I was planning to go on my annual rant about the chuck wagon races at the Calgary Stampede (four dead horses this year), but I am having what could only be described as a truly lousy weekend, and need cheering up. Enter my four legged best friend Chorizo to carry the day – and my mood – back to sunnier skies. Kind of.
This past Thursday afternoon, Chorizo and I headed out our front door to take a walk down to the river where there’s a nice little mini-bay for me to throw the stick for him in the water (Chorizo is obsessed with swimming, among other things as you are about to learn). We didn’t get far. Chorizo noticed something under my Subaru, which was parked on the street, and made a beeline. Out from under the car I caught a good look at a rather surprising species for this part of the world: a marmot or groundhog.
For you doubting Thomases, no it was not a squirrel. It was low slung, bulky and had a much weedier tail than a squirrel. It was also fairly slow moving, which may have indicated it was either disoriented at finding itself in the city or perhaps unwell. It made a few loud chirps before shuffling off underneath my other vehicle, my beloved, elderly VW Westfalia. Chirp chirp, bark bark, and now it had retreated into the undercarriage of the front end, where it was completely safe from any harm – including the engine, which is in the rear of the vehicle.
I was planning to go on my annual rant about the chuck wagon races at the Calgary Stampede (four dead horses this year), but I am having what could only be described as a truly lousy weekend, and need cheering up. Enter my four legged best friend Chorizo to carry the day – and my mood – back to sunnier skies. Kind of.
This past Thursday afternoon, Chorizo and I headed out our front door to take a walk down to the river where there’s a nice little mini-bay for me to throw the stick for him in the water (Chorizo is obsessed with swimming, among other things as you are about to learn). We didn’t get far. Chorizo noticed something under my Subaru, which was parked on the street, and made a beeline. Out from under the car I caught a good look at a rather surprising species for this part of the world: a marmot or groundhog.
For you doubting Thomases, no it was not a squirrel. It was low slung, bulky and had a much weedier tail than a squirrel. It was also fairly slow moving, which may have indicated it was either disoriented at finding itself in the city or perhaps unwell. It made a few loud chirps before shuffling off underneath my other vehicle, my beloved, elderly VW Westfalia. Chirp chirp, bark bark, and now it had retreated into the undercarriage of the front end, where it was completely safe from any harm – including the engine, which is in the rear of the vehicle.
I was planning to go on my annual rant about the chuck wagon races at the Calgary Stampede (four dead horses this year), but I am having what could only be described as a truly lousy weekend, and need cheering up. Enter my four legged best friend Chorizo to carry the day – and my mood – back to sunnier skies. Kind of.
This past Thursday afternoon, Chorizo and I headed out our front door to take a walk down to the river where there’s a nice little mini-bay for me to throw the stick for him in the water (Chorizo is obsessed with swimming, among other things as you are about to learn). We didn’t get far. Chorizo noticed something under my Subaru, which was parked on the street, and made a beeline. Out from under the car I caught a good look at a rather surprising species for this part of the world: a marmot or groundhog.
For you doubting Thomases, no it was not a squirrel. It was low slung, bulky and had a much weedier tail than a squirrel. It was also fairly slow moving, which may have indicated it was either disoriented at finding itself in the city or perhaps unwell. It made a few loud chirps before shuffling off underneath my other vehicle, my beloved, elderly VW Westfalia. Chirp chirp, bark bark, and now it had retreated into the undercarriage of the front end, where it was completely safe from any harm – including the engine, which is in the rear of the vehicle.
