Sunday, March 23, 2014

Soggy Socks

Guests at Elmira
Ilya Digging Gophers
Jasper Pond Gazing
Playing Dog Detectives
Stuck on an Island
Stuck
Pawing Eggshell Ice
Soggy Socks
Coaxing Ilya
Braving the Wade
Wet-Dog Shake
Ilya Drying by the Fire
A skiff of spring snow coats the pastures and two cars in our driveway. Elmira Pond has guests. My daughter Allison is visiting from Missoula, seeking the ranch solitude as she revises her graduate work--an hour-long radio script about remediation in the Treasure State (MT).

It's Sunday morning and my daughter knocks on my bedroom door. Peering in she asks, "Mom, do you want to go for a walk?" Her two huskies wrestle like wolf-pups in anticipation of walking the pastures and pond. Not wanting to miss a minute with my grown daughter, I get out of bed and into boots and heavy jacket.

Ilya doesn't waste a minute. As soon as we pass the horse gate into the south pasture he lopes to a gopher mound and digs. Allison sips tea and I snap photos. Jasper gazes longingly at Elmira Pond. We can hear pileated woodpeckers pounding tamarack bark that direction. "Let's walk around the pond," I say.

Allison calls Ilya, and we walk through another pasture to get to the pond. A red-winged blackbird and seed-seeking robins chortle. Two crows pass overhead cawing to the murder that awaits them across the train-tracks. Migrating birds are returning, but still the pond is a slab of ice with some pooling at the edge.

Huskies race ahead, edging around the pond like furry thoroughbreds. We slog behind, stepping from one frozen mound of grass to another with water gushing from beneath the ground like a living sponge.

In essence, Elmira Pond is a spring-fed sponge with a deep pool. How deep, I really don't know, but deep enough to contain fish and interest osprey and mergansers. The spongy, grassy banks attract frogs that in turn attract Blue Heron.

It's a thriving pond.

The huskies spread out, noses to the snow-covered grass, trailing mice and other alluring scents. Jasper seems content to play dog-detective, but Ilya is hunkering in that odd way that animals do before a leap. He's at the lip of a creek that flows out of the pond, south into the abandoned pastures of Bluebird Ranch.

He jumps, landing on the edge of the ice and breaking through. We both hold breath as the 85-pound dog flounders in deep water. How deep is Elmira Pond if its overflow is beyond the lanky legs of a husky? Ilya claws his way up to what we know realize is an island of grass.

It's that moment from "A Christmas Story" when the schoolboy, Flick, is dared to touch his tongue to the playground flag pole--he cries with increasing panic, "Stuck? Stuck...stuck!" That's the expression on Ilya's face. He's stuck on an island, surrounded by deep water and eggshell ice. And he's panicked.

Allison is relieved and tries to coax him back. But Ilya has slunk from confident hound to terrified kid. He paws at the water, trying to obey but afraid to step. Allison now walks around the creek, treading carefully across a narrower spill of ice-covered water and is walking to the other side of the island.

But an island, is an island; surrounded by water. Ilya is good and stuck. I'm left to guard over Jasper lest he tries to get to Ilya, and together we stand in a sinking bog. If my socks are getting wet, it's worse for Allison. She steps off a hummock of grass into water that pours over the tops of her boots. Her yelp let's me know that it's really cold.

Ilya continues to paw at water and whine. I'm thinking if my daughter goes into the water, I'm next. This soggy-socked rescue is not going well. Finally, Ilya musters the courage and plunges into the creek on the other side of the island. It's belly-deep and he treads across.

Once on the other side, he's so happy he runs to Allison. I'm so relieved. When Ilya reaches her, he gives a full-body wet-dog shake. Now Allison has more than wet socks. The huskies reunite and romp back toward the pastures. And again, Allison and I slog behind.

Back at the house, I start us a fire and brew strong coffee while Allison towels off Ilya on the porch. He then stretches out before the fire, smelling of wet dog. The order mingles oddly with woodsmoke and java.

My daughter and I laugh at the sprawled dogs and go change our socks.

This is our soggy, silly story for Sunday. Join host blogger, Everything Susan, for more Silly on Sundays stories.


22 comments:

  1. Poor pup! Isn't it funny how such big and bad dogs turn to mush at times? My Tidbit does similar silly things and I just shake my head and go with the flow just like your daughter did to save her baby. I be the fire has warmed you all through and through.

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    1. So true! My daughter has issues with water, but she was going to save her dog. Me, I was prepped to save my daughter!

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  2. Dogs are such bravehearts in their own unique ways. I'm glad you didn't have to perform a lifesaving swim with a struggling husky. Toby went through the ice this week at the reservoir. He loves running on ice and looked thunderstruck when it gave way. Thankfully, he was near shore and able to get himself back on solid ground. We now have open water, which seems to make the migratory fowl quite content to congregate on the far shore.

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    1. It's funny, that expression the dogs get when ice gives away. But luckily, both were near shore and it's not as frigid. We are so close, but need more melting!

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  3. Oh how I adore your stories and photos Charli! So much action and adventure, all on a morning walk. You sure know how to write about your experiences well, with very satisfying endings. Love love your writings, and love you too. -Susie

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    1. Hi Susie! Oh, you know me--life's one big story! :-) We all happily dried out!

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  4. What an adventurous Sunday morning walk. Ilya looks so content, relaxed and happy.

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    1. It did tire him out! He tried to act as if that wasn't him panicking on the island...

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  5. I love your blog posts, Charli. And I love your page layout with your multiple photos. When I come to 'Elmira Pond Spotter, I always pan down your photos and read the captions, getting a visual sense of the story that awaits me, then I return to the top with great anticipation to read your well-written words which fill in the 'rest' of the story (as Paul Harvey used to say). Dogs & People and that special Pond make for a marvelous 'read' always!

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    1. Thanks for telling me that! I'm always interested in the reader perspective. In some ways, I look at this template as a script that has a storyboard running alongside it.

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  6. These are beautiful photos and it looks like you are having a wonderful time!

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    1. It was a beautiful morning and the huskies are always photogenic. Getting to spend time with one of my grown children is always priceless.

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  7. Your pets sure had a wonderful adventure :)

    Have a great week!

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    1. Yes! I think if people want adventures in life, simply add children or dogs to the mix!

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  8. Now, that's a doggy adventure to write about. Thanks for the article, Charli.

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  9. That is one poor soggy-doggy. I could only imagine his version of the story..."So mom...I seen this feather duster that I just couldn't pass up. I took off after it in a flurry. Just when I thought I could reach it...well...another one bit the ice."
    Dogs are amazing creatures. Great story!

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    1. Ha, ha! I'm sure that's a close match to his story! Dogs are great fun and provide constant stories. Thanks!

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  10. IIya is a gorgeous dog! Now your story and the photos make me want to go romp in the woods, shallow lakes and soggy spots. I believe I shall pass on chasing the little mice though :)

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    1. That he is! He's a rescue dog, too. We were told he was "unadoptable." Look at him now--he's a blog star. Great time to romp, but wear your rubbers! It's soggy out there!

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  11. The dog looks like it was perfectly wonderful, never mind the soggy socks. :)

    And that's the 3rd time I've read a reference to that Christmas movie. I'm getting curious enough to go rent it!

    I'm visiting today from Susan's linky. :)

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    1. Thanks for visiting from Susan's linky! I'm enjoying this Silly on Sunday--seems to keep me on my toes all week looking for silly stories. Do rent "A Christmas Story." It's such a classic and very funny, yet wholesome. We watch it every year and still laugh out loud.

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