Day 278

2/18/23

Since the sinister ice has begun to recede, our Golden walks have lengthened. Today, all four pups had the joy of sniffing incredible scents down by the river! They couldn't seem to decide if they should sniff the ground or the air...both held many mysteries and memories.

After three walks (Ranger and Lilly go together) and washing 16 paws, I decided it was a good time to sit down and write. I have gotten out of the habit of logging over 10,000 steps by noon, so I was happy to get back into the swing of walking again but even happier to sit down when we were home! All four dogs are tired as well and probably dreaming about their morning adventures.

On our trio of walks this morning, I noticed that people were friendlier than usual. Cars stopped to honk and wave from their windows, neighbors made a point of connecting with the dogs, strangers hailed us from their driveways to chat about the weather and other walkers wanted to interact as well. Add a few robins and a handful of Canadian geese and I believe "Spring Fever" has set in!

Having lived in Minnesota my entire life, I am no stranger to longing for spring. As a child, winter was fun, but as an adult, clear sidewalks, less layers of clothing and a warm wind on my face are pretty enticing.

Hopefully, the ground hog was wrong and spring is arriving early. Minnesotans know that there will be more snow before the rains of April and frigid temperatures will appear a few more times as well. However, we can see the buds on the trees, hear the robins call and catch a glimpse of green grass creeping out from under the snowbanks. There is hope!

For now, I will really try to embrace the last weeks of winter and enjoy my longer walks. As for the Goldens, they are fine with any season...as long as they can take their walks by my side.