A quiz for you: Was that SCARY or LUCKY? I think BOTH!

This was a first for us.  It was super hot Friday, so for our "longer" walk we waited until it was almost dark to get out the stroller and walk around the campground.  We were walking along the paved road and passed something on the inside edge of the pavement.  I stopped and backed up, saying to myself, "It looks like a large, fat lizard.  Darn, I didn't bring my camera!"  I wondered if it had been run over because it wasn't moving.  It was dark enough that I couldn't see the critter clearly, just an outline, barely, and it looked to be just sitting there, about a foot long and fat in the middle.  I was thinking, a big lizard that just had a meal.

I got closer, maybe three feet away, and started to lean down to see if I could get a clearer view when I heard the RATTLES.   SH*T!!!   (Excuse my French, it's my go-to word when totally shocked.)  I backed up as fast as I could, EEEEEEKKKKKKKKK!, pulling the stroller with me, almost turning it over twice and twisting my wrist.  GGGGEEEEEEEEEEZZZZ! 

I've never seen a rattlesnake in person before, and I guess I still haven't, but now I've sure heard one.  I walked quickly away, doing some of those breaths where you breathe in deeply and blow it out through your lips.  I kept saying to Katie, "That was really scary."  Then "That was really lucky."

It must have been coiled, and that's why it looked so short and fat.  Even though I couldn't see it clearly, when it started rattling, I could see a vague outline of the tail raised.  I couldn't believe it didn't strike at me when I leaned over to get a closer look.  I still think about it and say, Boy was that scary! Boy was that lucky!

Needless to say, no more late evening walks for us.  Last evening it was still completely light wen we walked, still, it was around 7:30 or so because that's when it starts cooling down enough to walk.  But completely light, and I scanned the road.  To the left, to the right, straight ahead, repeat, repeat, repeat.

Boy, was that scary!  Boy was that lucky!  WHEW!  :)

Here are a few shots taken in the last weeks:

Bluewater Lake State Park, NM

The Palms under a huge rainbow - we had a LOT of rain when we were there.

It was a double rainbow:

Two Raven lovebirds sitting on a rock together:

There were still some beautiful cactus flowers blooming:

When I see Gambel's Quail, I think of Nuns; when I see Turkey Buzzards, I think of SCOTUS.  Here's the Chief Justice:

(No religious or political implications meant.)

And here are three of the other Justices:

Elephant Butte Lake State Park, NM

Bunnies and lizards just remind me of bunnies and lizards:

I think this guy is called a Zebra-tailed Lizard.  What made him stand out is that when we were walking along and got too close to him, he scooted away with his tail in the air.  He didn't go far, just a few feet, and as we walked closer, he did it again and again.  This isn't a very clear shot, but was the best one I got of him.  I don't know what the loose neck skin is all about, or those weird toes.  And he sure looked different than other lizards when he flipped up his tail and ran.  I've never seen that before.  The underside of his tail is white with black stripes around it.

Beautiful Eastern sky the other night at sunset.  There are lots of evenings where the sunset isn't as pretty as the eastern sky, and this was one of them.

Sunset sky over Elephant Butte Lake:

I'm still quaking about the rattlesnake incident.  Wow, that was scarey!  And I just can't say that without saying, That was SO lucky!

From me and Katie, have a great Sunday, everyone!  :) 

PS:  Here's a great idea for you, and something I should have brought with me on the rattle snake walk the other night:  
This one is made by Coleman and comes in different colors.  The one I got is exactly like this except it has three lights, one in the middle edge of the brim, and two under the brim.  It's plenty of light to see at night, and so much easier than holding a flashlight.  So if you order from this link, you might get three lights instead of four, but I'm super happy with mine. 

They are well made with very sturdy material.  I should have had mine on the other night during our scarey rattle snake walk.  :) 

Blogging break...

I seem to be on a blogging break.  I went through the photos that were left from Storrie Lake, and honestly, none of them are that interesting.  I left Storrie and traveled to Bluewater Lake State Park, but so far there is nothing new to write about or photograph here.  I haven't even seen any horses!  Lots and lots of thunderstorms, though.  Raining like crazy almost every afternoon.  There is so little sun I needed an electric site.  And nothing to post about.   :(

BUT - even though there is nothing to say right now, I HAD to post this.  Because every time I pull up my blog to check out YOUR posts on my Blog Roll, I see the photos of the SNAKES.  I'm so tired of looking at those Bull Snakes - they aren't my favorite critters.

