Returning from our walk, Lucy and I discovered a birds nest in the garage

We have three other outside doors in the house, but for some reason, we almost always come and go through the garage. While I suppose this isn't unusual, it is annoying. The garage is probably the worst room in the house. It is the repository for all kinds of nonessential household items -- the wet vac we never use, old storm windows, winter boots out of season, fishing gear, cans of paint.

But perhaps all this useless stuff provides a good hiding place, because was precisely behind paint, tucked away on a shelf, that Lucy and I discovered one of the best finds of the spring - a birds nest. We were coming back from a rainy day walk and stopped to take off wet shoes, which naturally would be left in the garage. We must of startled them, because we heard a scurrying noise in the storage shelf.

These birds have become another family pet. At first, all that we could see in the nest were two parent birds. They were so well camouflaged that often we weren't even sure they were there. We became very protective of them. One night my husband forgot the garage light was on, and it went down at 1:00 am to turn it off so they could sleep. You might think the garage not a good place, but we think maybe they liked that we would close the door at night. It kept them safe. In the morning, as soon as it was opened, they would fly out for food, and this was when we had the chance to peek in and see the eggs. So exciting! We didn't think they would hatch but sure enough, one day we heard the peeping. Even more exciting!!

Thus, yesterday when the laundry room door was open, a baby bird flew in. Lucy positively went bananas. Had it been up to her, this poor bird would have been her dinner. It was so scared, it kept flying into the walls trying to get out, just like the song says. But I'm happy to report, we rescued it with rubber gloves.

It was the real life version of "Bird in A House" by Railroad Earth.

Exercise is important, especially for a mini dashchund

I often feel our walk around the loop in my legs. As I've said, it's a very hilly loop we walk and I feel the last hill in my legs. But if I feel it, can you imagine how it must feel to Lucy? At a short 5'2", I stand at least seven times taller than she, and let's not even get into how much more I weigh. I figure that the mile and two tenths for me is the equivalent of seven for her. Yet, each day, she gamely runs out the door for our walk and doesn't usually complain until we've gone about a quarter of a mile. Then she locks her elbows and refuses to move. Sometimes I really have to pull her, skidding down the hill. Still, the exercise is important for both of us, so I insist.

Lucy doesn't have much of a vocabulary, but "walk" is one of the few words she knows. Immediately her ears pick up and she starts whipping her tail. If I go as far as to put on my shoes, well, that's it. She's off the chair, on the floor, and begging at the door. Then she's out like a bullet.

I'm always impressed that she so looks forward to the walks, considering how tired she is at the end. Maybe she is bored at home and it provides her with some intellectual stimulation. I rather doubt she is the least bit concerned about the exercise, although it is the walks that have allowed her to keep her girlish figure in spite of all the human food opportunities that exist in my house. Were it not for the walks, Lucy would look more like a bratwurst than a hot dog. Speaking of which, you might want to know that according to the L.A. Times Calorie counts of your favorite barbecue foods the brat has considerably more calories than the dog, weighing in at a whopping 283 sans the bun, while the dog, bun included, comes in at a mere 242.

But my guess is that a primitive, involuntary canine reflex kicks in and she simply can't help herself. It is always good to smell new smells, see new sights, have an adventure. So she eagerly begins each new walk. And then, when done, she walks right in the door, curls up and goes to sleep.

I guess I feel the same way. It's always nice to get outside, smell the flowers, trees and just mowed grass, hear the stream, look at the wildlife. And then, it's really good to snuggle up at home. It's a dogs life.

Grapevines found while walking Lucy

Did you know that grapevines like to grow by water? I did not. We have vines that grow by two streams on the neighborhood loop, and this afternoon I was up walking in another neighborhood and lo, if they didn't have vines also by their streams. The grapes start out in small, tight clusters and then blossom into a sticky, deep purple. I'm assuming they were domesticated at some point, and staged a garden breakout to live by the water. That sweat, heavy smell is a harbinger of summer.

