Random Hallmark Moments: Pain in the Ankle

   Day 6 was rough. Too much walking at work. This just in: Hallmark is huge!

A Stroll in Stoll

   Tonight the weather was cool and pleasant (despite the thunderstorms in the forecast), so I took the mutts to Stoll Park to blow off steam. They had a long day of being mostly alone yesterday: I was gone for work from 7:45-5:15, then played a flag football scrimmage for Corporate Challenge from 5:15-7:10 (whilst dear Mary Ann tended to my herd of pets), then raced home to change for like 10 minutes, then raced out to meet Joni for our long-awaited dinner. Because Joni and I are practically identical in so many ways, we had a lot to catch up on. What an awesome time. 3 hours flew by (and much sushi was scarfed down) before I knew it!
   So tonight was considerably less chaotic: when we got to Stoll there was only 1 other woman there with her dog, and she left as we walked in, so we had the whole park to ourselves for 45 minutes or so.  We spent most of the time running through the overgrown woods, trying to stay out of the mud from this week's storms.
   Later a nice teacher named Therese with her giant black Newfie-mix showed up, followed closely by Justin with his 2 mixed-breeds. We had a nice visit and then I was home to tend to some paperwork over a glass of Riesling. A nice, calm Friday night.

A walk in the rain

   I got held up at work today, and also on the way home due to a rainstorm, and knew I would arrive too late to make it to yoga class. Bummer. I SO look forward to Britten's class! When I parked in the garage & walked in the kitchen door, the dogs went absolutely nuts. 

First they almost knocked me over...

Then they tackled each other, snarling and ROARING like wild animals!

   I've been working late recently, my hip is gimpy, and with the rainy weather I haven't been able to take them to the park, go jogging, or even walk around the neighborhood. Tired dogs don't cause trouble. When I walked into the living room, the rug & table were piled up against the couch like a tornado had hit. Clearly, their energy levels were boiling over. I HAD to walk them tonight!

   The last straw was when Aki flew by me in a blur with Taylor in tow, terrorizing the poor cats. THAT'S IT!!!

   So against my better judgement (umbrella + lightning = bad idea), I threw on a jacket, harnessed the dogs & set out. I was tired from a long day at work and wasn't thrilled about the prospect. But the dogs... were over the moon.

   The funny thing about dogs is that they can be happy in pretty much any situation. Mine don't like to get wet (well, one doesn't for sure), but that's NOTHING compared to the joy of a long walk. 

   As we walked, I began to get into it, just seeing how happy they were. And I noticed their patterns: Taylor lives in the present. He has his nose to the ground, looking for anything edible (be it mushroom, crabapple or fast food wrapper). He takes things as they come & appreciates whatever he finds along the way. Aki, on the other hand, is always looking ahead: is there a squirrel or a rabbit or a bird up there? Anything to chase? She's extremely alert & ready for anything at a moment's notice. Her joy comes from anticipation.

   It occurred to me how well they balance each other out; how well they get along. You need both facets to be happy: an ability to appreciate the here & now, but also the excitement and optimism about what may be coming your way. So apparently my dogs are philosophers. Who knew?

Indian Creek Trail walk

   This afternoon the shibas & I met up with Chieko, Bill, Hana and Hachi (formerly Lobo) for a leisurely 2-hour walk on the Indian Creek Trail. We started from the trailhead at 127th & Black Bob and followed the trail south. As fun as walking was, the paved trail is perfect for bikes (which Hana enjoyed) and continues for over 15 miles. Time for me to get a bike!

Shiba lineup:

   The trail snakes in & out of the woods and loosely follows a creek. It was hot today: about 95 degrees. The shade felt good. It would have been fun to let the shibas try the water, but mine just had a bath, and the creek didn't smell as good as they do...

   There were tiny butterflies of all varieties. This one's wings were frayed, but it could still fly:

Taking a water break (those are some long tongues!):

We met a  nice family in the woods. The kids loved dogs!

Maybe too much?

Please tell me she's not making out with my dog...

Walking back to the car: