Wonderful (albeit dog-less) walks

I think I may have discovered garments that stay on Raven to protect his wound: aprons (the long kind with a panel above the "waist"). I thread the top string/ribbon through his e-collar loops (which his collar is also looped through) and then fasten a velcro strap and also tie with the "waist" ties around his middle. I also discovered it's harder for him to wriggle out of a t-shirt if I put his back legs through the hole for the head--it has a snugger, but not-too-tight fit, and then I take the torn bottom part of the shirt to tie to his collar.

Anyway, since Raven isn't walking too far these days, I've decided I must take journeys on my own. Yesterday was staff appreciation day, and due to budget cuts we had our appreciation day on campus, taking "classes." My first class was a nature hike, so we were led by a biology professor down Bethel's nature trail--very interesting and beautiful. Even though I was a student at Bethel for my four undergraduate years and have worked there almost three years, I have never traveled along this path! I think it was about a 3/4 mile walk, so I'll have to do it more often! A special treat for those of us who had time was a trip up to Bethel's new green roof. It was interesting to see how that was laid out and what kind of plant will grow up there to maintain some more "green" space.

This morning I walked dog-less around the neighborhood. A funny thing is that I passed the woman's house where three years or more ago she scolded me severely when Raven "did his thing" on her yard (even though I cleaned it up). Today, I'm sure she didn't recognize me from that experience. She was backing out of her driveway as I walked by and her trunk was partly open. She stopped and asked me if I would mind closing it. I did so, and she thanked me, saying "I was so sweet" to do so. I don't think "sweet" was the word she used at our last encounter, but I had to chuckle to myself. Lesson learned: when people react badly to you in a certain situation, you should keep in mind their circumstances or state of mind that day. It could be their perceived "crabbiness" is not really an indication of who they are as a person, or how they might interact with you in a different situation.

I'm hoping it won't be too long before Raven can join me again on longer walks. Time heals all wounds, they say, and I guess I'm learning that lesson.

Tell next time,


Suzi