What a simple delight it was, this morning, to stumble out to our front door, leash up the three field spaniels, and then wander outside with all four dogs (Race, our border collie, was loose). I've missed my little four-pawed friends, and I think they may have missed me.
The field spaniels acted as always; nothing special about this morning as far as they were concerned. Nope, just important work to do, smelling every possible thing that could be smelled. Race, on the other hand, acted as though he'd just received the very best present that any dog, ever, could possibly receive – he bounded at fantastic speeds all around the yard, the very image of pure canine joy. Eventually he found a stick – perfectly sized and shaped for throwing – and brought it to me. After that, the rest of our walk was punctuated regularly by the clatter of the stick as he threw it on the ground right in front of me, followed by the “whoosh” as I threw it for him to chase yet again. In the distant north, regular (and big) lightning flashes played across big cumulus clouds – an odd sight in the early morning. Overhead it was quite clear, and I could see a half-moon just above Orion's head, high in the eastern sky. Jupiter still shines brightly, but now lower down in the southern sky.
After finishing with the dogs, I decided to see if my truck would start. It's been unused for two and a half weeks, the longest in its three year life. Hopped in, turned the key, and the engine instantly roared to life, as though I'd just shut it off a few minutes before. I'm still amazed by how reliable modern automobiles are, and such feats still catch me by surprise. Actually, our whole house survived two-and-a-half weeks without trouble. Generally after such a trip I'd come home to a short list of deficiencies that needed to be rectified. Not this time. Everything worked just fine while I was gone, and continues to work now. Amazing!
I came back into the house to find all four dogs arrayed just inside the door, waiting for me, tails wagging and tongues dragging. Much sloppy wet greeting and dogly happiness ensued. Human happiness, too...
