What a spring break...

I just realized this is the first spring break for me in I don't know how many years that I haven't gone anywhere...as I was huffing and puffing across weed-covered uneven terrain carrying a stinky, wet, dirty Westie today in the gray mist, that point hit home very hard.

Believe me when I say that walking two dogs that belong to you and two that don't on a country road dotted with fences they're not supposed to cross, horse manure piles they're not supposed to roll in, roads they're not supposed to cross, workers they're not supposed to bother, ponds they're not supposed to jump in, horses and cows they're not supposed to chase, a dog corpse they're not supposed to sniff in morbid curiosity, and a poor defenseless puppy they're not supposed to attack, in the aforementioned wet conditions, while so pregnant that a 10-minute walk fatigues you, is NOT a good idea.

Lucy was so covered in horse manure I didn't want to grab her (except i finally did when she came close enough), Ranger exhibited the worst behavior I've ever seen, while the aforementioned workers and one very helpful driving-by neighbor, looked on, and even Shadow--the good boy!--chased cows, all while Amiga, the local wandering dog, darted around and added to the chaos. By the time I got them all inside the fence again (even Amiga for a short time--she's fast!), all I could do was collapse into a chair on the porch and breathe. Three hours later, these dogs are still in the doghouse with me.