Jan 7, 2016 Daily Life, Ramblings and Musings
A Bit of Abrupt Reality (Dog-Tail #3
©December 6th, 2016
By Vijaya Sundaram
I went to the woods today — TWICE!
The first time, I went with the Hod. It was a beautiful day, and she was excellent for the first part of our walk. Then, on the way back, she was VERY bad — ran off and didn’t come when I called (and this is the first time she’s done that — must be adolescent rebellion), darted amongst trees in a tantalizing manner, then vanished. I yelled out her name several times with increasing panic in my voice, then said, “I’m going!” and set off briskly back down the main path, close to tears. My husband told me not to worry when I called him on the phone, semi-hysterical. I told him I wasn’t worried that she would run away — I was worried that she’d find her way home (which she can) without me, and I was terrified of the traffic near our home.
Well, I needn’t have worried. I heard the familiar jingling of her tags, and turned around, to see her running towards me, nose to the path. This dog tracks perfectly.
Alas, I WASN’T pleased, however. I behaved like those parents whose children disappear in a public place, then yell at them in relief when they reappear. So, I scolded her, and she let me put the leash back on her. She may have been abashed, but it’s hard to tell. Her tail was wagging, and she seemed cheerful. And her legs were very wet.
We went home (in icy silence on my part) and I gave her a half-bath from the chest down. I could now see how utterly filthy she had gotten — the water ran brown for a long time. She must’ve have found a cold mud-puddle.
Anyway, she was very good after that — for a while, at any rate — until she stole some food that my husband had left out. She was a bad dog today!
After a while doing various errands, I realized I’d lost a lovely earring that a friend had given me, so I determinedly set off to the woods to find it. I retraced all my paths, knowing in the way that I know when an object I’ve “lost” is near me somehow. Didn’t find it. On the way, though, I found what I think was the source of Holly’s distraction: A family of three deer, two adults and a fawn, leaping gracefully across icy slopes. It was arresting and beautiful. Then, I continued my search, which was fruitless.
On my way home, I thought that I would definitely find my earring, if not today, then tomorrow (I really don’t like losing things, more so than most people, I think, because I go crazy looking for them, and in most cases, find them).
Reached home, thinking that perhaps it would be on the floor, if I got lucky.
And my daughter opened the living room door and said, “I FOUND it!” (It had been on the floor — near the radiator!)
I am never wrong about things that I’ve lost that I know will be found.
AND I clocked in at 5 1/2 miles of walking today.
Perhaps, I should just pretend I’ve lost an earring and go to the woods twice every day, instead of once.
And take Holly with me.
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