Sat., Feb. 19, 2011
Chase & I returned just now from a chilly visit to our ZenRiver Gardens retreat in the pioneer mill & mining hamlet of Malone. The false spring thaw of the past 2 days lured us there for the first time in 2 months, but a very bitter and wildly windy front had come thru last nite, and after hanging 3 sets of prayer flags & wandering around thru crunchy snow, we headed home.

CHASE'S CANINE CORNER: "Dogku" (dog haiku)
Two winters ago Chase and I hiked on the Marmora sewage bay trail. Chase communicated a series of linked haiku to me during our hike:

rolling on my back
kicking snow in the air:
sun on my cold belly

(personally, I mistrust 17 syllable haiku, but then this is Chase's poem)

sniff, snuffle
porcupine den tree:
OUCH!

old enemies
this muskrat and I
exchange blood

wonderful! wonderful!
fresh, fresh snow
cleaner than my lazy master's house

bored with his heels
I leap ahead:
my turn to break trail

pee smells, poop smells
wonderful! wonderful!
cold air amplifies

sniff ... hmmm
this is a BIG dog
master says timber wolf

What! what ...
brush pile
full of wild smells

my ears so shaggy
where is Chris?
where? where? there!

sniff . . .  snuffle
happy days
happy nites

Chase ... wrooooof! the Zen master dog