I noticed the photo below on-line this morning and thought it was so cool.  Talk about taking a photo at the exact right second!   So...   here it is, and it's going to be nice to look at as I'm scrolling through to read all your posts.

It's from imgur.com and was titled, Perfectly Aligned.  Isn't that the coolest photo?  I would have been happy to snap it even without the plane above it in the sky.  I think it's a Canada Goose, right?  What perfect form!  Note:  Per Judy and Tom in the comment section, it's a Sandhill Crane.  Thanks to you both!

Oh, wait, I DO have something to tell you about.  Poor Katie.  About a week ago Katie stepped on a red ant again.  Same foot as the red ant nest two years ago.  Just one ant this time, I think, but she went nuts.  It must have been inside her pads again, because I couldn't see it.  She was crying and lifting her right rear foot, which was shaking like mad.  We went inside The Palms and she ran to her car seat and started licking the foot like crazy.  She wouldn't let me touch it, or even look at it.  Apparently she is very allergic to their bites/stings.

When I tried to pet her she snapped at me.  She was determined I wasn't going to get close to her.  (I don't' think she would have bitten me, but she did snap, as a warning, and I left her alone.)

I immediately went on-line to see if there was anything I could do for her.  Then I called the Vet she's seen in Las Vegas, NM.  She just had her annual check-up there.  I wasn't happy with what he said, so I called the Vet in Grants, the nearest city to Bluewater Lake.  Ditto with him.  There didn't' seem to be much I could do.

I went back on-line and all the sites suggested making a paste of baking soda and water and applying it to the bitten area.  There were other things as well, but that one was on all the sites.  Of course, Katie wouldn't have let me NEAR her paw, and there was no way I was going to spread her toes and apply a paste, so I made a "solution" of baking soda and water in a plastic "squeeze" catsup bottle.  Then I went over to her and drizzled the liquid onto her foot, from over her head - out of reach so she couldn't snap at my hand.  I drizzled it a few times.

Within a minute, her foot stopped shaking and she finally laid it down on the blanket covering the car seat.  Not long after that, she jumped up over the passenger seat back to the dinette bench seat, down on the floor, and walked over to her water bowl.  She wasn't putting all her weight on that foot at first, but it didn't take long before she was walking normally. 

It was amazing!  That solution was a miracle.  She's been fine ever since.  Just in case you have a similar experience with your dog, BAKING SODA AND WATER!

And an update on the joint issue with that same leg. About a month ago I started her on VetIQ Hip&Joint Glucosamine.  I got it at Wal-Mart.  There are 45 "chicken Flavored Soft Chews" in the package.  A dog Katie's size gets 1/2 treat every other day, so they will last us 180 days.  I've noticed that she is walking longer and longer, and just this week she has a bounce in her step again.  We took a walk yesterday (with the stroller along, as usual) and Katie walked a mile without stopping to be lifted into the stroller.  That was a first!

I've been taking Glucosamine Chondroitin for years, and it's made a real difference in my joints.  I used to have knee and hip pain, but haven't had a twinge in YEARS.  I think it's really working for Katie, too.  They say it takes a month or so to start noticing improvement, and that's what I've found, with both Katie and myself.  It would be nice if we could go back to taking walks without the stroller along.  :)

Here's Katie in her new halter:

And that's it for now.  From me and Katie, take care everyone!  :)

More Storrie Lake critters

Okay - continued from my last post:

Warning, Warning, Warning!  Snake photos!

One day when Patti and I were walking down Flat Stanley Road and got to the bridge area, a young girl came running over to warn us to stay back.  There was a snake in the bushes.  So of course, we almost RAN over to see what it looked like.  Out came my camera, and when we got back to our rigs, Patti looked up Bull Snakes and came over with a You Tube video showing exactly what we were watching.  Thus began our education about mating snakes.  I did a little research to find out how they actually DO it.  Interesting...  If you want to learn more, just Google it.  These are big, long snakes, in the family of the constrictors.  I learned a whole lot more than I ever thought I'd want to know!

Notice the male snake biting the female in the second photo.  Apparently this is normal and doesn't bother the female.  We thought they were fighting and Patti got a stick and separated them, tossing one away from the other.  One of the snakes scurried away (third photo), the other following it.  Then one of them came back and hung out for a while - alone.  Probably the female, LOL. 

