When I first adopted Jazzmin from the local animal shelter, I walked her every day, sometimes twice a day. Impressive considering it was the middle of winter and some mornings the temperature was below freezing with a wind chill! Jazz was never bothered by the cold though and as long as I bundled up to my eyeballs I was pretty good, especially once half my body went numb. As cold as those walks were, they were a great opportunity for Jazz and I to get to know each other. I'd been living in that particular country block for four months already and had walked the roads many times so I thought I knew them well. Wrong. Walking roads with a dog is entirely different than walking them alone. Dogs are much more conscious of their surroundings, or at least Jazz is. She could see and hear every bird flap, squirrel hop, and branch twitch and spot a deer five miles away and three hills over. I might be exaggerating slightly, but she was certainly attentive! I hadn't owned a dog since I was a teenager and while Jazz listened to everything else while on a leash, she tended to ignore the leash holder, ie me. I therefore had to learn to be more aware of my surroundings so I could anticipate when she might decide to try and take mama for a drag. By the time spring arrived, I was better at spotting squirrels than she was and saw several that she never even knew were there. On my solo walks I'd already nurtured my love for observing nature as I stopped to watch birds, peer into streams and try to figure out what all the different trees were. Walking Jazz made me that much more perceptive of things and every walk I see something new. Tonight was a bit humid but the air had cooled so Jazz and I headed out on one of our shorter walks which totals about a mile. There is no such thing as a flat road anywhere near me so whatever direction we go involves walking hills. It's good for both of us and has blessed us with lovely legs and hindquarters. On the walk out I saw a family of bluebirds flitting around on the power lines. They studied me intently as I walked beneath them and I stopped to look up at them and appreciate their pretty blue wings, white bellies and the touch of orange on their breasts. I always find it amusing to think of the phrase "bluebird of happiness" because most of the bluebirds I've seen look kind of grumpy. I don't think they are actually grumpy, they're just very watchful. There were also lots of young finches and sparrows flying about and chirping nervously as their parents showed them how to find food. Further down the road I saw a couple monarch butterflies gliding lazily from leaf to leaf trying to decide where to rest. I longed for a breeze to keep the biting flies and mosquitoes at bay but the air stirred very little and after a family of three deer, a mama and two babies, crossed the road in front of us I decided to head back. I think Jazz believes she's a deer because whenever she sees them she wants to run off with them. Mama don't run with deer. I was almost back to the road I live on when I noticed some odd looking red leaves on the road. They were small and curled in such a peculiar manner they almost resembled some small creatures. Upon further inspection, I realized they weren't leaves at all, they were indeed creatures, orange lizards of some kind. I'd never seen any sort of lizard in my area before and I've lived in this region of the state for 10 years. I touched one of them gently with my fingertip because he was so small and he remained frozen in position with his little claws stuck to the pavement. I really didn't think near the edge of the road was the safest place for the first pair I found so I picked them gently up by their tails and placed them in the grass. Another 20 feet down the road I saw an even smaller lizard so I carefully relocated him too. From that point on I watched where I was walking but I didn't see any other little creatures in need of a helpful nudge out of danger. As the weather cools again Jazz and I will go on more walks and I'm eager to enjoy the sight of the leaves changing colors. I love autumn and if I could just skip winter altogether, life would be much warmer. I look forward to whatever Jazz and I discover and I'm certain my perception of the world around me will continue to bring enlightenment and joy.
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AuthorMy words are like my brush strokes, I'm never quite sure where they'll flow to and when they'll stop. Categories
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