Life

One of the nice things about living in this area is the different plants and animals there are. Shayla has spent the last 25 years of her life in a semi-arid desert region. And while there is wildlife around, it's not often that you actually see it.

To shayla, this area is completely different. The paths that she walks along parallel drainage ditches, sometimes crossing them. Nothing special, and definitely necessary, given how it rains around here. But shayla would never have expected them to have so much life in them. She's used to cement-lined irrigation canals, not these ditches where the botttoms are dirt, rock, and grass. So it's been pleasantly surprising to see the small fish, various turtles, frogs, and the cranes that come down to the water in the mornings to catch them. And there seems to always be a snail, lizard or small snake on the path while she's walking. There've been times that shayla's walked in the evenings and come within a yard of a raccoon in a tree, or had to stop at a safe distance and let a skunk stroll off the path while she waited. Coming home to her Master smelling like a skunk would be a Bad Thang.

Another surprise was on the way to the faire the other day. The sides of the road and the median were full of wild-flowers, bluebonnets, Indian Paintbrush, & who knows what all else. So thick in some areas that they almost covered the grass. Master commented that often one would drive by people stopped by the side of the road, taking senior or wedding pictures in the flowers and grass. About 5 minutes later we passed a few cars stopped along a particularly thick area, stopping to take photos. A girl, perhaps 13 or so, a young boy and girl about 5, and a little farther, a little white dog, all being pictured in the flowers & grass. The dog was so small & the flowers were so thick that when we passed we almost missed seeing it.

Shayla normally enjoys the unusual, odd flowers. The orchids, irises, calla lillies, foxglove, & snapdragons, but there's something about wildflowers that really gets her attention. She thinks it's the simple beauty of them. Nobody planted them in perfect order, coaxed them to bloom, babied them; the seeds just got swept there by the wind & took root. The colors are just as random. Thick or thin patches of blue or red or yellow, other times a mixture of them all, in no particular shape or plan, just happening however they happened to land.

Some people may not consider all this to be notable, but to shayla, it's very enjoyable to see all this around her. And it makes her walks more interesting than they would be otherwise.

shayla