Since the first of the year I've been either holed up in the office at work or in my home office where I'm surrounded by piles of books on nutrition. Progress on my next book (Chow! Feed the Foods You Love to the Dogs You Love) has been good, but I feel the pressure of the impending deadline. I have been working every weekday evening and throughout the weekend to complete something which I hope will be a benefit to dogs and the people who love them.
Last night I completed two large phases of my research and find myself a little giddy with what has been accomplished. With sufficient notes taken, it was time to clear my desk of the fifteen books I've borrowed from the library. (Total books referenced to date is over 50.) So this morning I did a clean sweep of the office and went about running errands. It was time for a study break.
I ran into the store owner of a local pet food store and we exchanged ideas and she sent me home with fermented fish stock to try and give her my feedback. It's an interesting idea, but I'm eager to learn more why it may be beneficial to dogs. I stopped at the library to return my books and found another three books to add to my knowledge base. Later I ran into a local bookstore and pillaged their shelves for another four books with interesting concepts. I'm eager to see what gems I can pull from each volume.
As I drove down my street I saw neighbors tending to their yards and stopped to talk with them. Watching my neighbors I caught the gardening bug. There would be no more research or writing done today.
After unpacking my books and a few groceries, I grabbed my gardening gloves and pruners and went on gardening blitzkrieg. Frank & Flynn rolled in the grass and sunned themselves while I made a concerted effort at removing the debris of fall and winter. With a few hundred snips the hydrangeas are now displaying the promise of minute green buds rather than the dead blossoms of last summer. Tending for the garden pays me back similar to the way that caring for the dogs does; although I exert an extra effort, if I'm patient and take the time to notice the progression through the seasons I'm rewarded by the changes I see. I talk to the dogs and ask them what they are doing, then interrogate sprouting plants that surprise me with their new location.
I call out to the dogs to see what they're doing; Frank is tossing a ball into the air for himself while Flynn is chasing a fly. I watch them chase each other and follow each other around the yard and feel pleased that I'm not in such a hurry that I miss just watching them being dogs. When the wind picks up and rustles through Frank's coat I spy him lifting his nose to capture the scents blowing by. I'm charmed not only by vision of Frank's locks tumbling in succession from nose to tail but by the pure pleasure he receives from enjoying the wind. Flynn meanwhile has found a sunny spot that is shield from the wind by our outdoor furniture and he's leisurely reclined in the sun.
With my work done I decide to teach Frank (the new dog) a favorite game. I toss a ball onto the roof, where it rolls down so that they can catch it. Flynn is familiar with the game and dashes off to retrieve the fluorescent yellow ball. Frank meanwhile acts like I'm some kind of magician and insists on a thorough investigation of my hands. He's obviously puzzled about how the ball can just disappear when suddenly it reappears in the jaws of my assistant; across the yard Flynn has somehow made the ball materialize. We play the game a few more times and Frank just doesn't catch on, he's not tracking the ball and becomes more insistent on smelling my hands, demanding to know how I perform this trick.
The weather feels more like March at 55 degrees than last weekend's April-like 65 degrees. I'm unsettled by the unseasonable temperatures but with an approaching storm in the next week, I know that I need to make the most of it. I take a long walk with the dogs so we can soak up the sun and stop to talk with neighbors. Then we come home to nap. I didn't get enough work done today on my book, but I feel more accomplished in living a good life and enjoying the companionship of my dogs.
Today I studied on how to take a break.
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