A Sunday Walk

Yesterday the kids were skiing and Stig and I were going to take the dogs for a relaxing walk in the minus 14 degree temperatures.. Nanna was loose like always, as was old mamma Heidi...the other two were on what we call long leashes...about 15ft of leash which makes them feel like they are loose but they are really online. Unfortunately Isabella and Birdy are not good off leash so we have to keep them online at all times unless we are in a fenced area. Why you ask? Well, for exactly the reason I'm about to write... Isabella pulled on the very end of her leash and she is so strong, suddenly the leash said PANG and she was loose and running like lightening straight for the forest with Nanna hot on her tail...Birdy stood with me jumping up and down like she was desperate to join her buddies but I had her securely on leash and she isn't half as powerful as Isabella...so we stood there cussing the ever livin' daylights out of that Italian lioness and the Swede who was following her, Stig got up again (He had been knocked to the ground by the whole escape) and ran back to the house to get the ATV. Thinking he'd get to the woods and lure them back to us...yeah right...Birdy and I continued down to the field and onto the road Mr. Farmerman has made...we walked and called and walked and called but nothing. Got toward the end of the field and heard Nanna barking....called and called but nothing. Then silence...I went into the woods with Birdy and suddenly a white rabbit jumped out of the woods and ran across in front of us. Birdy jumped up on her back legs like she was begging the rabbit to come back and I stood there admiring the sight before me. You see I've heard of this "mystical" rabbit but never seen him. Stig and the kids claimed to see him several times last year but I never saw him. Even guests who visited us claimed to see the rabbit but not me...I was thinking they were all playing around with me and the rabbit didn't exsist...but yesterday I saw him and I forgot for a brief moment that I was actually out looking for that Italian bitch.....

Night fell and several hours passed with us searching both by car, foot, and on atv but no Isabella. After coming in for soup and warming up a bit, Stig went out to try once again and low and behold who should come trotting out of the woods on the road behind the house but Isabella...all covered in snow and breathing hard from her adventure.. I was so angry and so happy, I fell to my knees and hugged her and was so happy and then I remembered I was also mad and told her to go to the bathroom...where she went and rested the rest of the evening. GRRRRR.....

Today we decided to take another walk and made all the checks before heading out to make sure we wouldn't be losing any dogs today. The long leashes were left at home and regular leashes used, also a harness was used on the Italian and when everything was checked and double checked we began our walk in the same direction we began yesterday...across the field from the house and into the woods (photos above) and this time Nanna didn't wander far from us, she stayed close and old mamma Heidi did her best to keep up with us also...we followed a lot of tractor marks in the snow and it was a bit difficult for us to walk on, Heidi's back legs collapsed several times under her but she would pick herself up and keep on going...it helps to walk behind her and encourage her. I swear her little tail propells her forward....the more I encouraged her, the more it whipped back and forth and the more she pushed forward!!! I don't know many 94 years olds who could take the same walk she does, so I was proud. I know her time is ending but if she can keep doing what she loves until the end then I think she will be happiest that way! I honestly was scared we lost her yesterday, when we lost Isabella and went looking for her, Heidi followed, into the woods. But then she didn't come out of the woods when we did and I asked Stig if he saw her when he went to get on the atv but he hadn't. I walked back into the woods expecting to find a big white lump laying in the snow....I went all the way home but no Heidi. Stig called me to let me know she was back at home and so was Nanna so he had let them both inside..

Have had a headache all day today so I'll keep this short...until later my friends....