Long Walks
Fortunately for me we live only about a half mile from Montissippi a rather large county park. It has very nice paved and unpaved walking/bike paths. They all twist and turn about in a large pine forest and along side the Mississippi river.
Sometimes it’s nice to just go wander through the woods and see what animals Daffy can find. Rabbits, Pheasants, and Deer are the most common animals we run across. When we do run across an animal Daffy usually freezes, straightens up her stubby tail and lifts up one of her front legs like a good Brittany should. Then we both wait to see what the animal will do. I usually make a move first and the Deer or other animals run.
Other days it’s nice to stay on the paved trails so Daffy can meet other dogs and people. I don’t know what it is with her and kids, but she just goes crazy for them. Daffy just loves to meet everyone.
Daffy loves it on a hot summer day when I take her down to the river and let her cool off and get a drink. For some reason I always seem to get just as soaked as she does. I can’t figure that one out.
These walks are great for clearing my head of the every day rigmarole and getting back to nature. They are also great exercise for Daffy and my self.
If you get a chance take a walk in your local county park you might find you enjoy it more then you think.
Ben G.
Swans staying through the winter
Not to long a go I read an article in an outdoor publication about how the Trumpeter Swans were sticking around Monticello(where I live) for the winter in record numbers. The article said the Swans were staying because of the open water in the Mississippi River created by the Nuclear Power plant (I won’t go there now), and people feeding them. This is not an uncommon thing in the area with other birds like the Canada Geese and various ducks.
The big problem with the 1500(give or take) Swans is, they are protected here in Minnesota and the DNR is afraid that they will contract some disease which in turn will wipe them all out. They did make the residents in the area stop feeding the Swans, but they still didn’t leave. The swans just started dyeing which isn’t a good thing in the minds of the Minnesota DNR. I’m guessing because they spent a whole lot of time and money rebuilding the Swans population in the state, and they feel it would be a waste to let them just die. Needless to say the feeding of the Swans resumed about a week or two later.
I feel if these birds aren’t smart enough to know they need to fly south in the winter they better be able to find their own food. I say stop feeding them and let nature take its course a thinning of the flock so to speak. The dumb ones will die off and the smarter birds will not only live and prosper, but make the states population of Swans much stronger. This will then help avoid the whole problem again in the future.
Let me know your thoughts.
Ben G.
