TheBanyanTree: Summer schedule

[Jena Norton]

Yesterday morning, I got up at my usual (more or less) time, around 6, and
took Markie for her walk. Usually on weekends, I do a shorter walk, but I
decided it would be good to do a long one. I wanted to walk to the high
school's old practice field so Markie could run and chase egrets. This is
about a mile from my house.
Since it was already warm, I took my small backpack so I could take water
and a bowl for Markie. She refuses to drink from a bottle or a faucet. I
think this is pretty picky when she'll drink water in a drip pan under a
flower pot and eat snails if I don't stop her. 
The practice field is really 2 or 3 fields-a couple of baseball diamonds and
a soccer field. A canal runs next to it and there are eucalyptus trees
lining the levee for the canal. And besides egrets, ducks, and befuddled
Canadian geese, there are gophers. I've never actually seen any gophers, but
you see piles of dirt indicating they're down there somewhere. There is also
evidence the maintenance people are trying to eradicate them. There are
holes which were dug and show evidence of the use of gas or some other
method of extermination. 
The gopher mounds fascinate Markie. She can smell the critters and probably
hear them scurrying around in their underground villages, but she can't see
them. Fortunately, so far she hasn't taken up digging for them. Whirlie, my
first keesie, once dug a hole a couple of feet deep in an effort to get to
the moles. Luckily it was in an orchard and not my yard.
Markie was thrilled with getting off the leash and running back and forth in
the grassy field. She would tear off away from me at full speed, then stop
and look back at me. When I called her, she would rocket back toward me. She
doesn't ever get too far from me and keeps track of where I am.
I was enjoying Markie's antics when I happened to look down. My legs were
covered with mosquitoes! I was swatting and smacking and stomping. I didn't
get bit-judging from the blood splatters, they were already pretty full.
That ended the romp. I don't think Markie was disappointed-her tongue was
hanging out and she had a keesie grin. 
We both had some water and walked leisurely back home. Markie was definitely
more subdued than on the way there. And it was really getting warm.
Because of yesterday's heat, I decided it was time to get into my summer
schedule. That means getting up early and walking while it's cooler. So
today, I got up at 5 and we walked while it was cool. We didn't go to the
field, but did our 2+ mile that takes us the other direction through a small
shopping center and then back home. It was much cooler and the sun was just
coming up when we were halfway home. 
Yesterday's heat was a reminder of what's to come. If we have a hot summer,
that means doing all you can early in the day and staying in where it's cool
the rest of the day. 


Jena Norton