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The is in the closet  

kzoopair 72M/71F
8365 posts
10/14/2015 6:28 pm
The is in the closet

The sun came out today. There were large fluffy white clouds alternately shading and passing to bathe the earth in bright October sunshine, so we took the trail to the north shore of Atwater Pond again. The trees along the Lookout Trail at the edges of the swamp and marsh are already dropping their leaves. Cold settles in the low places and those trees are the first to change color and then to shed their leaves. They were dropping and fluttering to the ground all along the path. We can see more of the swamp and marsh now and there's also less to see except for increasingly bare trunks. This is the time of year when you dicover where those hornets were coming from all summer. I found an intact nest today, empty, along the north bank of the marsh, upstream from the pond.

The upland forest is still bright and colorful and in many places still green. The beautiful twisted and leaning dogwoods are fading from delicate rose to pale and are beginning to lose their sheen in the marshy areas. Dogwoods are beautiful year round. In the spring they sprout lovely white blossoms, they crawl and lean and spread out in the understory all summer and are among the first to turn in fall, with a pale underside and a rosy red top leaf. In winter they'll catch the new snow and it will highlight the convoluted limbs craning about the trunks of the larger trees.

I had to be patient to get my photos today. The forest would be dim and muted for minutes and then as the cloud passed by overhead sunlight would burst out and light up the trees. I had to wait for pictures. We took the trail near the edge of the marsh walking to the east end of the pond, and sat for a while looking at the lake. Gracie was having a ball today, chasing squirrels and trying to interest us in games of "I got it-you don't" with sticks and limbs.

On the return we climbed to the top of the ridge that runs between the north border of the preserve and Atwater. You can look down through the trees and catch glimpses of the bright blue of Atwater Pond sparkling in the sunlight. The ridge is forested with hardwoods for about a mile and then transitions to pine, tall and spindly and only sprouting limbs in the canopy. This trail is easier. It adds a bit to the trek but is flatter and quite straight. We don't<b> hike </font></b>the length of it often, usually veering off on one of the side trails either down to the marsh bank on the south or north to the channel next to Kalamazoo Valley Community College and Ninth Street.

We hiked just under six miles today, and we were tired. We took the most direct route home and Gracie immediately headed for my closet, where she takes her best naps, using my boots for a pillow. Doesn't everyone keep their in the closet? She's very convenient.














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NaughtyInSO 113F
9755 posts
10/14/2015 7:15 pm

Aww, your two favorite girls! They look good together. What a great photo!

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NaughtyInSO 113F
9755 posts
10/14/2015 7:22 pm

In all of the excitement about PD and Gracie I forgot to say: 1) All photos are wonderful, as always. I love the one with red berries the most. 2) My dogs never slept in a closet, but cat preferred either linen closet where he jumped on a stack of freshly washed towels, or my dresser drawer where I kept tablecloths. He could open both, closet door and a drawer. I should've called him Houdini instead of Kiss.

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kzoopair 72M/71F
25831 posts
10/14/2015 7:23 pm

    Quoting  :

She's secure in her perception of her sexuality. She doesn't know what it is. Other dogs try to hump her, she gets confused. I think she likes the closet and the boots because it smells like my feet.
They do have a pleasing fruity aroma, with a full palate and a nutty aftertaste.

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kzoopair 72M/71F
25831 posts
10/14/2015 7:25 pm

    Quoting NaughtyInSO:
    Aww, your two favorite girls! They look good together. What a great photo!
They were having a moment. We took a rest at the top of the last hill. Gracie isn't usually much of a cuddler in the woods- she's all business out there.

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kzoopair 72M/71F
25831 posts
10/14/2015 7:29 pm

    Quoting NaughtyInSO:
    In all of the excitement about PD and Gracie I forgot to say: 1) All photos are wonderful, as always. I love the one with red berries the most. 2) My dogs never slept in a closet, but cat preferred either linen closet where he jumped on a stack of freshly washed towels, or my dresser drawer where I kept tablecloths. He could open both, closet door and a drawer. I should've called him Houdini instead of Kiss.
Well, she started out in a crate when she was small, and the closet is kind of den like, so it isn't too surprising. It's also cool back there in the back of the house, and she likes that. My Malemute Rocky would get somebody up in the middle of the night to let him out to go sleep in a snowbank. He had a doghouse in the garage with blankets, but he never much cared for it.

