Golden Autumn Morning
One disadvantage of having all your dogs sleeping in your bedroom is that you are at the mercy of whoever feels the most energetic and wants to start their day early. The good news is that for us early bird risers, sometimes you find an absolutely amazing New England morning that leaves you breathless. If I am not working, the dogs coax me outside at first light.
Today was one of those golden mornings. Stunning colors on a blue sky background with a cold bright light accenting everything. Chilly crisp air without any frost.The girls had a ball, as usual.
Someone recently asked how we keep our dogs so lean. Several of our neighbors run their dogs a good number of miles per day, but they still seem to put on a few pounds over the years without being overfed. After some thought, the answer is here in these photos. My knees have long stopped allowing me to “run” with them in hand. And if you have a pack, they encourage each other so they are always racing here and there.
For every mile that I walk/run with them, they probably do two, and at a fast pace. The route we have taken for the last fifteen years involves covering all the fields at the high school here in Farmington at least several times. Being early morning, you rarely encounter anyone else and the school kids are all inside.
Since they have all walked together from being pups, they don’t stray and they listen pretty well. (excepting of course our recent encounter with a large raccoon on the soccer field. We all survived including the raccoon, although I suffered cuts and bruises on my hands. Lesson learned is not to run them without full gloves on, fingerless ones don’t protect you well enough. And thank god the raccoon wasn’t rabid, just out for a walk like us apparently.)
For all of you interested in our Emma’s saga, here is the latest update. She has had three progresterone levels over the last five days, and is now close to ovulation. I am leaving tonight at 3 AM for the trip to the Cape to pick up Mulder, the champion stud. I have to have him at the Veterinary hospital in Suffield CT. by 10 AM Friday.
Both Emma and Mulder will stay there overnight and then we will bring Mulder back to Berna Welch on the Cape on Saturday. Then we keep our fingers crossed, and dream golden thoughts hoping for puppies just after Christmas.
Mike