Finally!

So Thursday was a nice day. No gorgeous compared to what we have just dealt with for the last 5 months. And considering what this weekend is like, gotta take it while you can. Nothing major to do outside and the umpteen loads of laundry are not going to get done while the sun is shining. Meredith spent the day up in Dubuque with her Nana and cousin, touring the River Museum and keeping them from getting lost. The kid has been in that town enough times to know her way around.

It was 62 degrees per the bank clock on the way home so I made it my mission to enjoy what was left of the day. Change clothes, rearrange dogs, pull on my new wellies, grab the net, bucket and walking stick, a couple of kids and of course some dogs. Off to the creek we go.

Last week, David and the Ms got a close up view of a new resident in our creek---an otter. The argument at home that night between them and Alec over it was funny. Continued for a few days. But from what they say, it wasn’t the mink or the weasel that we know are down there. It was indeed an otter and after last night, the tracks all over the banks prove it. Of course we didn’t see it ourselves but it’s exciting to see that it’s there. The heron is back too-tracks all over. A few coon prints, I think we saw some of the mink’s tracks too. Now this is just a little head water creek meandering through a little pasture, but it’s a gold mine for wildlife and we love it.

Kids took the big fish net and bucket. Caught some minnows for the duck pond and then found some dead baby snappers. Hate to say this, but rather have them dead then biting my dogs. BUT the find of the night was a nice healthy red eared slider turtle! They are endangered in Iowa and illegal to take. We checked it out a little, making sure it was in good shape and let it go in the bog area. So happy to have that little guy around and Meredith is making sure she checks up on it regularly.

Did I mention dogs? Oh yeah, took the Old Man, Moose, Frankie and for her first ever creek adventure, Pete. A few PETERMAN’s were yelled along the way but for the most part, she was perfectly behaved. Did I also mention that I breed water dogs? The boys knew darn well what we were doing when I opened the paddock gate—SWIMMING! Fred was in first, followed by Moose. Frankie brought up the rear and not to be left out, Pete jumped right in and started swimming. And swimming and jumping and swimming. Frank tried to jump the creek in one spot and like a cartoon, he wasn’t going to make it, stopped in mid flight and belly flopped. They all had a blast. Mud, sand, water. All of them went not only wading but swimming too.

I love correct coats. The water just shed off them, the mud dried and fell out of their coats. Granted they did spend more time in the yard after we got back to dry off but it didn’t take too long.

We did have an incident and now Frankie is considered a tattle tail. Fred and Moose ran ahead while we were admiring the turtle. Frankie and Pete said, wait, they are wayyyy to far ahead. They actually ran up to the north fence line and were thinking about investigating the cattle pasture. Big no no. So Frankie started barking and kept looking over his shoulder with a –look Ma, they’re not supposed to be there! One holler at Moose and they wandered back down by us. But the whole tattle tail part is now causing issues. Moose tried to run Frankie off the bank and into the creek, more then a few times on the way home.

So it’s now spring in the pasture and I am assured that the dogs will be asking for more adventures to the creek. No worries, as long as we don’t have too much flooding, there should be many more of them.

Later gators...
C