Signs of Spring

Sparky on today's hike.
I love that face.

It's only been one nice day and there's still plenty of snow around, but I'm prepared to go out on a limb and say that spring will actually come again. It's not the daffodils sprouting, although they are. My first sign of spring was Trooper with a brown nose.

We did about 8.5 miles on very muddy
trails, but we were both needing it.

I feed most of the dogs outdoors, everyone other than Cabell and Gigi. I leave Trooper and Maya in the dog yard after feeding for some play time with the fosters, Max, Charlie, and Ochie. Trooper plays sometimes, but usually just hangs out on his platform to bark at birds. Maya usually plays for a while and then jumps the fence to go off on a romp through the pasture and/or the neighborhood. However, one morning last week I noticed that she was still in the dog yard well beyond the time that she usually sticks around. I stepped outside to see what was keeping her interest. She and Trooper were in the back of the dog yard in an area usually just used for pooping. I went in to investigate further and found Trooper with a brown nose and muddy paws, digging for moles.

We saw deer and a fox today, but Sparky is
more interested in other dog smells.

Sure enough, there were mole trails through that part of the dog yard, and Trooper was going after them. Emmylou used to dig mole trails or get Molly to do it for her. There would be long shallow trenches dug in the pasture, and occasionally they'd find the prize. Moles don't actually hibernate, but they burrow deeper in the winter so we don't see those meandering linear mounds left by their burrowing activity just below the surface. Apparently the moles think it's spring and they've come back up nearer the surface, which may not be good for them if they burrow through the dog yard.

I'm taking it as a sign of spring and I'm so sure of it that I even took down the Solstice lights after my afternoon hike with Sparky, well before Equinox.

The Solstice lights are off the magnolia tree,
until next year.

For those who are wondering, Trinity is still skittish and scared, but I have been able to approach her a couple times to put on a leash. She has learned the routine of going between the office and the yard pretty well, so today I haven't used the leash in the house. I'm taking her to an adoption event on Sunday where she will meet a prospective new foster home.