It is 6:30am and Rob has just left for his Sunday ride. My upper back is bothering me from my open water session yesterday, sighting aggravates it a bit, so I am holding off on my normal morning row. Thank God age brings with it some wisdom. So instead of rowing, Gabby and I are in the garage heading out to get the morning paper. Like she does every morning, she stops, lowers her head, peers down the dirt driveway at the tree with a pile of pine cone fragments at it’s base. She is having her morning chihuahua- – squirrel standoff. The squirrel is clinging head first low on the tree trunk waiting for Gabby. They see each other; they are locked in each other’s gaze, then the squirrel makes his taunting call and Gabby is off like a shot. They run around the tree for awhile, then Gabby heads down the driveway with me to retrieve the paper. It reminds me of the sheepdog and wolf cartoon, where they are really friends, but when the work bell rings the feel obligated to chase and run. Gabby and I are just back at the garage when an adult doe stands up from under a mature manzanita and walks toward us. Gabby remains still, watching attentively. When a doe walks that purposefully toward me I know she is a decoy. I look past the deer and see her fawn hop away quietly. This makes Gabby move and I halt her with a “No” command, but this was enough of a distraction to let the jackrabbit hidden about two feet behind me take off without Gabby noticing a thing. I feel like I am in the Disney movie “Bambi” and Bambi has just saved Thumper. Yes, I know Bambi was a male, but you get my point. Did I mention how much I love mornings?