Is it November?

I enjoyed a nice lazy morning with the dogs this morning: some toast, some tea, some extra time in bed. It snowed yesterday morning, so I was anticipating that the trails would still be soggy and in need of some extra sunlight to dry out. Unfortunately, there was still a bit of moisture that cut my run short, but I was able to enjoy a little time on some of the drier and sandier trails.

Governor's mansion to the left, with those beautiful snowy foothills in the background

Whenever I talk to people from out-of-state about the winters here, they assume that winters in Boise are much more harsh than they actually are. Unlike McCall, which is just a few hours north and gets slammed with snow every year, Boise is high-desert, and the snow doesn't stick around for long. A unique thing about living in Boise is that you can be walking around in town with a tee-shirt and looking at snow up in the higher foothills. Today was a perfect example of that: I went out for my run in a running skirt and long-sleeve and wound up ditching the long sleeve very quickly. It felt like spring!

I want to make note of something that I have observed in the past few years. Since I have moved to Boise, I have met people who have some of the oldest dogs I have ever seen. I came across a man walking two dogs this morning, and one of them was running along very happily, but very slowly. I asked the man how old the dog was, and he told me that he was thirteen. But, he said, the other dog was going to be twenty-two in a few months. TWENTY-TWO! And he was plodding along as well as any of the other dogs I see on the trail. "Dry food, and a walk every day," was the advice that the man gave me.

Gracie Girl sits long enough for a photo for once!

I think that part of this phenomenon is that most of the dog people I meet are out on the trail, which indicates that they are staying active and keeping their dogs active. It is just one more thing that makes me appreciate the community where I live!