The world is too much with us...

North of Ketchum, ID

     The world is too much with us; late and soon,

          Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers:

          Little we see in Nature that is ours;

          We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!

          The Sea that bares her bosom to the moon;

          The winds that will be howling at all hours,

          And are up-gathered now like sleeping flowers;

          For this, for everything, we are out of tune;

          It moves us not.--Great God! I'd rather be

          A Pagan suckled in a creed outworn;                        

          So might I, standing on this pleasant lea,

          Have glimpses that would make me less forlorn;

          Have sight of Proteus rising from the sea;

          Or hear old Triton blow his wreathed horn. ~Wordsworth

Enjoying some time outside!

I am always reminded that the world is too much with us when I make the drive from Twin Falls to ISU and see the Great Basin mountain range capped in winter white.  My fondest desire would be to turn the Jeep towards those mountains to explore, but instead I spend time under florescent lighting nurturing my gray matter.  Do not get me wrong, I love my literature classes, but spending time outside feeds a deeper part of my soul. Wordsworth had it right and I think dogs know this truth, too.  We need to feed our brain as well as our physical body. I had a professor describe the landscape of the West as being large enough to cradle both joy and despair; I find it sublime.  

Sublime

We have been enjoying mild winter weather in Twin Falls, so the pack, Kevin and I have been hiking in and around the Snake River Canyon frequently.  Cash loves these hikes! He walks really, really well on leash.  He has been steadily gaining weight and we will find out how much he has gained over the past week tomorrow morning.  Cash is also going to be neutered tomorrow, which makes this foster mom happy!  

Kevin with the girls and Cash in the Canyon

Snake River with the dogs

Near Practice Rock in SRC

Cash got to meet one of Moonsong’s matriarchs Sunday, a beautiful female mal named Denali.  He was in love and a bit exuberant, but obviously liked her.  The feeling was mutual until Cash tried to hump the sweet girl. Oops, he needs to learn the ladies only like to play.  His “tutoring” should help!

We recently took Cash and Miley Snowshoeing in the Baker Lake/Billy Bridge area north of Ketchum, Id.  Cash took to these winter adventures like an old pro.  He really just wants to be someone’s buddy while they hike or walk.  There were other dogs everywhere and he did very well with the few we met.  He is super dog friendly and wants all new dogs to be his playmates.    

Cash, Miley & Kevin near Billy Bridge area

Cash & Miley

"hunting" snow mice snowshoeing

Cash also did well today, my first day being back at ISU for the Spring semester, when he was alone (well with the other dogs) for 7 hours.  We have tried crate training with Cash, but he really dislikes it so far.  We left him out in the house with the girls and did not have any damage!  He did manage to get himself closed in our bedroom for about 3 hours (until Kevin came home for lunch) and rearranged pillows, but nothing was chewed or torn apart.  

Just a fun Video of Cash & Miley "hunting" in the snow (and the two of us being dorks).