At least once a week, usually on Saturday, Keely gets to walk herself. I follow behind, being dragged along by the leash, as she spends at least an hour going whichever way she chooses. There are many stops along the way, but she has a set route in mind that, for whatever doggy reason makes sense to her, is her preferred walk-about.
This morning I did everything I could to keep her in bed until 7 am, which was close to dawn, because the cold front brought by Thursday’s storm has well and truly settled in for the duration. It was only 37F degrees by that point, even so. At least by 8 am when we were halfway through our jaunt the sun was up and warming things a little bit.
Keely takes off to the right outside of our door, which is away from 7th Ave. and toward 6th Ave., to use a hidden cut-through from my apartment complex’s parking lot to the parking lot of Media Works. That gets us going, and she really does not pause from her tippy-tapping canter until we are cross 6th Avenue. We cut through parking lots to the Finnegan’s Wake plaza, which I know has an actual name but whatever, and that is when she slows down to savor the experience. Is there nothing interesting until that point, or is it that she feels she’s dragged me far enough away from home that I won’t derail her plans by turning around?
I don’t get to actually experience dawn too often, despite being a (recalcitrant and bitter) early riser. In fact other than walking Keely I’m just not outside very much. It is always a pleasant moment to watch the changing light around me sharpen and brighten. People write poems about sunrise and sometimes I understand why.
One reason I love winter here is that the humidity drops from “deadly” to “bearable” and everything looks so much cleaner and vivid. The thick haze of water suspended in air is gone and in its wake is a world of crisp edges and brilliant colors. I still would rather sleep through dawn but on mornings when I am being walked by my dog, seeing how beautiful it is can be a fair recompense.
[Note: usually every day I spend exactly 10 minutes writing these missives, but in reflection of the longer walks on the weekend, I will write for 15 minutes on Saturday. I’m sure you are very excited about that.]