If you’ve been reading this blog for a while you will know that there have been a couple of times that I have had a couple of scary encounters in the woods.

Yesterday we had a totally terrifying experience.

Just as we were prepping for our walk it started to rain.  As long as it wasn’t downpouring I was willing to go; I just threw a hat on and thanked the powers that be that the bugs wouldn’t be coming along with us.

We knew the shelter of the trees would provide some protection from the rain, so immediately we headed off onto a trail we don’t normally take.  This trail is about 15 to 20 feet into the woods and runs along the side of the field for a ways.

Sampson left the woods and ran out into the field where he ran along side the wood line and back into the woods, completing a gigantic circle.

Chet asked, “Buddy, what the hell are you doing?”

I said, “He’s getting his run on.”

Chet questioned “Where did he get that energy from?” “I haven’t seen him run like that in a long time!”

(After I thought about it I realized that I had run out of Benadryl yesterday morning so he didn’t get his normal dose.  He was running because he wasn’t all doped up!)

We had planned on keeping the walk at about 20 minutes due to the rain, so we turned around and headed back.  As we approached the area closest to the field, Sampson again ran out into the field and from our vantage point 15 to 20 feet into the woods we watched him happily running back and forth in the little brook that runs along the side of the field.  (If you have never seen the video of him running in the brook, check it out.)

Chet and I were walking, watching and commenting on how happy he was if he was happy then we were happy.

We got to the end of the trail and Sampson wasn’t there waiting for us.  So Chet called him and whistled and we waited, but he didn’t come back.

Chet started walking up the field and I said, “I’m going back in.”

I headed up the wooded trail, looking as I went at the large rocks now slippery from the rain and worrying that possibly he had tried to scale a rock and slipped and was hurt.

Chet was calling and whistling as he walked the field and I was calling as I hiked the trail, I could hear the panic in my own voice and that active imagination I have started to run wild.  He was hurt on the side of some rocks; a wild animal had him and was gnawing him; someone had seen him and grabbed him.

And then, miraculously he was there in front of me!  Apparently he must have gone back to where he left us and when he couldn’t find us, he went searching for us, but he went the wrong way!

I have changed my opinion about as long as he’s happy I’m happy;  to..as long as he is happy and I can see him, I’m happy.

 

I can’t stand it when people say, “Happy Monday!”  In my opinion, that is an oxymoron.  Here’s how my Monday started.

Delilah for some reason wouldn’t leave the bathroom.  I climbed over her at least three times before I gently guided her to the bedroom and suggested she lie on the bed with her brother; only to have her return immediately to the bathroom where she stuffed herself between my legs.

All of a sudden there was a flurry of barking and rushing for the door, so I went to let them out only to find a pile of shredded sponge waiting for me outside my bedroom door.

I let the dogs out, picked up the sponge, walked into the living room only to find a shredded paper towel that someone left lying around, which Delilah happily shredded.

I finally finished getting ready for work, went out fed the cat, fed the dogs, turned on my cell phone, washed the dishes.  Then I realized I needed to scoop the cat’s box; Delilah for some reason is hawking around right in front of the door to the cat’s room, so I climbed over Delilah AGAIN, climbed over the gate into the cat’s room, scooped the box, turned around to leave and realized Bob ate his food, then took four steps and puked it up all over the floor.  I said a mental prayer of thanks that I didn’t step in the puke and slip as I climbed over the gate.  (Aren’t you glad I didn’t take a photo?)

I climbed back over the gate (and Delilah) went to the kitchen and grabbed the paper towels, heard my cell phone vibrating but I couldn’t remember where I put it.  Climbed over the gate, cleaned up the puke, climbed back over the gate to get some cleaner for the floor, back over the gate, spray, wipe, back over the gate.

Grabbed the recycling items, went outside, threw recycling and cat box/puke bag in their respective containers (thankfully I did not confuse the two bins.)  Back into the house, washed my hands, found the cell phone, read the text, started to gather my food items to take with me for the day.  I had a rational thought that if I timed it right I would  have enough time to update Sampson and Delilah’s facebook pages, so I thought it might be wise to  go turn on the laptop.

Brought the laptop over to the couch, grabbed my salad container, went downstairs filled it with salad, and back upstairs. Then I remembered the 10 pounds of beautiful fresh strawberries I picked on Saturday sitting high on a shelf  in order to ensure their safety.  Grabbed the strawberries, washed a small strainer full and sliced three up to add along with some walnuts and feta cheese to my salad, and put the strawberries back on the shelf.

I thought about the laptop and how I should make sure it had loaded properly, so I walked over to it and sure enough I had plugged it in, but I didn’t turn it on!  So I turned on the laptop, went back to the kitchen to gather my food items and loaded them in my bag.  I grabbed my delicious chicken sausage soup from the fridge only to discover the noodles absorbed all the liquid during the night, so I had some kind of mish mosh for lunch.

I packed my food and headed over to the laptop where I had 8 minutes to update Facebook pages and leave for work because the town is paving at the end of my road and I needed an alternate route.

Happy + Monday = Oxymoron.