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kzoopair 72M/71F
25831 posts
10/14/2015 8:01 pm

    Quoting yesmamallthetime:
    Great photos. I like the red berries one. That is one great photo of your two girls. I liked your description of your day too. Your dog sleeping in your closet is heartwarming. At least you know where she goes and you don't have to go looking for her.
Thanks! All I gotta do is whistle and she comes running. PD is mostly vegetarian. I have the good stuff!

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kzoopair 72M/71F
25831 posts
10/14/2015 8:02 pm

    Quoting  :

Thank you Leo. I love the changes of season.

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redrockrascal 65M
23580 posts
10/14/2015 8:03 pm

Once again cool pics, I like the yellow/blue contrast one. Now . . .
Why are you licking that nice lady?
Who told you I keep 3 goats in the closet? I don’t keep 3 goats in the closet.
And . . . SQUIRREL! ! ! !


When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro.

The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.


kzoopair 72M/71F
25831 posts
10/14/2015 8:59 pm

    Quoting redrockrascal:
    Once again cool pics, I like the yellow/blue contrast one. Now . . .
    Why are you licking that nice lady?
    Who told you I keep 3 goats in the closet? I don’t keep 3 goats in the closet.
    And . . . SQUIRREL! ! ! !
Thanks, redrock. I definitely know better than to keep goats in the closet. Not only do they eat EVERYTHING, they stink! And you can't keep goats AND squirrels. The goats would likely eat the squirrels. You gotta pick one or the other.

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kzoopair 72M/71F
25831 posts
10/14/2015 9:05 pm

    Quoting mcmaniac:
    Damn those sneaky hornets! Just like Japs! Sting you right in the ass when your not lookin! We keep our dogs under the blankets, preferably the G-girls blankets. Does PD know where Gracie's tongue has been?
You have small dogs. I taught Gracie that our bed is off limits when she was a pup. She won't get on it now, not if you begged her. Malemutes taught ME a lesson about sleeping with big dogs. It might be OK on the sled trail where it's cold, but they can be downright territorial about bed space. My dog Jessie got into a growling, pushing contest with me one night and it ended his cushy spot on the bed forever.
About that tongue...shhhhh!

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kzoopair 72M/71F
25831 posts
10/14/2015 9:08 pm

    Quoting  :

Yeah it is! Their ways are not our ways! She gets a lot of latitude though. She has never chewed anything that wasn't meant to be chewed, except her blankie when she was a pup. She never chews on my boots- she just sleeps on 'em. They're warm when I put them on!

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kzoopair 72M/71F
25831 posts
10/14/2015 9:12 pm

    Quoting  :

Thanks Sassy- I took a bunch of pics like that but this one was one of the prettiest. PD and Gracie did a lot of arguing today. I thought I might have to separate them, but they did kiss and make up.

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redrockrascal 65M
23580 posts
10/14/2015 9:13 pm

    Quoting kzoopair:
    Thanks, redrock. I definitely know better than to keep goats in the closet. Not only do they eat EVERYTHING, they stink! And you can't keep goats AND squirrels. The goats would likely eat the squirrels. You gotta pick one or the other.
The squirrels have big nuts so they must be big squirrels, and my squirrels are bigger that your steeenking goats.

When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro.

The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.


kzoopair 72M/71F
25831 posts
10/14/2015 9:18 pm

    Quoting mcmaniac:
    Damn those sneaky hornets! Just like Japs! Sting you right in the ass when your not lookin! We keep our dogs under the blankets, preferably the G-girls blankets. Does PD know where Gracie's tongue has been?
And by the way, I despise hornets. Even more than yellowjackets. The hornets like to land on my garden gate, the one I took a picture of for my Symposium post. I keep a two foot long one by four leaning against the fence just for smacking them. Those bastards are big, mean and relentless!

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Vavavoom_23452 49F
896 posts
10/14/2015 9:19 pm

What on earth is #4??? Yellow leaves against blue sky: striking! Leaves w/ contrasting Black branches: love! Thanks, reminds me to organize a weekend in the Shenandoah somewhere in the next couple of weeks.


kzoopair 72M/71F
25831 posts
10/14/2015 9:25 pm

    Quoting  :

Gracie's a hundred pounds now. She might like the hamper but she won't fit. That closet is her favorite napping place. She does sleep at my feet a lot, by the sofa.

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kzoopair 72M/71F
25831 posts
10/14/2015 9:28 pm

    Quoting redrockrascal:
    The squirrels have big nuts so they must be big squirrels, and my squirrels are bigger that your steeenking goats.
I thought you were from California, not Texas?

