Walkin' the Dog

When I retired from the government in October of 2004, I had a lot of plans and projects that I thought I would work on and finally get done--rework a monograph on the 1592 war between Japan and Korea, get the deck stripped and restained, and such.

One of the things I hadn't envisioned and one of the things I've most enjoyed is walking the dog. My best friend, after my wife, is Minnie. We found her through petfinder.com. She was in an animal shelter on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. We had been looking for a smallish dog that would be on the low end of allergenicity since our grown son has some degree of dog and cat allergy. We were looking for a bichon or poodle combination and were delighted to find Minnie (called "Teacup" at the time).

In our daily lives filled with TV and people from morning to night, the hour or so out with Minnie walking around the edge of the golf course by which we live is the best time for thought and introspection. I just enjoy the daily miniscule changes in nature which I can see and Minnie can smell. Walking the dog, being out with my friend, is one of the least expensive and most valuable times of my day. Try it, you'll like it.

Doc Rock