Sunday morning

It was a lovely cool morning as we walked towards the warm pink glow of the sunrise.

The pups acted as if it was their first walk - ever. I am a guilty pet owner...we have neglected all our exercise lately - travel, bad weather, virus or two, and oversleeping are our excuses and we are sticking to them.

But this morning DH was sore and creaky from a day of exercise on Saturday and I felt I owed him (and the dogs) the warm-up of a walk to the park. We plan a long romp at the springs this afternoon and a lazy morning might just hold over. [Isn't that physics? A body in motion...a body at rest...and all that...]

So we walked. The morning birds called in that melodious squeak - like "the big swings" at the park where we played as children. One sang out in Mrs. G's yard across the street and another answered in our yard. I could almost see the swings with my siblings kicking up higher and higher as the "Eee-ah, Eee-ah" noise repeated (and likely drove my parents crazy). My sister always went higher than the rest and would jump out of the swing - flying with abandon - giggling a challenge to the rest of us.

A late newspaper was dropped behind us with a loud "plop!" bringing me back to this day.

Few cars were out, but we heard sirens while we were in the park. Neighborhood dogs took up the howl and ours listened with some surprise. [One always wonders what those wailing warnings mean - fire? injury? death? false alarm? Our answer came on the way back home - emergency call to the nursing home].

There were piles of rough construction sand in the park. Then we noted arrows and lines and incomprehensible words spray painted along the road and staked survey flags in spots. What is the plan here? Will they widen the road or create a new parking area? How much of the park will be sacrificed to concrete and asphalt?

We turned our backs on the park proper as I brushed the sand off my hands.

Paddy and Scruffy tried to run down every deer trail along the dirt road, and take me with them. They have been spoiled by the outings at the springs, where they can follow scents and flush game with almost wild abandon. Here we must obey the rules (well, most of them) and mind our manners. Staying on-leash may be frustrating, but it keeps the walk to an hour (Paddy-girl has disappeared on us in this park. She is no longer trustworthy. It only takes one rowdy to ruin it for everyone.).

On the way back we talked about the day ahead and I thought about our little gang - two big dogs, one raggedy walker, and DH in a different camo pattern almost every walk. He is the fashionable one. Today was a long German overcoat. DH demonstrated how the zipper was designed well, just long enough so the wearer can still reach in his pockets.

One of our older neighbors we have missed for some time slowly walked down her porch stairs and into the yard for her newspaper. We had worried about her as for a few weeks the papers were piled in her yard. And we had not seen her. She worked with DH years ago and, in recent years, she worked the polls at election time and competed with me for neighborhood figs. DH and I shared a relieved sigh. We exchanged a few words with her - "Pretty dogs." "Good to see you!" and the like.

Home again - chores await.