Hiking—Our Little Joke!

Today has been great. This morning I slept in and didn't feel guilty about it and I woke up happy, because it wasn't snowing. The first thing I did after getting out of bed was fold up Downer and put him back in the wine cellar with Hazle.

After taking a shower and dressing I put on my new thermal socks on and then I slid my feet into my new, beautiful, pair of hiking boots and laced them up. Then I trekked, over several scattered mounds of dog hair to get to the kitchen. Then I started cooking breakfast for Hank and Forrest Gump, because Tony was close to going outside to start doing our morning chores.

As I drank a cup of delicious Texas Pecan Coffee I cooked Hank and Forrest a pound of sausage with six scrambled eggs, courtesy of The Golden Girls and added a small heaping of grated parmesan cheese and then I added a scoop of our dog's dry dog food, so there would be plenty for both of them to eat.

When Tony looked at their steaming hot breakfast bowl, he sighed and told me that he was hungry, too. I felt sorry for him, so after he went outside to just go feed Forrest and Hank their breakfast, I started gathering the healthy ingredients to make us healthy juices to drink, before he and I went outside to do our chores.

First, I juiced the apples, pears, celery, carrots, cucumbers together and then I put the cabbage, kale, beet, ginger, banana, pumpkin seeds, almonds and chia seeds into Jaws, our Vita-mix machine and then after mixing it all together we each drank two, tall glasses of juice. It was delicious and healthy, but way too much juice to drink. So tomorrow I think that I will cut my nutritious recipe in half. Then Tony and I went outside to feed the rest of our dogs and to clean their pens.

When our chores were done outside we returned to The Cabin. Before checking my e-mail, I put two homemade meatless cutlet patties and the two leftover zucchini Fritt-ins, that Belle had left for us the other day after eating two of them, into the oven to warm. Then I poured a Baggie full of homemade beans into a pot to warm, on the stovetop. 

Then I checked my e-mail. Marguerite is a dear friend of ours and she works part-time at Wild Birds Unlimited, in Kerrville. In the past several years she has adopted three dogs from our rescue ranch: Enzo, Odi and most recently Minnie. Minnie, Little Debbie and Alice are three of the precious, six Chihuahuas that we rescued this past August. Marguerite sent me a picture of Minnie and she wrote:

Minnie loves sunny spots. Just finished stitching a sheet back together that was covering the futon in the photo. I suspect sleeping beauty. It's nice to know I'm not the only one repairing bedding.

I responded:

Hi Marguerite! I am still laughing. Maybe we could have a "quilting party?"

Tony and I ate lunch around 1:30. It was delicious, healthy and this time Belle had nothing to steal off of the drainboard.

Around 2:00, our good friend Rick, in Nicaraugua called and we had a fun visit with him. After we adios-ed each other I went into the bedroom to put on the clothes I wanted to wear for my first official hike, in my awesome Danner Mountain Light Cascade boots. 

Finally dressed and ready to go, I slipped my inspiring Nike+ Fuel Band onto my wrist, then I went to my office to fetch a hiking pole that I had to dust off from years of no use and a walkie-talkie. Then I asked Tony to please come outside to take a picture of Hank and me before we took off for a fun hike.

After Tony shot us, Tony and I turned on our walkie-talkies, did a sound check and then Hank and I took off hiking. 

About twenty minutes later, when Hank and I were sitting on a giant rock together, about five feet away from Big Foot Wallace Creek, I was talking to him about things not always working out the way we want them to and that it was fine, because better things were always just around the corner for us and that he was going to be fine and to trust me about it. Then we heard a vehicle cross over the cattle guard, then all of the rescue ranch dogs started barking. "Someone is driving into the rescue ranch," I told Hank, who already seemed to know that. Then I heard Tony take off in Kermit.

A few minutes later, Hank and I took off walking along the creek. Hank was having fun and he held his tail up high in the air. It was funny to me that he would walk a few feet and then stop, hike his leg, marking rocks, trees, brush, etc. Finally, it made me laugh out loud and that made him wag his tail and we all know that dogs laugh with their tails. So, I knew that this was going to be our little joke, just between friends.

About thirty minutes later, when we headed back to the rescue ranch, I pressed the talk button on the walkie-talkie and said, "Tony, we should be back there in about fifteen minutes or so." Click.

"Great. I'll meet you at Hank's pen and then close the ranch gate. And I've got a great surprise waiting for you." Click.

"What is it?" I asked to Tony's deaf ears. "What is it, Hank?" I asked, as I turned off the walkie-talkie and slipped it back into my vest pocket. Hank looked up at me, wagged his tail and then he hiked his leg, again. "Hank, when I told you that I was taking you hiking—I meant walking." Hank wagged his tail faster. He's got such a great sense of humor.

When Hank and I entered the rescue ranch, we heard Tony start up Kermit and take off, heading our way. I already had Hank put back in his secure, temporary pen when Tony and Kermit arrived. "Our hike was fun, " I told Tony. "What's the good news?"

"I was wrong," Tony said, wearing a big grin on his face. 

"About what?"

"About Cheryl Strayed being a stray that had been dumped by someone. The people came and picked her up to take her back home! And Cheryl was so happy to see them as they were to see her. It was great."

"Omg, this is such wonderful news! It makes my day, totally."

"I know. The nice man told me that she had dug out of their yard and that they have been looking for her ever since and they had been sick about her missing. Today when they went down to the mailbox they found the note that we had left about rescuing her and they immediately jumped into their truck and drove over here. He thanked me for picking her up and rescuing her and he told me that her fence was totally repaired and the hole fixed, so she hopefully will never escape again. I told him that we would pick her up again if we see her out on the highway and he thanked me, again and...."

After hiking with Hank I had planned to go back outside to take pictures of Forrest Gump and to write about him, but I have run out of daylight, so tomorrow I promise to introduce Forrest Gump, another fabulous dog that also loves my cooking, to y'all and I will have great pictures of him to show you, because he is one incredibly handsome dog that will (fingers crossed) be adopted sooner than later.

Well, today has been another great day at the rescue ranch. I am thrilled that Cheryl is back home with her loving family. I love my incredible great hiking boots so much and they are so comfortable. Now, I am fixin' to kick back, sip a glass of wine and try to finish reading Cheryl Strayed's fabulous book Wild. 

Y'all have a great evening!