Autumn colours are showing on the leaves of the trees and in the grasses and bushes that cover the slopes surrounding our house. Summer has come and gone in what seems like a flash. Wasn’t it the beginning of July just a second ago?
Initially I had very low expectations for the summer. Things were turbulent at work, I couldn’t see my family due to COVID restrictions and we had a lot of things to do at home. For about two weeks I was actually at home with a small burn-out, not really knowing where to draw the line between the work-related and the private-related. I had a bad conscience on all sides, feeling like a crappy employee because I couldn’t put in enough effort and feeling like a crappy dog owner for not spending enough time with them because I was at work a lot.
After going into the thinking box for two weeks I refound the balance I needed to function on all fronts. And actually, summer 2020 turned out pretty smashing. There were camping trips, a 10-day solo trip to enjoy Norway’s stunning west coast, small hikes, puppy walks, summer evenings by the fire. My mom came for a little visit, be it in quarantaine for 10 days at our house, but it was awesome to see her after so long nonetheless. We went walking the dogs, picked berries and mushrooms and hung out by a nearby lake.
Of course, there was a lot more DIY and things to fix for the dogs. The projects will continue next summer as well. But we’re almost finished with the fence which is great, as the dogs can now run in the yard without us having to stand guard all the time. Setting up that fence is probably my least favorite project we’ve done so far, it’s such a hassle! Though the reward is great now that it’s up. We retreated the woodwork on the house, giving the whole house a really fresh look. Of urgent matters we now have a bit of fixing on the roof to do, and as soon as the snow melts next year we need to add gravel to the kennels and reinforce them with materials to prevent the dogs from digging.
Bre and Bagheera have been integrating really well into the pack and it’s been such a pleasure to see them growing and learning. By now (September 21), Bagheera is about the size of an adult female at only four months old. His father was one of the biggest huskies I’ve ever met, so I’m sort of half excited and half worried to see how large he will turn out. We’ve been slowly training them to get used to lines and leashes, soon we will start introducing them to a harness and by another month they’ll get to go on their very first short tun.
A little surprise awaited us when we came back from our holiday. Two friends in Tunhovd looked after the dogs, and we found a very pregnant Juta when we went to pick them up. Just a few days later five puppies were born, unfortunately only three of them survived the first week. They are growing strong as we speak. Unfortunately we won’t have the option to keep them, but we’ll find good homes for them where they will be taken good care of.
Autumn training is already in full swing now and most of our agendas evolve around temperatures and when to run the dogs. During the past 10 days it’s been quite warm, I’m looking forward to colder temperatures and longer runs soon.
Lost in the Hills 