Thank Goodness for the Goodness of Autumn

The temperature has relaxed and the misty rains have come. They are both welcome. It was a good Saturday to visit the farmers' market and other produce stands in our sphere.

We bought peaches and squash and radishes and apples and green beans and onions and pumpkins and tomatoes (alas, our personal garden could not provide enough tomatoes this year) and raspberries and local strawberries (which is a first because a farmer experimented with ever-bearing) and a bar of soap. Michele was very taken with the soap booth.

After a tasty lunch and a satisfying nap and a walk with the dogs, I went into our little woods to re-establish a path that we have intentionally neglected since adding Jackie to our family. Buzz has always been manageable, if not enthusiastic to our directions. We have great memories of him on the woods' path, including the time a deer jumped right over him.

Jackie, however, was not tractable from the second she joined us. Walking on our pleasant woodsy path, which ran close to two roads, was too dangerous for the undisciplined little female Jack Russell. So we let the path grow up and become impassable for ten years.

Now Jackie is old and cooperative. So I am working on our old path. The first phase was clearing away trees with the chainsaw. No dogs allowed for that part. The second phase was clearing the downed debris away. The dogs were allowed to hang about for that activity, and they did well. In fact the dogs and I stayed out until after dark for this exercise. I did the hauling, and they did the sniffing and digging and staying close. It reinforced my decision to trust them to stay nearby on the upcoming path.

The dogs and I happily entered the walkout basement to our house. I wiped them off and took off my sandals. Together we went upstairs to see what Michele was doing. Michele, in turn, wondered what we had been doing. I explained. She nodded with acceptance, knowing that the dogs and I are prone to rolling in nature.

"Throw that shirt down the chute," was all she said.

I went into the bathroom and looked in the mirror. Goodness, I was dirty, and goodness, I felt good.