Trouble Always Comes in Threes, or The Adventures of Walking One's Dog in the Winter with an I-Pod

Okay. I now know how to charge my I-pod. But did I charge it? No. Because I assumed that the I-pod, which worked fine indoors, merely needed to rest in my mittened hand on my walks with Raven--to keep it warm.

So, Raven and I got ready to walk again this morning (Okay, all Raven has to do is wait for me). I got on all the necessary winter gear, and fit the headphones comfortably on my head, underneath hat and hood. I strung the cord for the I-pod down my sleeve, so it would fit easily into my mitten (which covered my gloved hand).

Off we go, so far so good. Well, I can't turn the sound up on the I-pod. If I try, it just advances it to the next song. Oh well, it's good enough, and I'll be off the heavily traveled street soon.

Raven decides to lift his leg to water someone's tire just as two other pedestrians approach. I try to drag him away to a more "appropriate" watering spot, but not before his act is witnessed. I still smile and greet the walkers--one replies cheerfully enough, the other stares at me like I'm an alien.

All right, we have made it up a slippery hill, and now Raven is squatting to do--well, you know what. Just as he finishes his duty, he spots another dog. I don't realize at the time it is my friend who has a chicken Rottweiller. (She told me this one day when she was walking without her dog because he had just had hip surgery. We always wave at each other from a distance, so our dogs don't get too traumatized at their meetings.) I am struggling to get a bag out of my pocket and stay on two feet while Raven is chomping at the bit. It's really slippery, but I manage to keep my balance, and finally scoop up the poop. Meanwhile, the dog and owner trot along on the other side of the road. Raven continues his barking and pulling rant. My I-pod decides to quit. I glance at it, see the "battery low" sign again. Sigh. Discouraged, I struggle to keep Raven in check. My I-pod falls in the snow. Finally I get the I-pod in a zippered pocket. My headphones are still crushing against my ears, but I decide that's the least of my problems. I get upright and ready to walk again, after tying up my bag. I turn to see my friend and her dog, and she waves knowingly at me. I smile and return the greeting.

After we got home, I plugged in my I-pod to charge it (it really did need charging). It still works, in spite of our morning ordeal. I think I'll have to get a water-proof case for it or something.

Oh, I didn't mention that just before this incident, Raven grabbed something distasteful looking and large in his mouth. At that moment, I was looking for something for him to bark at so he'd lose the gross object. No dog, car, bike or human in sight at that point.

Now I'm off to help Tim with some drywall work at a house on the next block. I'm going to leave the dog and I-pod at home.

Till next time,


Suzi