Ebony Meets the Emu

Today I managed to take advantage of the last bit of nice weather before the rains slated for the next few days come to Olympia, Washington.

In order to get more exercise than walking for both my dog, Ebony, and myself, I use my "out of line" skates. There is seldom a day that I do not get asked about these skates.

They are called Landrollers

Today, with our friend, Maxine, we traveled a different section of the Chehalis Western Trail. To my surprise, and Ebony's, there was an emu!

Very slowly, Ebony came to the fence to see what it was. After all, last week when we walked the Capitol neighborhood (my friend still cannot quit laughing), Ebony pointed a large lawn statue of a deer. Ebony was not sure of this creature.



Interesting emu facts:

The Emu is the largest bird native to Australia. It is also the second-largest bird in the world by height, after its ratite (flightless bird) relative, the ostrich. The soft-feathered, brown, flightless birds reach up to 2 metres (6.6 ft) in height. The Emu is common over most of mainland Australia, although it avoids heavily populated areas, dense forest, and arid areas. Emus can travel great distances at a fast, economical trot and, if necessary, can sprint at 50 km/h (31 mph) for some distance at a time. They are opportunistically nomadic and may travel long distances to find food; they feed on a variety of plants and insects, but have been known to go weeks without food. Emus will sit in water and are also able to swim.

Observations on the Trail

This morning my dog, Ebony, and I went on the Chehalis Western Trail; I was on skates and Ebony ran beside me. It was a gorgeous morning and we saw and met an array of people.

Here are some of my observations:

Firstly, people are very friendly; everyone I passed said "hello" or "good morning" to me. I met two little girls about 5 and 7 years old on bicycles who each greeted me with "good morning!" Dad was riding behind them with his ear to the cell phone.

I passed a gentleman who was riding his bicycle and in the front basket of his bike was his dog. Dr. Jon would probably not approve of this combination. He believes skating or biking with a dog is too dangerous for both pet and pet owner.

I received several comments about my weird skates as well as my method of exercise which is typical when I skate with my dog. One lady commented, "That's the easy way!" I have no idea how she believed that what I was doing was easy or that my dog was not working hard to keep pace.

I was sitting on the bench near the pond observing the wildlife and Ebony was lying at my feet. A husband and wife each walking a daschund passed by. The woman complained she had the wrong breed. I think she really meant that she wished her dogs would behave.

People say the strangest things!



Ebony on the Chehalis Western Trail, Olympia Washington

Earth Day

In honor of Mother Earth, I decided to spend as much time possible in her company absorbed in all her beauty.

This morning Ebony and I took a walk in our beautifully wooded area listening to the birds. I was feeling grateful and appreciative.

In the afternoon having completed a watercolor painting I had been working on for several days, I returned outdoors to reconvene with Mother Nature. I traveled via skates (Landrollers) along the Chehalis Western Trail with Ebony at my side. Along this trail are several ponds and plenty of wildlife, so once again I was enraptured by the beauty of my surroundings. Unfortunately, a gray squirrel crossed our path and I forgot to let go of Ebony's lead. CRASH. Good thing I wear padding.

When I was tutoring this evening, I asked my student what they did in school for Earth Day. To my astonishment she said they did nothing and asked if it were a day to recycle. Schools have dropped the ball; how disappointing. Where else will the younger generation learn to care for our planet?