Walking the Dog

I had nothing but good intentions this morning. I put the kids on the bus and decided that because it wasn't hot nor raining, I would take Dallas for a walk. When I quit my job one of the things I told myself was that I would walk the dog more... and I haven't exactly been doing that. But it's been hot & muggy out and I hate walking in that heat. So hopefully I will get in a lot more dog walks this fall.

At the sight of his collar & leash Dallas is ecstatic. I donned a pair of shoes that would inevitably give me blisters (why I don't choose a pair that I know won't give me blisters is beyond me) and off we went.  I decided that I would walk up to the conservation area where I could let him run off leash and no one would bother me. I must admit, that even if the chances are slim to none, the very thought of walking through the woods or in a fairly deserted place like the conservation area automatically triggers the thought of being attacked by some crazy (thanks, no doubt, to too much TV). I've always felt that these areas are perfect for attacks & body dumps. I guess that applies mostly to those who live in crime ridden areas and thankfully my city is considered one of the safest in the country. In spite of this the thought still crosses my mind but I only think about it... not worry. After all, I do have my ferocious pit bull to protect me. I love to walk in the peacefulness of the forest & wildlife, even if I have these thoughts and even if the sign at the entry to the path says "All dogs must be kept on a leash" and "If you see a crime call 911". What kind of crimes do you see in the woods other than attacks & body dumps?? A+ for positive reinforcement.

We marched along side the road looking for a break in the fence so we could enter the area. Usually these breaks in the fence are accompanied by pathways into the conservation area, however the break we found didn't seem to have a path leading anywhere. I knew there was a big path parallel to the road so I decided that if we walked into the bush a little bit we'd probably stumble across another path that would link us to it. Wishful thinking. There was no path. Even my dog looked up at me like "where the hell are we going? I can't run in this."


We finally stumbled onto the path I was looking for... the one parallel to the road. Funny... although we had been walking away from the road it really didn't sound any quieter. Even though we were headed left I followed the path around a bend to the right just out of curiosity. Go figure that about 100 yards away it met up with the road. If I had stayed on the road a couple of minutes more I would have reached it, eliminating the traipse through the forest. Fail.

Overall, the walk was peaceful & great. I can tell that Dallas is tired when we walks home right beside me instead of pulling ahead. It always feels good to get some exercise even if I got a blister on my right heel. Tomorrow I will choose better footwear.

I think that if people spend too much time texting they end up talking using 'words' like OMG or BTW. The same goes for people who spend too much time on Facebook and think about everyday situations in terms of status updates. I take my dog for a walk, get lost in the wet brush & thicket of a small forest, breaking branches, crouching under fallen trees & stepping over dead ones, covered in spider webs and bugs, looking for signs of a crime (obviously), and simultaneously think "how can I turn this into a story for my blog & what will I call it?" Does that make me a person who spends too much time on her blog?