Gracie and Tony

Yesterday I couldn't do the C25K workout because I had that awful pain behind my ear. I've been told it is a migraine, but am wondering if it might be something else. Anyway, I woke up first thing this morning and felt great so I treated Grace and myself to training at Afton Forest Preserve. We were the only ones out there. As I drove in the entrance I spied a pair of ring-necked pheasants crossing the road about 10 feet away. I KNEW I should have brought my camera!

Grace was excited to start running! It was 50F (10C) this morning at 8:30. We started the walking/jogging routine and made it all the way around the pine trees when a big dog came running up to us. At first I was frightened for Grace, but the dog and Grace soon started playing together.  They would take turns running and jumping. I checked his tags to make sure it wasn't lost. His name was Tony and he lived at the farmhouse behind Afton. I just let him walk with us since he and Grace were getting along so well.

Recently Grace had an experience where a large dog jumped out of a car and chased her. It wasn't friendly. It left her shaken and she has been very nervous around large dogs since then so it was really nice to see how Tony and her played together this morning. Gracie's confidence grew as we walked on. When we reached to bridge over the creek, Tony had already jumped in and was splashing around in the water. Then he ran up the bank and shook all the water out right next to me. EW! Wet dog smell! Grace watched all this, went into the nearby pond and did the same thing. Silly Gracie!

After walking around the entire park, we finally reached the parking lot when a gray truck drove up. All of a sudden Tony's head sank and he put his tail between his legs. Apparently he doesn't always get to walk around the prairie preserve unsupervised. He knew he was in trouble. He jumped into the back of the truck after his owner had let down the hatch. Grace and I packed up and watched Tony drive away with us right behind. Grace was whining to be with Tony. Star-crossed loves.

Anyway, that was my morning. Now it's off to take a shower and go to the studio to prepare for my demonstration on Tuesday and Thursday next week. There is a lot to do this weekend and I'd better get started!