Musings
an Online Journal of Sorts
By Alyce Wilson
The weather yesterday was incredible, and right away I knew it was time for the first state park outing of the season.
It was the kind of balmy weather that makes doggies laugh. Una had a big silly grin on her face the whole time we took our morning walk. After I finished up a little bit of work, I called a friend and we made plans to go to a state park.
Immediately, Una read my mind and started getting all excited and ripping around the apartment, barking.
Everybody in the area had the same idea; the park was full, and we had to drive around looking for a place to park. Before we even stopped, Una was barking excitedly. It's next to impossible to get her to settle down when she's in such a mood; it's one of the last bad behaviors we're trying to iron out. That and jumping on people's groinal regions when she greets them at the door.
I opened the door and Una leaped out and started sniffing everything.
I may not be a doggie, but I was equally excited. It was a deliriously delicious day. After being bundled up, hiding from the cold, it feels great to get out, release the hounds and enjoy the fresh breeze.
My friend and I had brought lunch, so we made a picnic of it while Una barked protectively at everyone who got within 10 feet of the table. This wouldn't have been such an issue, if we hadn't been seated so close to a high traffic area.
Finally, we were ready to hike. Una very considerately waited until we were in the middle of the woods to do her business on a clean stretch of path, so that I could carry a full baggie the rest of the way. She knows how much I love to do that; otherwise, why would I always be collecting her "presents"? Her plan was foiled when I discovered a trash can along the trail.
The combination of recently melted snow and a high volume of foot and bicycle traffic had created a muddy footpath for the first portion of our journey. We tried to stay on the edges, and I heard Una yelp, not realizing until much later that she'd scratched her ear on some thorns.
But after we cleared the muddy pathway, we came out on the macadam walking and cycling trail. Una stuck to the snow, which contained so many interesting smells that she had to eat some of it (the snow, that is).
My friend and I were trying to figure out what makes spring smell so good. Is it because our noses don't work as well in the cold? Or because the heat releases fragrances? Or was it because the green things, dormant for the last few months, were now beginning to flourish?
We walked four miles, enjoying the light breeze, the warm sun on our skin, and talking about old times. Families on bicycles were out, the children, like wheeled ducklings, following their parents. Some couples were out with strollers, some older women out for a brisk walk, and cyclists with helmets and mud on their legs.
Every once in awhile, there were dips and gullies, patches of wooded areas still covered with snow, and a blast of cool, refreshing air.
There were old buildings along the trail, some in ruins and some holding together almost as if someone might still live in them. The winter had been harsh on one of the houses which, the last time I saw it, had a roof and except for boarded up windows, looked like an old farmhouse where some quiet person might live. But now the roof had caved in and it was a modern day ruin of stone and weather-beaten wood. It had a certain grace to it, tangled up with tree trunk and vine.
By the time we left, the sun was falling and most of the families had cleared off. We wiped the mud off Una's legs before driving home. She was exhausted and fell asleep in my friend's lap, sleeping the satisfied sleep of a dog filled with happy, springtime memories.
Moral:
Celebrate
the green.
Copyright 2003 by Alyce Wilson
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