from New Guinea, a large island north of Australia. They are related to the wild dogs of Australia, the dingos, and look very much the same except they are smaller. The name "Singing Dogs" is appropriate because they howl like wolves, but the timbre and tone is much more musical, especially when a bunch of them are together. Their "songs" are quite beautiful.

 These girls are Audrey and Nikki, our pizza girls at the KOA. They were thrilled to see and hold the pups. We heard (and exclaimed) many oohs and aahs! and, "I want one!" When we were the animal caretakers at the Roo Ranch in Deadwood, South Dakota, in 2008 we worked with 6 adult dogs and 3 pups. I fell in love with them. Though wild, they are extremely sweet and affectionate when tamed.

 Here is Tom, holding a Singer. Though many are tamed, they are still wild dogs, and need to be confined carefully. Owners typically have large yards with high fences, as the dogs are escape artists. Their natural instinct as they roam the countryside is to catch and eat other critters, so they can't be let loose to do that. Many zoos around the U.S. have Singers on display. There is not a large number of these dogs in this country.

We all enjoyed our minutes with these beautiful creatures. I would love to have a Singer, but living full time in an RV definitely makes that impossible. I'll have to stick with my kitty cats!

Parker Adventist Hospital

 Recently Mr. Keith needed a spinal surgical procedure called a kyphoplasty, for a compression fracture, his second one. We were sent to the Parker Adventist Hospital, a wonderful place. We hated the reason we had to go, but we absolutely loved being there! The doctors and nurses are the best we've ever had, in their attention, concern, and diligence to make sure everything was okay. One nurse spent the entire time with us, about 4 hours. Keith felt like he was the only one there, getting the very best treatment.

 I walked around outside for awhile and found this metal sculpture named "Eden Restored". The snow on the figures added extra poignancy to this mother and child holding a bird.

 Here is Jesus, wiping tears from the eyes of the little boy examining His nail scarred hand.

 As soon as he was awake, Keith got to order some breakfast. His favorite is always pancakes, but this plate had an odd addition, an edible orchid! He was too chicken to try it. I should have eaten it! Guess I was chicken, too.

This is the view from the hospital, those gorgeous Rocky Mountains. I had a yummy breakfast in the cafeteria, and got to look at the mountains as I ate. We will most likely never have reason to return to this hospital, but it will always be a sweet memory for us.

A Conversation

 BigTruk: "I feel so alone and cold over here by the fence. No one pays me any attention. My big, beautiful dualies are covered up like they don't even exist. All the business and use goes to that uppity little blue Focus. My humans must like her better than me. What can she do that I can't do?"

Me: "Don't you fret, Mr. BigTruk! Your big, important job is just ahead of you. Or should I say behind you? You'll be out in front in the lead. Be patient. Miss Focus can't do what you can do then. She'll be following you!"

 Miss Focus: "We all have our role to play in life! I can do three things you can't do, Mr. BigTruk. I can save my owners lots of money by drinking gas instead of diesel. And I can get into a small parking space, and I can turn around easily, all things you can't do. It just seems to you as though they like me better because they use me much more often."

Me: "It's like us humans. God gives some an everyday kind of faith for the smaller, more ordinary jobs in life, and to others looking on it seems these people must be more important or more loved. Others, like Mr. BigTruk, may be in the shadows for part of the time, unnoticed, and then when the need arises, they come to the fore for the big jobs. We are all important to God! Each of us has a gift, not to be compared to others. Play your role as best you can, for Him!"

"And whatever you do in word of deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him." Colossians 3:17

My Desk, My Day

This is my desk, located in the bedroom in our 5th wheel. From here I'm able to get my thoughts out on my blog, on Facebook, emails, and other avenues. That's my iMac, with my torti cat sitting on the mouse and looking out the window. You can even see the thermometer, registering 26 degrees outside. I love looking at my favorite curtain, a collection of scarves tied to a rod. Try it if you have some scarves or large handerchiefs lying around.

I had the whole day off today, New Years. I've been working as much as I can so this day is a treat. I have nothing earth shaking to write about, no trips to the mountains, no trips into Denver to see the sights, just a quiet day at the campground.

I always get up early, 5ish, and sit quietly drinking my coffee, holding my black kitty, reading my Bible and checking Facebook, the weather, email, etc. After dressing I went over to the store-office to let the campground kitty out and give her a treat. Then I got the Gator going so I could make a run around the park. I had noticed that one of the wheel covers on BigTruk had blown off yesterday in a fierce wind so I tried to find it. No luck. In making my rounds I discovered some campers had left bags of garbage in the wrong place so I collected it and headed over to the dumpster.  It was cold and slick. Bunnies ran out and away as I passed. They like to stay under the RVs that are stored in the back of the campground.

