Happy National Pet Day!

Today is National Pet Day! Traveling as often as I do makes it impossible to be a traditional pet owner, but over the years I’ve had my share of company!

Living along side a preserved greenbelt we get lots of visitors in the Wolfe garden, including these troublemakers. They are cute, they are playful, and they love to uproot the various vegetation in my garden. I’ve taken to using humane water jet devices to keep them from pawing around my ponds.

The delicate trees in my yard make excellent nesting grounds for smaller birds, like this Anna’s Hummingbird. It’s always an uplifting moment to discover their intricately assembled nests housing tiny eggs when I’m working in the garden.

Lastly, the koi. Sad to say that I’ve had koi numerous times over the years. However, much like those traditional pets they end up being a lot of work – and also very hard to protect in the pacific northwest, where fish are a favorite snack of many a predator. I had fish in my pond up until this past Christmas eve. As I was away on a trip, my security cameras caught a large river otter having himself a holiday feast, and then had the audacity to take a post-meal nap. Frustrating, but that is the circle of life!

So – happy National Pet Day to everyone who has furry, scaled or feathered friends, even if i like me your “pets” are free to roam!

There’s a lot to see here in the Pacific Northwest, and there are still spaces available to join me at Mount Rainier and on the Olympic peninsula – or if you’re open to other locations in the western US join me in Colorado or on the California Coast!