Sadly we can't harness it yet, so the best we can do it try to run it off – which is what we attempted to do on a recent Sunday:
We loaded up all four dogs and took them to the forest. We hadn't been there since Sherman was a pup and went scuba diving without the SCUBA, so we thought, hey, it'll be a big treat for them.
For us, not so much.
The fun started before the dogs were even out of the truck. The people who live in a nearby house were out in their yard, letting their kids and their two Huskies run around, so we decided to leash the dogs until we were down the road a ways. Cary pops the top of the canopy and four black dogs rush us. I'm pushing with all I have to keep Sherman in as he drags his claws back and forth on the tailgate, leaving lovely white tracks in the dark gray paint. Fabulous.
Somehow we get Tripper, Sherm, and Annye clipped to their leashes. Cary decides to trust Miele and drops the tailgate. Tripp and Miele sail past our heads. Sherm follows suit, with the unlucky difference of being tied to me. I do an oh-so-graceful pirouette, yelling "Sherman, no!" as my free arm whips around and smacks Cary.
Unfazed, Cary holds Annye back while putting the ramp in place. Luckily Annye is smart enough to realize she needs the ramp if she wants to avoid breaking her leg again. Needs the ramp or needs to be lifted but – sorry, fat dog – I think your being lifted days are over.
Then, tragedy strikes: Cary's grip on the ramp slips. It starts to fall, he grabs for it... and royally tweaks his back. As he howls and slowly straightens, I'm whipping in all directions, tethered to a wild animal intent on breaking free.
Ah, Sundays with our clan. So serene. So Norman Rockwellian.
Annye surveyed the two-ring circus for a moment, then romped down the ramp as if to say "Not my problem!" before bounding to join her siblings. I decided Sherman would do the same and managed to reel him in just long enough to unclip his leash. (I haven't checked, but I'm pretty sure my right arm is now an inch longer than the left.)
But the fun didn't stop there. Oh no, sirs and madams.
We managed to stay together and on the logging road until we got to a place where we let the dogs swim. The creek was still high, so the bank and the rocks we normally walk on were smaller – not to mention slicker – than usual. Cary wisely chose to stay up closer to the road but not I; I dared to climb down to the creek with four spastic dogs whirling around me, hip-checking my knees along the way.
The girls waded in to get a drink but then returned to hang with Daddy. I pretended to throw rocks for Tripp so he'd jump in and swim. He prefers real rocks, of course, but he'll pretend if it's his only option. Sherm ran along the rocks, wanting to chase Tripp but not quite willing to belly-flop into the cold water. He ended up swimming – okay, falling in – once, then swiped up and down my legs as if my jeans were his personal towel.All's going relatively well until Cary announces it's time to go. The boys blow past and fly up the path, dripping all the way. That's when I realize the slab of rock I'm standing on is drenched and extra-slick. If I hadn't noticed, maybe I would have been okay... but I did notice, and on my second step, my feet shot out from under me. Butt and rock met as they have so many times before.
I looked up to find Cary hadn't even noticed; he was busy storing his camera.
"Ow," I called.
"Ya fall down?" he asked.
Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you a Master of The Obvious.
"Yes, I fell down," I said as I tried to regain my footing.
"Why'd ya do that?"
All I can say is he's lucky I was only pretending to throw rocks for Tripp.
This Sunday – as in today – we're off to our nephew’s first birthday bash, but the coming Memorial Day weekend's weather is supposed to be just as beautiful. Maybe the six of us will go visit friends in eastern or southern Oregon. Maybe we'll try another forest outing. Or maybe we'll come to our senses, and just let the animals run around in the backyard while we lounge on the deck.
After recounting our last adventure, the backyard is looking pretty good.
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