happy fourth of july...be happy, don't worry...

i'm not draggin rio here, she was enjoying sliding down the hill at the school playground. life is full of simple pleasures. dogs and kids are usually the best at enjoying those things. we grow up, we get busy and we forget to stop and slide down the hills.

they have video's of bears doing just this sort of activity on snow. very funny.

took the time today to walk and enjoy.

just a grebe on the lake.

the ducklings are growing up fast. they really look like adults already. took me a minute to figure out they were smaller versions still.

these baby geese are just so dang cute! i walk everyday so i can really tell when and how sick i am. wednesday i wasn't able to go for a walk, thursday i managed a slow walk up patterson and back (0.8 mile each way), i was tired and short of breath. friday, i did two walks up and back down patterson...getting stronger. today i walked up patterson, around cheney lake and back. took about 2 hours and i took a nice nap after, but i'm getting better. generally the worse i sound the better i feel.

it was drizzling as i walked. i actually don't mind a walk in the rain at all. dress properly and all that it's quite pleasant. there are just so many colours of green that are brought out in a rain. the bug counts were also down today which is always great.

took the time to sit at the park and watch the geese. they were walking towards me despite the dogs. blossom ignored them til the last moment then she just made a step towards them and off they went to the lake. not that they are safe there from a swimming dog,but she was leashed so they were.

again, didn't bother with my bigger camera as it was raining out. close ups look mildly blurred but with all that fluff these guys are still cute.

looks like they are getting a talking to. short time to grow before they have to fly south. i always love seeing the geese back in town. they always arrive like they own the joint. blossom enjoyed the walk through the neighborhood as there are many feral rabbits. my friend laughed when i called them feral rabbits, sounds like they have turned viscious or something. nope, just released and breeding wild now.

introduced animals can really become a bother. was just watching a show on tv last night about the pythons in the everglades. people have apparently just released them when they got too big to be "pets" anymore. sadly, they have no natural predatures out there and are doing quite well eating up all the other animals. the biomass they are able to consume is huge and they are just getting started. they have moved all over the preserve and are able to breed out there so a big problem for the keepers of the everglades and the future of the sensitive species trying to survive out there.

i opted to skip swimming. seems silly when you are sick. i've finally learned how to allow my body to rest. i'm sick, but i'll get better. my work helps me keep perspective. life is short, live each day, if you are feeling sick, enjoy a book or movie or wimbledon, but it's best to not let the little crap of life get you down. i can't be around people who whine and complain about silly crap too much. just can't be bothered. in general i think we all have it quite grand in this country. we do have so many opportunities and all we have to do is take action. our destiny is our own, thanks to the founding fathers.

there is much that isn't right in our nation as is the case in any nation, but overall, it ain't half bad. overall, traffic runs according to the rules. can't even take something like that for granted. in other countries there appears to be little rules and following the ones that may exist seems optional. womens rights, human rights, animal rights, in many nations these concepts do not seem to exist. women are still considered property and expendable, animals roam the streets as do children. rape and violence are common, corruption is common.

guess what i'm saying is happy fourth of july and thanks to those who sacrifice and serve to protect what we have and what we stand for.

even the geese in this country follow some sort of order. :-)