Taking a Walk

A guest post by Shelby Anne

Almost every day, I go for a walk. Unless it's snowing or raining or there's some weird thing called a polar vortex. I have no idea what that is, but I do know my mama said we were NOT taking a walk that day and when we went outside, we were supposed to be "fast as lightning" because it was so darn cold.

But anyway, most days we take a walk. Mama likes to walk so she can stay healthy to take care of us (right? That's why she wants to be healthy, I'm pretty sure.). She likes to take me and my big brother Cooper on walks to help keep us in shape and to help us get our crazies out so we don't drive her crazy. Which we do sometimes, anyway, drive her crazy that is. But she loves us even though we make her bonkers sometimes. Who couldn't love this face?

We have a couple of regular paths we go on, mostly in and around our neighborhood, but sometimes we get to walk on the walking path and go to the library, or walk on the rails to trails path. When we're at the cabin, we get to walk without our leashes and that's the most fun, running into the woods, smelling the deer and bear and whatever else there is to smell. Me and Coop like to chase each other, too. Well, really I just chase him because he doesn't like to be the chaser very often. On the very best days, our dad comes along on our walks. He has to be there when we are off our leashes because Mama doesn't trust us one hundred percent to come back when she calls us. But we would. Probably.

What I like most about taking a walk isn't the exercise or the fresh air; what I like most is exploring. Every walk is like a treasure hunt. I don't look straight ahead ... I keep my nose to the ground and sniff the good smells and keep my eyes pealed for something new. Most of the time I find a piece of wood or a branch or a stray piece of mulch. Today I found some little kid's sock with trains on it. I was marching proudly along until Mama spotted it hanging out of my mouth. And then she tried to take it. She pulled and pulled, and kept walking while she was pulling. Now, I have a monster jaw. Seriously. I have a super strong jaw. And I can be stubborn. So getting something out of my mouth is no small feat. Today, though, I eventually let Mama win. It was just a sock. It wasn't worth fighting too hard for, although I didn't give in easily.

But the best thing I ever found? The body of a dead squirrel! It was the best find ever. Mama just about gagged when she saw what I had in my mouth. It had been on the road for a while, and every day Mama steered us to the other side of the road so we wouldn't have a chance to get it. Well, me, really. Coop isn't as much of an explorer as I am on walks. He has other issues he can tell you about sometime. Sometimes walking us wears Mama flat out. But back to my squirrel carcass. Mama wasn't paying close attention and I scooped that squirrel right into my mouth without missing a step. Mama had to wrestle the carcass away from me and I gave the fight of my life. She says we created quite a spectacle for the neighborhood to watch. Coop was really embarrassed. Wouldn't you be if your mama was wrestling a petrified squirrel carcass out of your sister's mouth? I was kind of mad that Mama took the squirrel away, but I love her anyway.

So that's a little glimpse in taking a walk with me. I like to explore my world and see what treasures I can find. There's usually something good out there waiting just for me.