It's not entirely tranquil in the country...

Living in the country is usually the most tranquil environment here at Happy Valley.  Wildlife is abundantly full with the beautiful call of an eagle to the wispy silence of a deer.  And then, sometimes it can be a bit scary, what with the types of wild animals treading into the domicile's surroundings with bad intentions.  Today was nearly one of those events.

As many of you know, we have been blessed to continue to have as a member of our family our nearly 13 year old Lhaso, Gizmo.  After last summer's surprising find of bladder stones, surgery, and one kidney failing, we are really thankful for each and every day we have with him now...never knowing if when his remaining kidney will tire from all the work it has to do.  However, his spirits remain high; he's playful, and has a healthy appetite for his special diet.  So things are positive for now.

That's why what happened today really shook me up.  As the little guy does have to go outside frequently since he's without the holding tank of one kidney, he was let out just as normal.  As I watched him from the comfort of an inside window, I witnessed a very sprite coyote leap from behind some shrubs and start running towards my little Z boy!  The coyote stopped quickly in his tracks and looked up at the window to me at which time I bolted to the front door screaming for help from others in the home.  Once the door had opened and I raced out, the coyote had disappeared from view.  The sight of me at the window must have spooked him.  And fortunately, with all of his other ailments, Gizmo's sight is very poor, AND he was facing the opposite direction of the coyote, so he never spied the intruder. Whew!

It's like those two second "what if" scenarios.  Like when you squeak through a situation by the skin of your teeth, all the while thankful for that microscopic delay or thought process that allowed the decision to be the safe way out of a very hairy situation.  We don't always get those reactionary moments to change an outcome, but, oh aren't they appreciated!  I have NO idea how I would have handled that animal violently attacking my little guy, or how to stop Gizmo from lunging toward the creature if he would have seen it as well.  All I can say is that I feel ever so lucky that it didn't come to that!