Petunia rambles on and on….

Saturday’s walk did me good, and oh, boy, do I need it!!   My sit-on-my-ass job, coupled with quitting smoking just over a year ago has, well, lets just say there’s more of me.  I need to walk.

I’ve mentioned this many times to Pop, and for even longer than this past year.  He just looks at me like I’m out of my mind.  He has a physically active job.  He remains trim.  He doesn’t need to increase his activity level.  No way he’s going to walk with me, no matter how much I need it.  I’m on my own here.   And yet, walking by myself?  I may go a few times, but I know me.  It won’t last.  I’ll get tired of it really quickly if I’m out there alone, and in a month or less, I’ll be back on the couch.

So I’m looking at the dog, and thinking what an idiot she is, and how she pulls on a lead, and practically dislocates my shoulder if I try to walk with her.  And how I live in fear that she’ll get away from me and get hurt, get out in the street.   Then I remembered that years ago, I had some fancy collar that was designed to break dogs quickly and easily of this habit.   And the damn thing worked.  Amazingly well.  Put it on, took the pulling, lunging fool out, and she walked along beside me like it was someone else’s dog, or like she had a heavy dose of tranquilizers in her!!

Hmm, this may make the difference.   So yesterday, after the March of Dimes Walk, and then a 3-hour stint in my office repairing a database that, all by itself, uh, just fell apart, I went to the local chain pet store, and got another one of those collars.  The one I had last time was Gentle Leader Training Collar, and that’s the one that worked almost instantly, but the store didn’t have any in her size.  They had them in EXTRA-LARGE, where control is REALLY needed, and small, like chihuahua sized.  I have a Standard Poodle.  They also had the Halti Training Head Collar, which looked very similar, and it was in her size.  It came home with me, along with a bag of mini-treats.  Little kibble-sized doggie treats.   Small enough to use as a reward, keep many of them in pants pocket, and give her lots and lots without filling her up with junk. 

I was planning on working with her this afternoon, but K needed me to watch the boys, so instead, I put the collar on her early in the day.   As expected, she fussed at it, shook her head, pawed at it, and looked pathetically at me, wanting it off.  I checked it several times and it was fitted properly, not hurting her.  She was just reacting to the strangeness of it.  I kept it on her most of the day.   By late afternoon, she was pretty much ignoring it.

When K came home, I put some kibbles in my pocket, attached her lead to the new collar and took her outside.  She started to pull 2 or 3 times, and immediately stopped.  As before, she paced along beside me, not pulling or lagging back.  She did startle when cars went by, and oddly, did not like walking behind cars that were parked in driveways we passed.  She did get a bit “antsy” when we saw a cat out wandering in someone’s front yard.   She quivered and bounced a bit, but DID NOT PULL or try to go after the cat.

I went around several blocks here in my neighborhood, and she behaved very well.  It was most astonishing.  I think she may become my walking companion.   She’s not the greatest at carrying on a conversation, but I must say that she always agrees with my point of view.

We did our bit again yesterday for the March of Dimes.  Daughter and I walked, as we have done several times before.  A friend of hers, Bekki, accommpanied us, and we pushed the fellows in their strollers.  We were lucky – the night before they were predicting rain – but it didn’t come and we had a nice warm sunny day to walk through Dover.

We were downtown early, but the Walk officially started at 10 am with the Air Force Base providing the Color Guard and airmen marching behind.  An advantage of having the base right here locally.

At the beginning of the walk, almost all of the participants were bunched together, eager to get started, but gradually the crowd thinned out, spread out, and we all walked along at a comfortable pace.

For the distance of the walk, the boys were in their strollers, but the end of walk and festivities were back at the Legislative Green, and Mommy let them loose to run a bit.  They enjoyed the sites and all the people along the way, but were ready to be free for a bit, too.

And yeah, I did get out there and walk the distance, pushing a stroller all the way.

The route of the Walk is the same each year, going through the old “colonial” part of Dover, and there’s some pretty areas to pass through.  The buildings are required to remain in a style that matches all the others.  They won’t let someone come in and put up some chrome and glass wonder.

This is the back of the Old State House, located on the small, original Green.  The Kent County Courthouse, another old structure is also on the original colonial Green and you can see its white clock tower in the background.

I love the old brickwork and the decorative moldings.

We had a nice walk, for a fine and worthy cause, and I’m glad we were able to do it. 

There is a clearly defined relationship between how much you spend on a given item and how much enjoyment you get back for that price.  Or at least, how much enjoyment you expect to get out of it.  That’s what decides every purchase we make, large or small.  This is part of the equation that we sock knitters have long known.  If my husband knew how many dollars went into the sock yarn for ONE pair of socks, he’d have a stroke.  I keep this knowledge from him, ever diligent in my concern for his health, both physical and mental.  For me, though, I factor in the many hours of soothing enjoyment that I’ve had while making the socks, the pleasure I get each time I see them worn, or feel them on my own feet.   I guess that’s all pretty much subjective.  Let’s face it, many people are buying their socks at Wal-Mart and spending the money at the local tavern/restaurant.  Some would rather buy a movie to watch.  Clearly, Value, as well as Beauty, is in the eye of the beholder.

So……

Last evening, it was determined, after much scientific observation, comparisons, opinion polls, examination of photographic evidence and interviews with several participants that the best value for your buck is to spend it on a jar of bubble soap.

See exhibits below:

 These fellows appear to be a pair of satisfied customers.

However, with a lifetime of purchasing power still ahead of them, these gentlemen do seem to be thoughtfully evaluating the quality, comparing it to bubble soaps of the past.  Has this company done anything to improve their product?  Is the packaging more environmentally friendly?  Does the “application device” cause the soap to run down your arm, drip off your elbow?  Does it still sting when the soap gets in your eyes?  Does the darn bottle tip over easily?  Evaluating is a difficult task, if you’re going to do it right.

Product quality was tested at the management level, and approval given.

Cheap enjoyment here.

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Then Pop remembered something he’d seen earlier, and we all took turns peeking.

I believe they call this shade “Robin’s Egg Blue” for a reason!

I had to climb up a bit, on a precarious perch, to get this shot so there’s no way that inquisitive small boys can get to the nest.  Not sure about neighborhood cats that roam outdoors, though.  It’s not that high up.  All we can do is cross our fingers and hope for the best. 

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And when one of life’s really hard knocks slams you down, and terrible things happen to you like bedtime, it’s good when you have a trusted (Pop’s) shoulder to cry on.