I discovered a new 5th wheel had pulled into a spot during the morning. I knocked on his door to let him know he needed to plug in the water riser, or it would freeze. He'll be here awhile. We have about 18 or 19 monthlies here who are working on projects around Denver. Most of them will be gone by spring, just in time for the summer campers.

I'm excited to be starting a course on creativity, "The Artist's Way", led online by my cousin who is a much published author. That will be fun and challenging for me. The course covers many forms of creativity, not just writing. I hope it will give me some inspiration as I learn new piano compositions, and of course I need help making my blog more interesting!

After a quick trip to King Soopers, our nearest supermarket, I stopped along the road where there are prairie dog towns, hoping they'd not scamper into their holes when they saw the car, but they did. I guess I need to sit for an hour to put them at ease. No time for that now.

Home again, I played a few piano pieces, then made another trip over to the office to let Callie the campground kitty back in. It's too cold for her to be out all night, though she could probably join the bunnies, wherever they sleep. Oh no. I forgot, she eats the bunnies!

So passes a quiet day. Mr. Keith is still recuperating from back surgery. In a minute I'm going to serve us up our favorite evening snack, ice cream, put on a Netflix to watch till bedtime. Tomorrow is another "work" day, or, as we workampers like to call it, a "fun" day. What will it hold?

Quiet Times

 Since Mr. Keith hurt his back and had surgery, we've stuck very close to home and led the quiet life. There have been no days off to take sight-seeing trips in our beautiful surroundings, so I've snapped photos where I can. Here is our itty bitty Christmas tree, complete with nativity scene, gifts from daughters, a snowman, and a festive bear.

 The workamping lifestyle is one of great fun and adventure for us, the only down-side being so far away from family. God has blessed us in this place with the nicest people in the world, it seems. There is a close knit country concern for neighbors and folks in need, which we are during the holidays! A co-worker invited us to join her family for a Christmas Eve dinner, a true blessing for two old coots without our own family nearby. On the way there, a 12 mile drive out on the prairie, we came across these buffalo foraging for food in the snow. I had to stop and get photos! These critters are raised on a ranch near Byers, Colorado. We'd seen them before, but not up close, and not posing so picturesquely in the snow.

 These new friends were our wonderful hosts for Christmas Eve dinner, the Gates, a caring couple with big hearts and an open home. They made us feel so included.

 Part of the afternoon's fun, props for funny photos!

 Christmas Day, another quiet time at home. I took a walk around the campground in the snow, and was intrigued by these semi-symetrical tracks, seeming to point towards the two trees in the background. Gotta take pleasure in small things!

I let myself into the closed office-store to check on our campground pet, Callie. (How many calico cats have you seen who are named Callie?) She wanted to go outside but wasn't so sure when she felt the cold air. I'll go back later to let her in again.

So passes another calm day while Mr. Keith recuperates a little more. Back to work tomorrow for me!

This 'n' That

 Our two cats, Montana and Mia, are our traveling companions. They are like our kids, providing lots of love and amusement with their antics. Montie, our longhaired black kitty, usually sleeps in this shoebox which is just big enough for him, but when Mia, our tortie, decided to curl up in there, he had to join her. What a tight fit!

 I am a very amateur birdwatcher. The other day I was "watching" the doves that live in our KOA campground when I spotted this bird, about the same size as the doves, pecking his way up the tree outside our RV. I snapped a couple of photos, then went to the Peterson Bird I.D. app on my iPad and discovered he is a red-shafted northern flicker. Very pretty! Click to enlarge the photo, and you will see the red stripes near his beak.

Mr. Keith has been laid up with a bad back for awhile — that's why we haven't taken any trips to blog about lately. John, age 5, who lives in a 5th wheel near to us with his mom and dad, heard about Keith's illness, so he colored these pictures as a gift. We were so touched when he shyly presented them to Keith, ending his visit with a hug. He is a special little guy, so thoughtful and polite. His gift will remain on our wall for quite awhile! We are thankful to God for these small pleasures of life — cats, birds, kids — and hope our eyes will always be open to His gifts.

A Few Thoughts

Mr. Keith and I took a drive last week, making a circle from Strasburg to Limon, then back west through Kiowa where we had lunch, and north to Strasburg again. I always have my camera in case we see something picture-worthy. About 20 miles from home we came across a group of horses and mules lining the fence along the road.

This mule, standing stubbornly behind the "No Trespassing" sign, reminded me of some people who reject the company and support of others. Maybe I'm like that sometimes, chalking it up to shyness, or to not wanting to bother anyone with my problems.

Or, maybe I'll get with a few friends of like mind and share with them.

Better yet, I want to include all those around me, knowing each one has great value in God's eyes, so should have importance to me, too. It's a big pasture out there, and we need each other for company, for support, for fun, for joy, and just because God's greatest commandment is that we should love Him and then love our neighbor as ourselves. Just a few thoughts on a pleasant day's drive.