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kzoopair 72M/71F
25831 posts
10/14/2015 9:40 pm

    Quoting Vavavoom_23452:
    What on earth is #4??? Yellow leaves against blue sky: striking! Leaves w/ contrasting Black branches: love! Thanks, reminds me to organize a weekend in the Shenandoah somewhere in the next couple of weeks.
It's a hornet nest. I look for them all summer but I don't often find them. This time of year as the leaves drop they're easier to see, but of course the hornets are all dead except for the queen(s). The queen- there may be more than one, as they mate in fall- overwinter in protected places and start a new colony in spring. They never reuse a nest. The males, much like human males, take no part in maintaining the hive or rearing the larvae. All they do is watch baseball, drink beer and hang around seedy strip joints, preparing for autumn when they will mate and die.

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kzoopair 72M/71F
25831 posts
10/14/2015 9:46 pm

    Quoting  :

When Gracie was growing, it was funny to watch her getting too big for all her hidey places, like under the bed. She tried for months to get under the bed after she was way too big for it. We'd go in the bedroom and find the bed all cockeyed from her pushing it around.

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redrockrascal 65M
23580 posts
10/14/2015 9:46 pm

    Quoting kzoopair:
    I thought you were from California, not Texas?
I am originally from California the squirrels are from Texas. They eat unicorns and fart lottery tickets

When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro.

The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.


kzoopair 72M/71F
25831 posts
10/14/2015 10:05 pm

    Quoting redrockrascal:
    I am originally from California the squirrels are from Texas. They eat unicorns and fart lottery tickets
Oh, well, Texas squirrels. That explains a lot. They elect squirrels governor down there. Which, what the hell, isn't that much worse than what we've done here lately. Our governor looks more like a clown though.

[image]

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kzoopair 72M/71F
25831 posts
10/14/2015 11:26 pm

    Quoting  :

Shoulda traded the date for a dog.
It was Gracie's idea to sleep in there, and she behaves herself, so who am I to argue?

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sweet_VM 65F
81699 posts
10/15/2015 7:27 am

I love Gracie's smile.. Priceless.. Out west our colours are not as good as your area is. You get those gold red browns beautifully hugssssssssssss V I think that camera was a good investment too

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kzoopair 72M/71F
25831 posts
10/15/2015 8:02 am

    Quoting  :

Yes- I was lucky to get that!

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kzoopair 72M/71F
25831 posts
10/15/2015 8:17 am

    Quoting  :

Gracie's a pretty clean dog in general. She can go wading in muck and be clean again in an hour.
Those nests under the eaves are paper wasps- the brown native paper wasp is pretty easy going but the striped yellow and black European paper wasps are quite prickly. Yellowjackets live in large colonies- sometimes with thousands of wasps, nesting in the ground or inside the walls and soffits of houses.

[image]

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redrockrascal 65M
23580 posts
10/15/2015 9:41 am

    Quoting kzoopair:
    Oh, well, Texas squirrels. That explains a lot. They elect squirrels governor down there. Which, what the hell, isn't that much worse than what we've done here lately. Our governor looks more like a clown though.

    [image]
No wonder people are afraid of clowns there are governors under that makeup. Just look where AZ is now, clowns run it and AZ is near bottom education “wise”. But I believe we have an edjumacation goal – waste even more dollars on political village-idiots and we will hit bottom even sooner.

When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro.

The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.


kzoopair 72M/71F
25831 posts
10/15/2015 10:10 am

    Quoting redrockrascal:
    No wonder people are afraid of clowns there are governors under that makeup. Just look where AZ is now, clowns run it and AZ is near bottom education “wise”. But I believe we have an edjumacation goal – waste even more dollars on political village-idiots and we will hit bottom even sooner.
It gets discouraging. It's easy to forget that politics has always been low comedy and crowded with creeps. When there's a crisis, there are certain people who will jump up and say "I'll handle this! Follow me!" and those people are exactly the ones we do not want handling anything.

There is an anti-intellectual trend now though that's alarming. It's seems that the meaner and dumber the statements made by demagogues, the more one faction seems to cheer. That IS depressing. What's so wrong with being smart, tolerant and measured?

