It's All Still A Quandary For Me

DISCLAIMER: Sensitive Content Warning, some Imagery may not be suitable for Dear Readers with sensitive sensibilities, proceed to Read then at your own risk.

 I am now Four Unpublished Posts ahead, like the Old Days of my Blogging.  *LOL*  I'm refusing to be as lethargic and taking to the Bed this day as I was Yesterday.  After we take Princess T to work I intend to go feed River Dog.   I can usually only go every other day but try to leave enuf Dry Food for Two Days of Meals.  She'll have some Gravy Train this day as I got a new Brand of bagged Dry Food and you can add Water to make the Gravy to this one.  I had to Google how to prepare Gravy Train properly since, I haven't owned a Dog since I was a Child... I still don't freakin' own one now!!!  But here we now are!!!  *Le Sigh*  {LATEST REAL TIME UPDATE: She was very likely Rescued and is no longer there by the River.  *Whew*  So this Post was Written before all that transpired... Read on...}    

  She seems to prefer Wet Food to Dry Food and it's probably becoz anything Dry makes one Thirsty and it's Hot and she hides during the day and rests/sleeps.  It doesn't look like she comes out of the Den she made during the Daytime.  So probably only goes out to get a drink at the River nearby, at Night.  She's Grey-Black in Color all over so would be hard to see at Night, a Survival advantage for a Domestic Animal that shouldn't be in the Wild.  I'm still quite conflicted about what to do about her?  I still sense she could have Pups in there?  It's all still a quandary for me.  The Man knows how connected I am to the Natural World, Plants, Trees and all Animals.

He remembers the Spring after the Floods that I tirelessly rescued stranded Fishes that were of the Endangered Gila River Topminnow mostly, but a few Young Game Fish too.  I'd never make a nuisance Animal out of a larger Wild Species by feeding it, but this is a Domesticated Animal, who either got abandoned or left where it lived for whatever reason and hasn't gone back.   It's not Natural for Dogs to be Feral and they don't fare as well as a Feral Cat might.  Cats revert to a Wild State pretty easily coz they are superb Hunters.  We've typically always had Working Cats for that reason, they Earn their Keep.  Eli is NOT a Working Cat.  *Eye Roll and LOL*

Yes, you can have Working Dogs too and many Ranchers and Farmers do to herd their Livestock, and many Businesses do to Guard Property and chase off Intruders.   But in the Wild, a Dog, unless it has a Pack or develops one with other Stray Dogs, won't do so well.  And a Pack of Stray Dogs that learns to Hunt and has to can be deadly to anything.  We had an unfortunate incident one Year at the Historic Home in the Barrio when a Stray Pack began killing other Pets and killed several of our Cats and some Neighbors smaller Dogs on our Properties.  The G-Kid Force were little and I was scared they'd get attacked.  They began attacking People and the City had to track them down and probably euthanize them once caught, so nobody would be harmed or killed. 

The Stray Pack of Killer Dogs was doing it for Sport, they weren't even eating the other Domestic Pets they brutally hunted, attacked and killed.  So, I don't know that Domesticated Dogs, running Wild, know why they do what they instinctively revert back to doing or not?  They mostly were eating from raiding Garbage Cans and Dumpsters it seems, not from their Hunts per se like Coyote would Naturally, still being Wild Animals not Domesticated.   Wild Animals are adept Hunters and we throw them off if we begin feeding them and create Nuisance Animals who Learn it's an easier Meal than Hunting.   Birds are the only Wild Animals we set up Feeding Stations for.  They don't need us to, so it's mostly a Bonus for them.

Urban encroachments has displaced a lot of Wildlife, so has Natural Disasters that are increasing and destroying Habitat.  We've had such big Fires in Arizona in recent Years, mostly due to Climate Change, but also to Human negligence about starting Fires, that there's more sightings now of Wild Animals coming in to Residential areas than ever.  The Ring Cameras Residents catch footage of really drives Home how often it's happening too.  Especially when the apex Predators are showing up in your Yards, yowsah!!!  In Arizona it's mostly Coyote, Mountain Lions, Black Bears, Bobcats, Raptor Birds of Prey, and Fox.  But there are Jaguars and Mexican Gray Wolves in Arizona, they're just Federally Endangered and not seen as often.