Discovering our resident grapevines was a fringe benefit of walking. It's not the kind of thing you would notice in a car. Even on a bike you might be too concerned about oncoming traffic or unfilled potholes to catch the pungent fragrance. But with walking, you amble by. Walking a dachshund, who inevitably finds things of interest and will pull this way and that, you have plenty of time to stop and observe. Lucy gives me the excuse to get out and see that which I otherwise might miss.

Taking the dogs into the woods

We have a beautiful woods right down the street, and so Janine, Sadie, Lucy and I walked through them yesterday.

Sadie just loves the woods. Janine lets her off her leash and she runs like a gazelle. It is beautiful to watch. She positively finds mud to gallop through and scales tall riverbanks like the antelopes do on Planet Earth. Not only that, but Sadie comes when called, meaning that if other dogs are around, there are no worries.

Lucy, on the other hand, could do without the woods. Take her off her leash and she turns to go home. So I walk ahead and pull her behind me, kind of like one of those pull toy dogs the kids used to have. You know the type - you walk and they move up and down and clack. That's Lucy. She moves in fits and starts in the woods.

Sometimes I wonder if Sadie and Lucy are even the same species. How can a Dachshund and a Vizsla possibly both be dogs? Cats are cats. Birds are birds. And humans, well we all look pretty much the same anyway, no matter how we might act. But dogs can be as different from each other as they are from cats.

It's all rather amazing, don't you think?

Cooler, and a good day for a walk

Seems incredible that I would start a post noting that it is cooler than yesterday, but it is worth mentioning; yesterday was "southern-like." It was unbearable.

At any rate, I noticed the watercress have grown back, and since this blog is about things noticed while walking the dachshund, I need to tell you about the watercress. Along a patch of road is what I think of as our own lovely little nature sanctuary. A beautiful march chocked full of wildlife. In the early Spring, it is the first place you can hear the Tree Frogs chirp. Stalks of purple Salvia grow tall in the late summer. It's cooler there then too. Lucy is especially stubborn here to stop and watch the rabbits or chase a frog.

Each year, right about this time, we always see people harvesting whatever is growing there. This has caused some consternation for Janine and me. What are they gathering? Who are these people? Not knowing what it was, we wondered if it was legal. And let's face it, no one likes to have strangers wading through the mush.

Last week, Lucy and I were out and lo if I didn't see yet another car and another woman whacking away. She had huge black trash bags filled with the stuff. With Lucy as my cover, I gathered my courage and asked her just what it was. "Watercress," she answered. "I'm from the islands. We use it in salad, soups and stews. Try it."

So, I did. And watercress it was. But it left me wondering, does anyone really need that much of it? Each week there is another van gathering bags of it. Are they reselling it and is that what we are getting at green grocers - watercress from the side of the road. Either that, or is there something else that can be done with it. Maybe it is a hallucinogenic. We need to google and see.

Walking with Dachshund

Lucy, our Dachshund, and I, have been walking what we call, "The Loop" a hilly one and two tenths miles, for the past four years. Often we walk with our partners, Janine, and her Vizla, Sadie. But when they are not around, we go it alone. Actually, this blog would more aptly be called, "Pulling the Dachshund ," because as you can see, that is what it takes. Lucy is just as likely to lock her elbows and refuse to move as she is to walk. Dachshunds are notoriously stubborn, and Lucy is no exception to the rule.

As the name implies, and with their long snout as evidence, a Dachshund is a hound. I'm convinced that for her the word, "walk" really means "sniff," because that's usually all she wants to do. She gets all perky when I say "walk." Sits up, ears bend out and she has this endearing little trick of lifting her right paw, as if that makes the walk happen. To me a walk is a chance to move my legs, swing my arms, get fresh air and notice the world around me. To Lucy, it is just a chance to sniff.

Dachshund World