Moose Visits

Update on last week's post: Terry is feeling better, but still in pain. The MRI results confirmed damage along his spine, but the plan for now is to medicate and recover while avoiding surgery. He is doing better, but not ready to fly to Italy, ride for 2 weeks, plus spend one of those weeks standing at bicycle races after riding all morning. Alas, we've made the decision to cancel the trip. We are definitely bummed to miss out on all the adventures, but recovery is more important.

It rained most the day last Sunday and throughout the week, which is quite unusual. Although, as we see flood coverage from Colorado, there is no room to complain about a week's worth of rain. We were fortunate to be on the edge of the storm and not have any destruction.

Sunday Rain Puddle

Since we couldn't get out last Sunday, we were blessed with entertaining moose visits. As the rain backed off, mama came down for a drink and walk-about. We watched her expertly maneuver the waterfall to hydrate and when it was obvious she was happy in the back, we escaped out the front to run errands.

Delicate Steps around the Waterfall

Walking and stretching after several hours of rain

Moose Drinking Fountain

We came home to both mama and her youngster enjoying the backyard buffet. The next few hours flew by as we watched them from the back door and bedroom windows. She tried to teach the little one how to drink from the waterfall, which of our new landscaping bushes were the yummiest, and the best way to navigate the flagstone before finally settling in for a long nap.

Watch and Learn

Thought I took more photos & video during Sunday's viewing party but must have been caught up in the moment.

The show continued on Monday and Tuesday evenings, which means it probably happens all day long while we are at work. I had a small opening on Tuesday night to mow but as I finished the back, saw mama arriving for dinner and drinks.

Time to stop mowing

She spent some time in the back, but then snuck around to the front to sleep. She appeared to be exhausted (closed eyes) but still very attentive (twitching ears) while waiting to see if her protege would do ok in the back. I walked from our front windows to back door checking on them both. The youngster wasn't too keen on being left alone and finally figured out how to navigate the waterfall and steps then ran to the front to be close to mom.

Sneaking away to the front

Left alone in the back and a bit nervous to not have mama close by

Back together for another evening nap

We are definitely blessed to have them here, but it is also a curse. Imagine two horses living in your backyard on your new sod which has had a week's worth of rain. Also, since the flagstone is not their favorite flooring material, the moose choose to walk among the flowers, mulch, and irrigation piping. On Wednesday, we even had a present on the grass that couldn't be blamed on neighborhood dogs.