esrosedotblog

TALKIN' THE WALK

I got caught talkin' while walkin' the dog today. Guy was sitting in his pickup (a looker as it turned out). He caught us coming along his port side discussing the merits of plastic versus paper. At that moment, Franklin had a grocery bag as a trophy. The guy and I had a smile about it. His smile was beautiful. I don't know what mine was like. Franklin just gripped the bag a little tighter.

John says that I talk to Franklin all the time and I guess it is so. I talk to him all day in the house, but it really gets involved on our walks together. We spend an hour out there. It seems a shame not to discuss all the wonders we encounter. There are some standards: speculation about the whereabouts of bunnies; appreciation of a new, or old, landscape features; consideration of the speed of the walk and the happiness content of it all. We do not discuss abstractions but try to stay in the now.

Today, in addition to the merits of bags, we took a while working our way towards a prime bunny site; talkin' ourselves into quite a heightened state of bunny-psyche. It takes concentrated coaching to get the prowl-up to the target right; the set of the ears, the posture and demeanor. And that's just me! As the primary pouncer, Franklin has to have all senses honed for the possibility of a close encounter.

We had some onlookers for this one too. Once they knew what we were up to, they got into it; all ooohing and ahhhing about the possibilities of a bunny in the bush. Of course, by this time, any wild life was long gone; yet, that is not the point. It is the journey not the destination, after all.

I like the walk. I like the talk. A man and his dog.