Change Is Hard

…but change is certain.

Tag Archives: park


by 7 Comments

Katie has a play date!

Not getting her feet wet.

Not getting her feet wet.

By prearrangement I took Katie to a state park a few miles up the road to meet a friend and her dog Peep.  Peep was in the same obedience class with Katie a long time ago, and we’ve been following her trials  via facebook for the last couple of years.

When I got home from work tonight I asked Katie if she wanted to go to the park!  And of course she did, spinning her excitement as I chopped up some cheese for treats.  Her Dad brought up the fact that she was getting to go for a walk at the park and a ride in the car AND she was getting treats!  Katie spun faster.  I had to put her in the car before I was ready to leave, she was so excited.

Anyway, we made it to the park, one I’ve never visited before, and met up with Peep and her Mom.  It’s a beautiful park and the dogs enjoyed exploring, both along the lakefront and on a trail into the woods.

Peeps and Katie

Peep and Katie

I wondered how Katie would be with another dog, and it turns out neither of them cared particularly that the other one was there.

Noses busy.

Noses busy.

In fact it was just about impossible to get a photo of the two of them together, how those of you with two dogs ever get them to sit still at the same time, in the same place is beyond me!

Regardless of the photo quality we all had a great time!

This was as close as we could get them.

This was as close as we could get them…

Katie and I are looking forward to our next visit to the park with her new doggie friend!

...unless treats were involved.

…unless treats were involved.


by 11 Comments

Sunshine on my shoulders!

Welcome to my park!

Welcome to my park!

Katie here!  Guess what?  The sun came out today and I got to go to my park.  Hey!  Do you think there is a correlation?   Mama said “Hey Katie!  It’s nice outside, do you want to go to the PARK?”  Well of course I did…so I got all jumpy and excited and barkey and she could hardly get me into the car.  Then I barked all the way there.  I was telling her to hurry up!

No one was at the park except a couple of little league teams.  They were all busy playing ball so we had the rest of the park to ourselves.

Play ball!

Play ball!

We were almost at the back of the park when I heard a loud noise and the earth started shaking.  Mama said it was a train, but I think it was a really really big car!  It has never been back there when we’ve been at my park before.  I stood stock still and watched it go by.

That's a BIG car!

That’s a BIG car!

When Mama asked me if I wanted to get closer I sat down.  No way!  I’ll wait right here Mama!

I'll wait right here.

I’ll wait right here.

After the big car was gone I was quite happy to continue our walk.  We came to the only wet spot on our walk and Mama walked right by it on the edge.  I stopped.  Mama got on the other side and looked back and called me.  No way!  She forgets all the time that I’m  a princess.  Princesses do not get their feet wet.  I made her come back and carry me over.  You’d think she’d have thought of that first.  Geeze.

Are your feet wet Mama?

Are your feet wet Mama?

Anyway, I had a great time and wish my Mama was home all the time to take me to the park every day.  Oh wait.  I forgot.  Mama brought ‘treats’ because she wanted to work on our heeling.  She brought dry dog food!  Can you believe that?  I came and sat once when she asked me and she gave me a piece.  I was disgusted and spit it out.  Honestly.  Sometimes she is not very smart.  If she had brought chicken I’m sure I would have run through that puddle.

Mama’s got a lot of learning to do.

Come ON Mama!

Come ON Mama!


by 13 Comments

Another weekend another park!

I walked a long way!

I walked a long way!

Good morning everybody!  Katie here.  My Mama took me to the park again yesterday, but I can only give you the short version because she says she has to go to work and doesn’t have time for all this dictation.

So anyway, we went to my favorite park, but there was so much snow melting that we ran into this:

Pretty wet out here Mama!

Pretty wet out here Mama!

I said we could go right through it but my Mama is a wuss and said it was too deep.  So she bundled me up and we went to another park.

This one was a lot dryer and there were lots and lots of people there, riding their bikes and running and walking with their dogs and other peoples.  I was very very good.  We practiced some distracted heeling…cause I was distracted until I remembered the treats!

Got treats Mama?

Got treats Mama?

We walked a long way.  See that first picture up there?  What?  You don’t believe I walked over 7 miles?  Huh.  So you know me pretty good don’t you.  Yep we walked one mile and then we turned around…and since it’s four miles to the end of the trail and 4 miles back on our way back to the car we could pretend we walked the whole way!

One mile is still a long way!

One mile is still a long way!

Oh hey!  I almost forgot to tell you!  We were almost back at the parking lot and this family was just starting out with a big standard size black poodle.  The dog was all over the place.  The Dad was busy texting someone and the Mom was trying to get the dog under control.  My Mama told me to “HEEL!” and “watch her” and I did, I walked right by the spinning black dog without looking at it!

And you know what the Dad said after they got by me?  He said, “Did you see that dog?  That was a good dog, did you hear her say watch me and the dog watched her!  Why can’t you do that?”   And my Mama laughed out loud.  Yes she did.  Cause she and I know that doesn’t just happen without a lot of work.

I'm a good girl!

I’m a good girl!

But I am a very good girl.  Yes I am.  Now I need a nap.  All this talking so early in the morning wears me out.  Too bad Mama has to go do that work thing.

Yep.  Too bad.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA


by 12 Comments

Waiting for spring

Weather people say it will reach 50 (10 C) today.  So what if it might rain a little too…we’re still excited.

It’s been a long winter and I am not alone in waiting impatiently for spring.

Stoically waiting for spring.

Stoically waiting for spring.

