Porter Lynch Road In Stockholm, New York - Part 1

We'd just endured another big snowstorm and it was brutally cold outdoors, but the day was sunny and the winds were quiet. So I decided it was time for a driving tour and chose rural Porter Lynch Road in the town of Stockholm:

This was real farm country and the houses were far apart:

There were old barns alongside the road:

And suburban style homes, fronted with snow covered evergreens:

But there were authentic old farmsteads as well:

An old silo, big tractor, farm equipment and the foundation where a barn once stood:

This old farm house and its split rail fence were close to the road and looked comfortable:

I passed through woodlands, apparently former fields which had, over time, returned to trees:

I remembered that this western style barn had sheep the last time I drove this road, but I saw none on this day:

A front porch for sitting and watching the neighbors drive by - in warmer weather, of course:

Do you see those tiny dots way out in the distant fields? Those were five foot diameter, round hay bales - hundreds of them. But there was more to see on Porter Lynch Road and I'll post Part 2 tomorrow:

Tribute To A Brave, Sweet, Loving Soul

I began taking more photos of old PeeWee, thinking of the day when I would have him no longer:

I adopted PeeWee in 2013. He was already rather old and was recovering from a mauling by a big dog. But he healed nicely and came to enjoy being around all my other dogs:

PeeWee gradually lost most of his eyesight and hearing, but he seemed to cope with it well. I think he took his cues from the other dogs and cats around him:

As time went on, PeeWee stopped pooping and peeing outdoors and began doing it indoors. I had to be ever vigilant to keep my house clean:

I began carrying him wherever he needed to go and I think he enjoyed that. I guess it felt like being hugged. Well, it was like being hugged:

I divided my bedroom in half and spread a plastic tablecloth over the carpeting so PeeWee could continue to sleep with his family. Toward the end, he quit sleeping in his favorite dog bed and just sprawled out on the floor:

I got him some absorbent belly bands to protect my floor from his peeing. But brave, loving little PeeWee only lived a few days after the belly bands arrived:

After PeeWee died, Draco the cat was bereft and confused. We'd established a twice a day routine where Draco got to clean up the canned dog food which PeeWee spilled when he ate. When Draco got to do that no longer, he was very sad:

I got some photos of PeeWee from 2013, a younger, happier time when he was in foster care. My first reaction upon seeing them was "Yep, that's my PeeWee:"

I especially liked this photo of PeeWee in his beloved dog bed from his days with his foster family. He continued to love that bed after I adopted him and used it until just before he died. That dog bed is still in my bedroom and reminds me of him every time I see it. PeeWee was a brave, gutsy, loving, little dog who everyone fell in love with. I will miss him: