Trust is supposed to be one of those “happy feelings” or good vibes. It’s a term that gets thrown around easily. I know I am guilty of the, “just trust me…” approach. What do you mean trusting can hurt? There are many stories and quotes about pain making...
On occasion, I get the idea not to walk on the woods road but to walk directly to the ridge, thinking I will get more exercise. There is nothing wrong with this rationale, but my evaluation of the terrain and my abilities to make the ascent are where I fail. The...
“Throw your heart over the bar.” A young athlete was having trouble jumping over a high bar. The track coach put his arm around the boy’s shoulder and said, “Son, you can do it, and this is how. Throw your heart over the bar, and your body will follow.” ...
I do not understand why a squirrel doesn't choose to climb the closest tree—or why, once safe in a tree, it wouldn't stay there until it's safe to come down. I have seen both situations play out when Wally and Charlie are in pursuit of a squirrel in the woods. Some...
One day on a walk, I looked ahead and saw a rust-colored face peering back at me. At a distance, and only seeing the head, I thought it was Wally. So I called to him and began talking to him. As I got closer I realized it was a fox looking back at me, probably...
Why do my dogs think they need to roll in manure or decaying animal carcass? What can they be thinking? Is there something therapeutic in the oils of a decaying animal? I don’t have a good answer. But neither do I have an answer for why I "roll in the stink" of my own...
I was walking the dogs one day when I noticed them making a commotion ahead of me. I thought they had something trapped. The closer I got, I realized they had cornered a decoy turkey. They were circling and barking at the decoy, thinking it would try to run or fly...
On days when it’s raining heavily, or in the winter if there is a bad snowstorm, it’s very hard to say to Wally, "No, we are not going on a walk today." Wally does not understand why we can’t go on a walk, and he continues to pester me until I say emphatically "no."...
If I get angry while I am walking and whack my stick across a log or rock, it breaks. I’m not sure what I am trying to prove, and usually it’s not very important. And what have I accomplished? Nothing. I have ruined a perfectly good walking stick. Anger is a scary...
Last week I wrote about the importance if having a walking stick while I walked my dogs. It is just as important to have the right walking stick. Selecting the right walking stick takes a process. Some are too long, too short, too rough, too crooked, or not strong...
As I walk through the woods with the dogs, there are roots and stones over which I can stumble and lose my balance. It is a great advantage to have a walking stick because it helps me keep my balance. It also helps to clear the path, break through spider webs, and...
Since Charlie is chained up all day, it becomes quite a production when I release him to go on our walks. Upon his release, Charlie and Wally take off like they have been shot from a cannon. You do not want to be in their path that goes directly to the bridge leading...