A Walk in the Country.....

I used to love getting out and taking a walk, but in the last few years had gotten away from taking the time to do it.
Then along came Boone, and it quickly became apparent that at least one long walk per day was going to be needed to just keep his energy levels half way under control. Of course I've benefited from it as well, and even though its often not convenient I try not to miss many days to get out there and enjoy the beauty in nature--and decompress the dogue at the same time! Ariel the elderly collie insists on going on these walks as well and I've seen her overall mobility improve from them. Seeing a collie sulk isn't a pretty sight, so I do include her as much as I can. Boone will be out front as far as his leash extends, and Ariel will be behind as far as her leash goes, illustrating Boone's high energy and Ariel's slower 'not so young' anymore pace. I'm anchored somewhere in the middle with leashes tangled about my hands and arms.

As you can see, this picture illustrates my perfectly matched team of dogs..... We tend to start out well, but soon and often become a tangled mess. Boone has always been mild mannered around the Collie girls, but he is also very rude and pushes and shoves his way to where he wants to be. Ariel looks at him down her nose, and then looks at me, like, where are his manners? Was he raised in a barn? As you can also see from the picture, size and style of leashes differ a great deal--Boone's has to be much heavier 'just in case' as he is so strong. He has now almost outgrown a 26 inch chain collar! The dogs get alot of looks-- often people will do a double take and I fear they will run off the road.

Every night there will be new sights to see... or smell. I know its best to walk briskly and keep your heart rate up to maximize the benefits, but walking in the country can challange that practice. The dogs don't help of course, but they aren't the only obstacle. Friendly folks...that is what the problem is! There is the neighbor down the road who used to raise sheep but now works off the farm--its mandatory that she stop her vehicle so we can catch up on the latest happenings, or maybe its our friendly Mennonite neighbor who likes to keep up on what is going on in his neighbors lives and doesn't mind stopping his big truck in the middle of the road to accomplish that. Then again it could be someone from Church or the Fire Department just stopping to say 'hey' and see how things are going. Once in a while its a total stranger who is lost or curious about something. Taking a walk is often an adventure, usually interesting and once in a while just down right exhausting! :-) But I enjoy the walks, I enjoy my neighbors and I'm happy to live in a community that does care about each other. Besides....its easier to keep up on the local grapevine this way!