Dispersing

The remaining wood chips pile
looking West from my driveway

Rain finally here. It started last evening and rained pretty much off and on. In my front yard rain gauge 5.8" has collected. Now it is mid afternoon on Saturday, November 18, and the rain has significantly subsided to misting off and on. Shasta, as am I, are impacted by the biometric pressure. As I can hear my my late brother saying we are "wonky". So today we are both pretty slow moving. Shasta is sleeping most of the day.

I trust that I have not
buried too deeply the milkweed plants
with wood chips and mulch.

At this time of November, instead of planning when I might complete "refreshing" the wood chips, in the past Dwight and I were readying ourselves for our month long excursion to the Mono Lake area. We usually stayed in the downstairs apartment at the Walker River Lodge in Bridgeport.

The view out the kitchen window
looking East. It often snowed
after we arrived. By the time
we departed the roads
were all not only clear but dry.

On our way home we would take Highway 182. We would stop when we saw what looked like a healthy stand of Pinyon pine trees. Having brought our own saw we would share the activity of sawing our holiday tree. Dwight would then tie it to the top of our Prius using the rack on top of the car.

Shasta was very good at "supervising" the process. She never seemed interested in running around. I think there were often stickers in the sandy soil although I never found any imbedded in her paws.

This is one of my favorite pictures taken on our walk out of Bridgeport on Twin Lakes Road. Rose was such a incredible being. You can find her story by checking the archives on this blog. I vaguely remember the title as The Incredible Lightness of Being. She was extremely connected to Dwight.

So for me this particular time in November each year is "bitter sweet" as remember the fabulous excursions with Dwight and whatever dog or dogs we happened to have. Presently I do not feel motivated to drive myself and Shasta to the Eastern Sierras. 

As I face this particular difficult time without Dwight may I release the emotions with a frequent belly