Not to mention that we totally got in trouble by the "park ranger" at Snow Hinton Park about a week ago for not being a leash. We were rockin' the frisbee when the old geezer came up to me and told me to put her on a leash because some of his other old geezer "park rangers" (note the quote and unquote) woul give us a $400 ticket. I love her and all, but I got that leash on her faster than I ever have. You're cute and all Millie, but you yourself didn't even cost that much. Big Butch lets us get away with some things, but not some $400 nonsense ticket.
We got to the arboretum yesterday after we passed a bank's sign that informed us it was 87 degrees outside. And SUNNY! We filled up our Camelback with water, Benadryl, Neo-To-Go (neosporin travel size), bug spray, and bandaids. Whoever said I wasn't domesticated or had the motherly instinct in me was wrong. With this allergy-prone mess of a dog - you can't go anywhere without the first aid kit. And we all know her mom isn't the most graceful or coordinated thing when it comes to uneven ground. So let's not kid ourselves.
My favorite part about the arboretum is that there are grassy paved rolling hills throughout the entire thing. The UA cross-country teams train on the grassy trails and they even hold the SEC championship meet out here every few years. It's beautiful! And of course, the little runner in me just couldn't wait to lace up my shoes and go for a jog. I actually surprised myself though... I took Millie off of her leash, tucked it in the hiking pack on my back, and she ran alongside me for a good 2 miles or so. I joked to my Dad that I ran at a solid "race pace." If you've got any sort of XC swag then you know what "race pace" is. Haha, I kid. But seriously, though, I ran good. It felt amazing!
After that, we sat in the shade, rested, and drank out of the water bottle backpack (for real, whoever invented this - amen, brother) and I squirted us down with bug spray. I'm not going to lie, it's inevitable that I bust ass at least once on a trail run... so I spritzed myself with the Neo-To-Go (also a cool concept, amen to that inventor brotherman, too).
As we meandered around the trails taking pictures, picking dandelions, and chasing birds through the wide open area, I saw a group of people and their dogs gathering around the lake at the bottom of the hill. Millie lead the way down the steep hill while I was saying "eaaaasy does it" and almost expecting to bust again. We made it to the bottom of the hill safely and Millie acted like a complete scaredy cat around the other dogs. There were two other boxers there (one really pretty one and one really janky looking one) and a bunch of labs and mutts. They all shook my hand and asked what my dog's name was, how old is she, yadda yadda.. you know, the typical "dog people" talk. If you know me, you know I don't catch on very quickly but I did catch on to the fact that this was a little dog group that met on Wednesdays. I just sorta showed up and crashed the party I guess, but "dog people" are good people and good people are welcoming, so we were welcomed generously. I sort of felt like all the big labs and mutts splashing through the lake water were the "in crowd" and my tiny, almost miniature looking, boxer was the new kid that everyone was looking at. Seriously, I had deja vu of a scene from a high school movie or something. Millie's a complete socialite with other people but the second she gets around a big group of dogs that are unfamiliar to her, she acts like a pansy. I don't get it.. I just know I felt a bit awk since I 1.) crashed the dog group party 2.) had a 1 year old boxer half the size of the 8 month old janky boxer and 3.) had her hiding in between my legs and licking the bug spray off of my calves. I just let it be awkward because every time I considered heading back up to the trail I saw how steep the hill was. Let me be honest for a second, I know I told you I ran sooo good and it felt soooo great and whatnot, but that was the runner's high speaking. I was hurting pretty bad by the time we went dog party crashing. No wonder why you're supposed to stretch before and after a run. I did neither... go figure.
Hopefully this Alabama weather will hold out for a glorious spring which means lots of exercise, sun, and being a scavenger with Millie. Just as long as I remember the infamous first aid kit! Oh, and about my motherly intinct... I do have one, sorta? I might not be the best diaper changer on the block (my classmates are humored by me when I teach the toddler class) but I do know how to pack a fine and dandy emergency kit! But just because she does her business in the woods doesn't mean my little girl comes without the disadvantages. Say? The dead rat/road kill she drug into the living room like it was her most prized possession the other night. But that's a story for another day! Plus, my blog challenge says to write about something that tickles my fancy and her little "hunting" kick she's on right now definitely doesn't tickle my fancy.
Peace&LOVE
bjj
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