 We've had lots of electrical storms, some including hail storms.  



Lots of wild flowers are in bloom.  The fields are full of flowers.

The lake is up so much the windsurfers were playing:

There are so many different kinds of birds here:

Katie and I have been walking a LOT, which is good for both of us.  Of course, she only walks until her bad knee makes her stop, then she's in the stroller and we keep going.  Katie had her annual vet appointment with her shots updated and nails clipped yesterday.  All is well.  :)  The vet still recommends doing nothing with the seroma on her rear knee, and I'm just fine with that.  So she is good for another year. 

We're here through the 4th, then we'll be moving on.  From me and Katie, have a great Tuesday, everybody!  :)

PS - As you might have noticed, I'm cutting back on my posting.  The next post might be photos only - I have so many to show you but haven't been in a blogging mood lately, so maybe I'll just show you without so many words.  :)

Storrie Lake, 2015 - A new squirrel!

We're at Storrie Lake, New Mexico now and there are so many things here to see.  This park just feels like home to me.  Every day I get good photos.  I even snapped a new-to-me bird!  AND a new-to-me squirrel!  That's always fun.

We've met some new people, and are walking more and more. It's easy to walk here because the roads are paved.  They are easy for Katie to walk on, and when she's tired of walking or can't walk anymore, it's easy to push her stroller on these roads.  We're enjoying our stay here, as usual.

Here are some photos taken in the last week.

Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrel - he is beautiful and so cute.  This guy is a new find for me.  Look at all the lines and dots on his back:

He quietly moved around on the side of The Palms.  I opened the window and screen to get clearer shots of him and he didn't budge.  He was looking for and eating little pieces of grass and seeds.

Then I made a clicking sound and he stood up didn't move.  Like a statue.  I guess if they aren't close enough to a burrow hiding hole, they stand completely still, hoping no one will swoop down and get them.

After a while, he ran into the field next to The Palms.  He sure is cute.

I saw this double headed Canada Goose last year, and he's back.  

(I also have a bridge to sell if you believe this one.  LOL)  These are such beautiful, graceful birds.  This is the first year I've seen them with their little goslings.

So tiny.

Katie and I have been walking, sometimes with Patti and her three little dogs, who we met last year here at Storrie Lake.  This year she is the camp host in the South campground.

At the end of the road is a bridge that goes over the Gallinas River.  This year the river has lots of water in it!  The bridge has been closed off since I've been coming here:

Look at the wood that's all torn up:

This is the river with water running under the bridge.  Last year there was hardly any water to be seen here...

...and flowing down on the other side:

Heading back down the road, which I call Flat Stanley Road, Katie in the lead.  Katie is doing more walking this year, but I still bring the stroller and usually she ends up in it before we get back to camp. 

 And guess who is still here in the road?   Flat Stanley!

Do you remember me posting about him last year?  I couldn't believe this flattened frog was still here.  So I named the road after him.  He has staying power!

I've met some new blog followers, too.  Below is Kyra, who came by to visit me and Katie.  Kyra doesn't have a blog, so I can't give you a link, but I sure enjoyed meeting her and chatting from time to time.  She left yesterday, heading north.  Safe traveling, Kyra!  See you down the road.

That's it for now - I have more photos for next time, but - warning, warning, warning!  One day when Patti and I were walking down Flat Stanley Road and got to the bridge area, a young girl came running over to warn us to stay back.  There was a snake in the bushes.  So of course, we almost RAN over to see what it looked like.  Out came my camera, and when we got back to our rigs, Patti looked up Bull Snakes and came over with a You Tube video showing exactly what we were watching.  Thus began our education about mating snakes.  I'll post those photos next time. You can't wait, right?

From me and Katie, have a great Thursday, everybody!  :) 

PS - I've decided to remove my blog from Kindle.  I wanted to give a heads up to those of you who are paying each month to have my blog posts downloaded to your Kindles.  (You will receive a notice from Amazon letting you know, also.)  I just felt I'm not posting enough each week to be offering Me and My Dog  ...and My RV! for sale on Kindle.  It's just "inactive" for now, though, and if I start revving up again and posting more often, I'll offer it again.  And a BIG THANK YOU to all of you who signed up to have my posts downloaded to your Kindles.  I really appreciate it!  :)