I would like to extend an invitation to you to come and join me on one of my walks with Charlie and Wally in the woods. I’m serious—we would love to share our special time in the woods with you. More importantly, I would love to share my faith walk with you. I would...
The great thing about dogs is their unconditional love. I can be disciplining Charlie and Wally one minute, and the next minute they see me as their best friend. They don’t go off and mope around about how they have been treated. They are right back at me, full of...
Rabbits seem to be the one animal the dogs cannot subdue. Rabbits are special to me because of a story about a rabbit named Hope. I don’t remember all the details about the story, except that at the end the little girl says, “The best thing about Hope is she hops.”...
The dogs blend into the woods, sometimes making them hard to see. Wally with his white and brown is usually visible, except in winter against the snow. But old black stumps and rotten trees can easily be mistaken for Charlie at any time; it’s easiest to spot Charlie...
When autumn comes, the fallen leaves are very crunchy. So crunchy that walking is very noisy. Loud enough that it is hard to hear myself think. In the noise a song came to me. The song was recently introduced to me during a KAIROS prison ministry event. The song was:...
Most of the time we take our walks in the evening, but on weekends we often go out in the morning. It’s amazing how different everything looks in the morning sunlight. What was once in the shadows is now highlighted by the sun—new beauty is revealed. It’s the same way...
Dogs have different barks. When Wally and Charlie have a groundhog cornered, their barks are of authority. The deepness of their barks conveys they are in control. When I’m not in eyesight and hear the commotion, I rush to the scene. I want to make sure it is not a...
Wally is the hunter dog that usually finds the scent of prey first. He lets out a joyous yip of pursuit. The yip has two purposes. First, it is a passionate signal to begin the chase. Second, it is a signal to Charlie to join in the chase. Wally knows he needs Charlie...
Our woods' road is about four or five feet wide, and ambitious spiders create webs to cross it. Spider webs can be beautiful to look at, but not much fun to walk through—especially when bugs get in your face and web in your hair. Job equates those who forget God with...
We have a wood-burning stove, so part of our walks is to spot trees that could be potential wood for our stove. Think about this: The sun provides the light for the process of photosynthesis, which creates the nutrients for the trees to grow. We can then utilize the...
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...
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...