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.

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?

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