Walking My Master ... A Post By Bear

WOOF MORNING!
This is Bear ... surprise!
FC is busy outside rinsing the mud off his feet after our walk (does he not have a tongue?) so I'm doing this morning's post. He walks me every morning, usually before dawn, but it being the weekend and all, I let him sleep til about 7ish.

I told him no photos of me doing my business and for once he obeyed me.
Soooo, our second stop was the clump of tall palmettos near the driveway, a place of delicious scents ... armadillo, snake, wood rat, cottontail ... it's a nose buffet.
Well, maybe not if you're human. I keep forgetting your sense of smell is so puny ... no offense.

The bunny was here ... trust me.

FC took this picture of his feet (What the Sirius was he thinking?) Wait, ... he was checking out the rainwater diversion he digs each year at hurricane time. It rained all day yesterday, I think he was curious about how it was working.
Also in that picture is the 20 foot long lead he puts on me when we walk.
It helps me to focus ... sometimes I lose my concentration when I see a chicken (tremble,slobber) or a cat (slobber,slobber) or Lady, the pretty white lab girl from next door (tremble, slobber, tremble, slobber ad infinitum... )
FC talks of something called an invisible fence ... huh? I just smile and lick his hand when he brings this up ... his fences are in such bad shape they are mostly invisible anyway.


I did a little driveway excavating too, but FC tugged on the leash so off we went.

I stopped to listen to the resurrection fern. They said they were pretty happy about all the rain. They felt good to be all green and plumped up again. I figured if they liked water so much, I'd give them a little more ... hope they like yellow.

I didn't do the water above ... last night's rain was still hanging around.

At the pond, I led FC out onto the dock to survey the "pond". I've only been on Earth for a year and a half, so I've never seen the pond full, but FC swears to me that this dock was underwater in 2004.

Sigh ...

After the dock, I pulled FC into the shallow wetland he calls a pond. He was barefoot so there was none of that annoying, "No Bear, No Bear, stop, stop, STOP!" stuff he yells when he's wearing shoes.
There were amazing smells here. The deer had been lying in the dog fennels and they dripped with ungulate odor.

I chuffed and breathed deep.

Intoxicating.

We waded a bit and then I led FC up the pond slope on the trail we and the deer always use. I didn't run him since he was barefoot and there is some smilax over the crest.

Wuss ...

The grasses around the pond are rich and lush after a wet summer. I feel quite Serengetish up here in the tall grass.

FC's post-pond feet. He seems preoccupied with them today doesn't he? If he had better fur, none of that mud would have touched his skin.

Naked apes... can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em.

You dogs know what I'm talking about.

It wasn't long before FC was limping with a smilax thorn in his heel. Honestly, how can you expect to have tough pads if you wear shoes to work?

Ridiculous expectation in my canine opinion.

FC's not much for the bricks and mortar church scene, but it being Sunday, we stopped at a REAL crystal cathedral to give thanks for being on such a quirky, yet liveable planet ... and for time with each other.

After church, we found this deer jawbone which scared me at first. (AFTER FC MADE IT JUMP AT ME! HE'S BAD, LET ME TELL YA')

After he quit cutting the fool, I picked it up and carried it for awhile, but honestly, all the flavor was gone, so I dropped it somewhere on the way back to the house.

Along the trail back to the house, a fungus was celebrating yet another GATOR victory yesterday.

Home sweet home.

This is where I picked up the pace. Every morning walk ends with a treat. He keeps them in the closet under the stairs ... in case you are ever visiting and want to get me one.

Almost there. I can smell the chewie calling my name.

Turn the knob, turn the knob! I get kind of excited at this point in the walk. The chewies are only a few feet down the hall behind this door.

FC said to apologize for the grimey door. He's almost ready to stain and paint the house and he's gonna clean it thoroughly before he does.

Excuses, excuses ...

YES! My favorite part of the walk! I love me some chewies!

Hope you enjoyed coming along while I walked FC.

He may be a bit wacky sometimes, but he IS trainable.

Wishing you good smells and wagging tails,

BEAR