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dayzeeme 55F
7024 posts
10/15/2015 9:01 pm

completely jealous of the array of fall colors you get .. we go from green to yellow to dead. No reds or oranges to speak of, save a few species of small trees or shrubs here and there. And as always, your pics are fantastic!


kzoopair 72M/71F
25831 posts
10/15/2015 9:18 pm

    Quoting dayzeeme:
    completely jealous of the array of fall colors you get .. we go from green to yellow to dead. No reds or oranges to speak of, save a few species of small trees or shrubs here and there. And as always, your pics are fantastic!
Thank you Dayzee. It's really pretty here right now.

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canyaz 56F
17128 posts
10/16/2015 5:20 am

Look at that color! Nice. We have a few more weeks before we see that kind of show.
Great shots! Worth the wait.

There is a difference between a good BJ and a bad BJ.
canyaz


kzoopair 72M/71F
25831 posts
10/16/2015 8:20 am

The trees in the low spots are dropping leaves quickly now. Today is alternately rainy and sunny, and cool There's quite a breeze and that will bring a lot more leaves down. This doesn't last long and you gotta get it while you can!

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kzoopair 72M/71F
25831 posts
10/16/2015 4:12 pm

    Quoting  :

It's a glorious time of year.
PD pampers Gracie and caters to her every need. Gracie gives it back with enthusiasm.

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kzoopair 72M/71F
25831 posts
10/16/2015 7:44 pm

    Quoting rockkickass69v2:
    Great pics Kzoo!
    The season is changing fast.
    What is that in the fourth pic?
It's a hornet nest- an empty one. I might not have got that close to a full one. I really dislike hornets.

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smartasswoman 66F  
35813 posts
10/18/2015 7:39 am

I think Autumn is THE best time for hiking and I can see you've been enjoying yourselves. Thanks as always for sharing the photos.


kzoopair 72M/71F
25831 posts
10/18/2015 8:22 am

    Quoting smartasswoman:
    I think Autumn is THE best time for hiking and I can see you've been enjoying yourselves. Thanks as always for sharing the photos.
Autumn is hard to beat. It's always been my favorite season.
And it's always nice to have you visit!

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Horny_Holly 43F
2767 posts
10/18/2015 4:09 pm

Great pics, kzoo! I love all the beautiful autumn colours.

I took my nephew and mum to Finlaystone Country Estate on Friday. It has gorgeous gardens, although our main objective these days is to entertain my five year old nephew so we don't get to see much of the gardens when there's a huge play area for him

However, I did take this picture of a flower I don't recognise. I must remember and mail the country estate to ask them what it is. It looks like a poppy from afar, and close up, as you can see, has what looks like a thistle in the middle

I do enjoy the various seasons, but as we had no summer to speak of in Scotland this year I feel cheated! But that aside I am enjoying the sunny, autumn days, the changing colours of the leaves, and live in hope of a decent summer next year

Anyway, I thought you might like to see this
[image]


"I'm always disappointed when a liar's pants don't actually catch on fire..."


kzoopair 72M/71F
25831 posts
10/18/2015 6:25 pm

    Quoting Horny_Holly:
    Great pics, kzoo! I love all the beautiful autumn colours.

    I took my nephew and mum to Finlaystone Country Estate on Friday. It has gorgeous gardens, although our main objective these days is to entertain my five year old nephew so we don't get to see much of the gardens when there's a huge play area for him

    However, I did take this picture of a flower I don't recognise. I must remember and mail the country estate to ask them what it is. It looks like a poppy from afar, and close up, as you can see, has what looks like a thistle in the middle

    I do enjoy the various seasons, but as we had no summer to speak of in Scotland this year I feel cheated! But that aside I am enjoying the sunny, autumn days, the changing colours of the leaves, and live in hope of a decent summer next year

    Anyway, I thought you might like to see this
    [image]

It sure looks like a poppy to me. Maybe it's a hybrid? It's beautiful- thanks for posting it here.

I had the same thing happen when taking our grandson to the Air Zoo here. They have a great aeronautical museum, but they added a lot of rides for kids and all he wanted to do was ride the rides. I hate rides and they make me barf. I wanted to see the planes!

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sweet_VM 65F
81699 posts
10/19/2015 7:36 am

KZ the last pic is priceless.. Love your wife and dog.. Very nice.. The camera you purchase that make these pics was your best investment.. love the area you live in too hugsssssssss V

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kzoopair 72M/71F
25831 posts
10/19/2015 10:24 am

Thanks, V. I'm fond of them myself!
Hugggggggs B

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