By Cloann McNall
The full moon is red from the wildfire smoke blowing into the Clearwater Valley. It’s an eerie sight, one we see each summer but one to which we never become accustomed.
I heard on the news the smoke is blowing in from the multiple wildfires burning in British Columbia plus others in Oregon, Washington and reportedly one in Elk City, Idaho.
As I’ve written many times the Pacific Northwest is the ideal place to live with its spaciousness and natural beauty of mountains, timber, lakes, creeks and rivers.
Along with all this come the wildfires that provide an element of tension along with the beauty and excitement of the flames, smoke, firefighters, heavy equipment, planes and helicopters.
Meanwhile back home my little black Pug, Mary Jane has learned a new trick. If I am sitting quietly at home in a chair, I love solitude and silence, she will bark until I turn on the TV. Apparently solitude and stillness are not to her liking.
Neither is the nearly $1,000 doggie playground I had built for her outside in my back yard. I threw in a few pinecones and rocks to make it more appealing for training her to use her yard rather than the two of us running up the drive in front of the house 60 times a day!
In my wildest dreams I never thought I would be sitting in a lawn chair in a doggie courtyard urging a dog to hurry up and do her business so we could go inside, the air conditioned house, ‘for a good girl treat.’
If she decides this is not what she wants to do she develops a stance, (a wide stance like our former senator) drops her head and blinks her big dark eyes.
I give up and then we go inside for ‘good girl treats.’ She gets a frosted animal cookie and I settle for a chocolate-covered peanut cluster. She wins again.
Quote: Man is the only animal that laughs, but when you look at some people, it’s hard to understand how the animals keep from laughing.