Winter? What winter? Due to a weather pattern called El Niño, we aren't having much of a winter here in Cascadia. Temperatures are warm and it has been dry. The mountains are bare. Disappointed winter sports enthusiasts are grumbling about the lack of snow and a possible drought is on everyone's mind. Tired of constantly tying my coat around my waist during recent walks, I have just stopped taking my coat along. The good news is that when it is warm enough, cockatoo Leo can come for walks and when it is dry, cat Amelia gets to adventure outside on her leash. We also are privy to some spectacular winter sunsets when when El Niño brings us higher than normal temperatures and no precipitation. All of these stunning Seattle sunsets happened in the last week. As long as we get a few more flea and tick killing freezes and enough snow in the mountains to keep us out of serious drought danger, sunsets like in these photographs will help me make it through the rest of this El Niño winter. Of course, a superbly handsome corgi model for sunset photos helps take away any winter blues too.
Typist: Bethany Winter? What winter? Due to a weather pattern called El Niño, we aren't having much of a winter here in Cascadia. Temperatures are warm and it has been dry. The mountains are bare. Disappointed winter sports enthusiasts are grumbling about the lack of snow and a possible drought is on everyone's mind. Tired of constantly tying my coat around my waist during recent walks, I have just stopped taking my coat along. The good news is that when it is warm enough, cockatoo Leo can come for walks and when it is dry, cat Amelia gets to adventure outside on her leash. We also are privy to some spectacular winter sunsets when when El Niño brings us higher than normal temperatures and no precipitation. All of these stunning Seattle sunsets happened in the last week. As long as we get a few more flea and tick killing freezes and enough snow in the mountains to keep us out of serious drought danger, sunsets like in these photographs will help me make it through the rest of this El Niño winter. Of course, a superbly handsome corgi model for sunset photos helps take away any winter blues too. What's your favorite thing about winter with your pets? Share this post:
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The pets should not feel that they are always having to cheer us up. Having worked my entire career as a caregiver, I am particularly sensitive to the strain constantly giving of oneself can take. Being a caregiver is very stressful for humans. Perhaps my sensitivity causes me to project similar stresses onto my forever sympathetic pets. With all of the trauma the last few months has brought, causing anxiety in the pets is one more stress I'd like to avoid. Hiding my emotions from them doesn't work. So how do Jason and I mourn our losses yet not force the pets to carry the burden of having to constantly nurse our sadness? In an effort to reduce the effects my sadness has on the pets, I have realized that it's okay for Jason and I to mourn and be sad as long as we keep up on the promises we have made to properly care for our pets. Basically this promise is that everyday should include healthy fun. We can never skip playtime, walks or training. Consistency is key in physical, mental and emotional health. Once again I turn to my own experience as a caregiver and I know that the stresses sometimes caused by being responsible for another persons well being are partially soothed by a fair reward. All the stress of my day can be relieved by a simple "thank you for being here." It's amazing. In turn, I thank my pets for caring for me by continuing to build our bond, even if I am sad. The best way I know how to strengthen our bond, is to have epic adventures together. When that call came about the imminent death of my grandmother, three dogs and cat lay on the floor next to me as I sobbed. Leo began to "cry" as well. Leo's sobs are an imitation of mine. He also mimics my laugh. When he and I both are sobbing, we usually end up laughing together. I like to think that Leo enjoys cheering me up this way. It would be my hope that Wilhelm, Brychwyn, Huxley and Amelia take pleasure in comforting me as well. On the day I began to mourn my grandmother, the sobbing quickly became laughter. Then the pets and I headed out for a walk and took pleasure in enjoying beautiful Cascadia together. Despite tragic news, the pets inspired me to have fun and we all felt better. I guess what I thought was a complex and possibly stressful care giving situation really just amounts to a "you care for me and I'll care for you" relationship otherwise known as love. And that love endures, even when any of us, humans, dogs, cats or cockatoos, are sad. How do your pets cheer you up when you are sad? What do you do to nurture them while they care for you? Share this post:
Need more beautiful photos of adorable dog, cat and cockatoo Seattle Seahawks fans? Click here. Share this post: A Cat, A Cockatoo and Three Dogs Dream Beautiful For Spacious Skies {52 Snapshots of Life Week 4}1/27/2015 Typist: Bethany With superbly photogenic pets and stunning scenery surrounding me, I don't usually feel tested by photo challenges. Yet when I pondered how to photograph what my pets might dream, my photographic creativity was definitely put to the test. I spent a lot of time considering what a dream of a dachshund, corgi, collie, cockatoo or cat might look like. Are the pets dreams like humans and usually in black and white and in the first person? Do the dogs, parrots and cats occasionally dream in color or in a perspective of watching themselves play out the sleeping vision? Can a pets dream be a way of working out psychological issues like humans? I watched the pets sleep and smiled with curiosity. As a way of learning what the dream of a Cascadian Nomads pet might look like, I began to photograph the world from their perspective. This was an eye opening experience (which I will likely share in another post) but these photographs just weren't dreamy enough. So instead of visions from my pets dreams I decided to share insight into what I see when I close my eyes and think of Amelia, Leo, Wilhelm, Huxley and Brychwyn. I dream of my pets enjoying fantastic fun and amazing adventures. What do pets dream? What's your dream of pets? Share this post: |
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