We get a lot of Coyote, Raccoon and Raptor Birds of Prey in our Mini Farm Community.  Coz it's an Oasis in an Urban Area and a good sized area with Main Canals nearby as a Water Source for Irrigation to all existing Farms.   And we get a LOT of Migratory Birds becoz several Residential Subdivisions nearby have huge Manmade Lakes and Riparian Areas to entice them to stay here and Breed.   When we get Irrigation we get a lot of Ducks that come and float around in the Pasture or Front Yard when it looks like a Lake.  *LOL*  LATER:   River Dog wasn't in her Den this Morning, but we came much earlier than usual and I think while it's Cooler she probably is out and about.  Or, Ideally, someone Rescued her, which I'm really Hopeful for her having that Outcome instead.  The Den wasn't as Deep as I thought it was once she wasn't in it, so there are no Pups, which is a Relief too.  I felt if she had Pups nobody would Rescue her.

 I left Gravy Train with Gravy in her Bowl, just in case she returns.  If she doesn't, I'll be Glad, no harm, no foul, some Wildlife will eat the Food.  I saw her Paw Prints all over the fresh powdery Sand/Dirt around the area.   Anyway, while doing Environmental Cleanup I Scored one of those Metal Modern Industrial Style Chairs someone had abandoned in the Nature Preserve, in perfect Condition, they cost about $59 each Retail, identical to the one pictured Above.  Booyah!   I already have some this Style with Wooden Seat and some with Metal Seat, this one had the Padded Upholstered Seat in pristine Condition, no rips, tears or wear on it.  A lot of people sadly dump Trash in Nature, or in Farmer's Fields, rather than put it Curbside at their Homes for Bulk Garbage Pick Up.

This Handsome Fellow and his Lady were at Friendship Park, which has a Manmade Lake too.  We pulled 30 Lbs. of Aluminum Cans out of the Nature Preserve and Roads leading up to and around it this Day!   It netted us $22 for the Day, it was Cooler and Beautiful that early and The Man was Happy to be back out doing it and taking it easy.  We were done by 8:00 a.m. coz it got a bit Humid and I could tell he was tiring, we'd done an Hour's worth and that was enough until after he gets his 2nd Heart Surgery.  They had told me to keep him Active, just taking it easier, so he still needs his light Cardio to keep his Body Strong and his Spirits High.  I think it will make him less nervous about the 2nd Surgery when they do Schedule it, if he's had Fun doing what he enjoys and has been Active, so feeling Stronger again.  

 His A1C came back pretty good, at just over 7, from his VA Labs.  It has been almost 10 before, so he's reduced it considerably and the Goal is at or below 6 for both of us.  He has had no Appetite so I have to find what he absolutely LOVES in order for him to ALMOST finish a Meal right now.  So, I took him out for a KFC Chicken Pot Pie and he almost was able to finish it.  Once he said he couldn't eat any more of it I said, that's Okay, Eat 'til Full then Stop, is my Golden Rule.  I'm not a Food Pusher and he'd done a pretty good Job of eating 97% of it and Hydrating sufficiently too this Day without me Nagging at him to drink more.   It was 116 later Today so you really need to stay hydrated.  

The Monsoons haven't come this Year and I'm worried they might not due to the raging enormous Wildfires which have created their own Weather, becoz they're so big and so Hot?   The Dragon Bravo Fire on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon is STILL only 44% Contained!!!   It has Burned almost 144,000 Acres and began on the 4th of July from Natural Causes!   It has destroyed 113 Structures including the Historic Grand Canyon Lodge.   It burned down once before in 1932, from a Kitchen Fire, it was re-opened in 1937.   This is how it now looks after what just happened, so Sad.  It is Stone Walls, so perhaps they can re-build it, but everything Historic was Lost from the 1930's.

I've only been to the North Rim once, it gets a lot of Snow in the Fall and Winters.  The Lodge was always booked solid so we never stayed there.  The Views of the Vista from their Patio were spectacular tho'.  We've visited the South Rim more often.   Part of the problem with the North Rim is there's little Water, it almost all has to be brought in, so, fighting a Fire would be very difficult.  Water is typically Sourced from a Spring fed by Snow Melt and Rain only and pumped to the South Rim as well.  So they often have Restrictions on Water during Spring and Summer anyway, now, more so.

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May your Summer be going well my Friends... Dawn... The Bohemian