Finding a name for that land o' mine in Kansas

Red Feather Creek. That's what the previous owners named it. But I want a new name for that land o' mine. It's not as if I don't like the name Red Feather Creek...it's just that I have yet to see a red cardinal there...let alone one red feather. It doesn't seem like a name that suits it anymore. But I just can't seem to move beyond the one that Meg came up with because it makes us laugh so much. Her idea? To put up a new sign that reads, "Mine. Mine. All of this. Mine!" Can you picture it? We sure can.

Anyway, last year I could not wait to get out to that land after a snowfall so I could see the tracks of all the animals that had visited. What I saw was nothing but Aussie tracks. No other animal tracks, just Aussie's.

This year? Look at this. It looks like a dog Woodstock concert happened while I was away. There were tracks leading just about everywhere.

There were so many tracks, some of them had become established trails. I suppose that land o'mine is not really so much "mine" when it is so obviously "theirs" when I'm not around.

Like last year, I followed the tracks (and trails) to see what those dogs found so interesting. But unlike last year, where it was just me following Aussie tracks (sans Aussie), this time I had five of the dogs who made the tracks go walking with me.

When we go walking, Aussie has the two puppies trained so that one of them has to wait for me while the other dogs get to move forward at their chosen pace. Tilly waited for me at the top of the first hill. When I got to the top, Bo was the one who stayed back with me while Tilly ran ahead.

I sat on a fallen hickory tree at the top of the hill because I didn't know which direction I wanted to go (lots of tracks and trails and no idea which trail the other dogs had taken). Maybe I sat there too long because Bo made some small little sound which all the dogs heard and then they all came running from wherever they were and when they all got to me, they all stood up and started licking my face. I don't know what was the signal to start all of that but Aussie was not happy about this kind of behavior. Dogs are not supposed to jump up on people ever. She was not happy about what was going on and let all the other dogs know it. I felt kind of bad because I didn't want to let her down but dang, those dogs were being extra cute. But Aussie's rules are Aussie's rules so I got up and we started walking on the trail leading southeast.

The older dogs took off and I was left with both Tilly and Bo. They soon got distracted and started to roughhouse on top of my feet.

Bo got Tilly.

Tilly got Bo.

And then Elvis wondered why his two kids were taking such a long time to catch up.

"Gotta go."

Apology kisses to their dad.

Finally, all of us were back on the trail. And I mean all of us. Tilly and Bo walked single file (and undistracted!) with me and the other dogs and we kept walking until we got to a far corner of the property.

Look at that trail. I have no idea what they found so fascinating that they had to go there nearly every day.

But off they go...

Up and up...

Aussie stayed back with me. It was cold and I didn't feel like crossing a frozen creek just to try climbing a really steep frozen hill. Besides, it's very Blair Witchy in that part of the land. I remember one time crossing a creek and then finding myself on the wrong side of it on the way back...I don't know how that happened. How do creeks disappear and reappear like that?

So I stayed put and just watched those silly dogs...

...until I got too cold to stay any longer. I turned back and was soon joined by the dogs after they finished jumping up and down under a tree trying to catch the attention of something.

And as is their habit, after any walk, a dog needs to jump in a creek, even if it's frozen.

I'm not so sure I can put up a sign that reads, "Mine. Mine. All of this. Mine." when it is so obviously theirs, theirs, theirs.

However, I think Aussie would approve of a sign that said "Mine. Mine. All of this. Mine."

Because I know that's exactly how she feels about the land too. :-)