A Walk With My Dog

Jackie & I went for a walk in the creek today. The pictures above are of Jackie and what I call Ravenstree. Or I should call it ravens' tree, because the ravens like to sit in that tree. I thought about writing a story/book about Ravenstree, the place.

We explored the creek in detail. I let Jackie have rein. We were slow and leisurely. She stopped, sniffed, sprayed, peed and pooped. She ate grass.

Now me, I got to see the little flowers, the weeds that no one wants but are so beautiful because they flower. Coneflowers, little white things that I call paper flowers, snippets of purple and orange. And the rocks. Big rocks, small rocks, I love rocks. I should have been a geologist. I usually take a rock back with me to study and add to my collection.

I have put an email in to our POA to see if in the next newsletter we could set a date to have a creek clean up. So many people use it to walk their dogs and you see all the garbage that people don't mind discarding randomly. Plastic bags, broken bottles, water bottles, things that are unsightly to me and harmful to the creatures that inhabit the creek.

The bunnies, the quail, lizards, snakes (not yet), birds of all shapes, size and color. I don't like living where I am but I do love the creek and the field across from it where the cattle go to graze. We don't go in there often because of the cactus. Jackie has tiny paws and it's easy for her to get stuck with something. Plus she's allergic to stings. I don't have an epi pen for her, just some children's Benadryl and an eyedropper to use. Even with an epi pen I'd still have to take her to the vet. That happened not that long ago. Very scary. She's only had 3 episodes like that but they are not fun. The 2nd one I wasn't sure what happened so I just gave her the Benadryl and prayed to God and St. Francis and played her favorite CD and finally she was okay.

It's funny how your pet becomes you child when you are childless. She's 13 or 14 now and I know I won't have her forever. So I try and have patience and not yell when she barks or gets annoying. Because when she is gone I will miss that more than I can say.

Well, I started out with our walk and now I'm sitting here with tears welling in my eyes when I think of life without Jackie. I won't.

I Will Write

I am going to write a short story if it's the last thing I do. I have read all these wonderful books and have Christina Baker Kline as a terrific inspiration. Her blog is gold. I have to get off my lazy butt, stop procrastinating and just do it, as Nike says. I have so many story thoughts in my head and I've started quite a few, but I lack the discipline to plunk myself down at the computer and commence. I have excellent beginnings, one that I think will be very good, based on an event happening now that I will fictionalize.

I think I am letting my personal life's drama get in the way. I live with an emotional vampire and that makes it difficult to concentrate. Plus all the little extras that I'm dealing with. But I will persevere and get through this negative time in my life and come out victorious. Hey, I won a vivabox, that's got to count for something!