Lately it seems even inanimate objects are waiting….waiting…

Lonely slide

Lonely slide

…waiting for the first soft spring breeze tinged with warmth.

But there is hope.  Yesterday on the way to doggie school I spotted a red winged blackbird preening in the top of a tree.  I haven’t heard them yet but I am sure I will today when Katie and I go to the park to play.

Missing the children

Missing the children

In fact last weekend while Katie and I were scuttling around avoiding the bitter wind I’m almost sure I heard a sandhill crane’s cry.  And earlier in the week I’m almost positive I saw two of them standing on the ice in a marshy area as I was driving to work.  I just caught them out of the corner of my eye but I’m sure those were cranes and not geese.   Almost sure.

Right now our morning backyard still has snow. (Click on photo to ‘see the light.’)

Morning sheds light on hope

Morning sheds light on hope

But we’re betting on the weather guy that this afternoon will be amazing. And we listen to Mr. Cardinal as he sings with joy.

Ode to joy

Ode to joy


by 21 Comments

Mama failed miserably at adventure

Katie here.  Mama promised me an adventure this weekend.  She’s been so busy we haven’t done anything fun in forever!

So this morning she said we were going to the park.  I got so excited, running in circles, getting under her feet, running from door to door because I couldn’t figure out what door we were going to use that she forgot to bring my treats!  Failure #1 Mama!

Then we stopped at my favorite park and I was so excited I ran around in circles and got all tangled up and Mama kept saying something about having to pee and I figured she was talking about her so I kept running in circles, winding the leash all around her.  Then I figured out she meant she wanted me to pee, so I did, and then she hustled me back to the car!  What the heck?!  Failure #2 Mama!

So we drove for a long time and finally she parked and got me out of the car.  We were at her favorite park, high up on a hill and it was windy and cold.  Just my kind of weather!  I dragged her down the hill, she kept saying ‘easy….easy’  cause she was afraid of falling – it was really slippery.  When we got to the bottom of the hill I wanted to sniff everywhere, but there was lots of mud and Mama kept saying she was cold.  And she had that stupid camera too, so I didn’t get to sniff around too much.  Failure #3 Mama!  And on top of all of that, this is the only picture of me you’ll see from this” great” adventure.  See our car way up there?

She made me sit up here. I didn't like it.

She made me sit up here. I didn’t like it.

So Mama bundled me right back in the car again!  I was disgusted.  She drove around some more and then we got out in a more sheltered place and walked for awhile on the bike path.  We saw lots of people out running and walking.  I even got to bark at a couple of cars, but then she yelled at me and made me go back to our car.  Geesh.  Failure #4 Mama!

So all in all this was not that great an adventure.  I think she owes me another one.

What do you think?

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA


by 10 Comments

We got to go to the park!

This is MY park. But you can come along too.

This is MY park. But you can come along too.

Katie here.  Guess what?!  Bet you can’t guess!  Huh?  Huh?  Guess what!!!  Oh.  You guessed?  Cause it was in the TITLE?  GEEZE….I told Mama to make it more mysterious.  OK.  Well anyway.  I finally wore Mama down and we went to MY FAVORITE PARK on Sunday afternoon!  Mama said it was stinking cold and we weren’t going to stay very long because her gloves weren’t good and her fingers were frozen.  I told her to shut up and start walking faster and she’d warm up.  Plus if she’d stop taking pictures (Click on the photos for more detail) her fingers wouldn’t be out in the cold so much.  Sometimes Mama just needs to have some common sense pointed out to her.

This is so much FUN!

This is so much FUN!

So anyway…we ended up walking around the whole park just like we do in summer!  It’s about a mile around and there was lots of ice under the snow so sometimes Mama was just creeping along.  I, on the other hand, had no problem.  Because she was moving so slow I got to sniff lots of stuff which was way more fun then when she’s always telling me to come on.

Sometimes I am majestic. Don't you think?

Sometimes I am majestic. Don’t you think?

She got quite a few pictures of me (the park was pretty too) that I personally thought were stunning.

Did you hear something over there?

Did you hear something over there?

I hope you enjoy seeing how beautiful I am.

I still hear something over there!

I still hear something over there!

I know you do.

I love you Mama!

I love you Mama!


by 5 Comments

Katie says

Katie here.  Mama says she’s too tired to write this morning, and she has to go to that stupid Weight Watchers meeting anyway.  I hate Weight Watchers because Mama doesn’t eat all those good things anymore.  And if Mama doesn’t eat that stuff, then she can’t accidentally drop that stuff.  So what Mama doesn’t eat, I don’t get to eat either!  How unfair.

Anyway, here it is Saturday already and she didn’t even post the pictures from the excellent adventure we went on last Saturday!  It was a beautiful day, unlike today, and we had the park all to ourselves.

Mama even let me run a little bit without my leash!  Of course I always came right back to her when she called me.  She called a lot, if you don’t mind me saying.  I think she should trust me more, but you know how Mama’s are.

I don’t think we’re going to be able to go back to the park today.  It’s supposed to rain.  And Mama seems so tired all the time.  Do you know she came home from that work place last night and went straight to bed?  No playing with my bunny or my ball or even with my frog!

I just don’t understand.  When I used to go to work, um, I mean school, I always had a good time.  Mama just needs to learn to have fun no matter where she is right?  Unless it’s the groomer.  I don’t think anyone can have fun at the groomer.

Anyway, that was my excellent adventure last weekend.  Guess I’ll go take a nap now.