Woke up to snow today. Sod it.

Many hours later, no sign of the snow, but lots of water. A very pleasant walk into Whitemud and beyond. The trails were also snow-free but too wet in the interior to walk. Maggie, on the other hand, found it neither too wet, nor too muddy, and she wasn’t walking…she was leaping…into anything resembling a puddle. I swear there’s a four year old boy in that dog.

Conversely, when she snorts herself awake in the mornings, it’s not a four year old boy but an eighty year old man hiding beneath all that fur.

No signs of life in the woods, other than a couple of ducks on the creek, oblivious to the dog staring them down on the bank. Lots of geese in the air. Must be a flight path or something. There’s always geese in the air.

Started to rain again on the way home. Very fresh and clean, but please, no more snow.

3:05PM/4C

It’s boiling hot out there. Not temperature-wise, surprisingly, but the sun is intense. It was all I could do to keep Maggie out of the  creek this morning.

Yesterday, I was not so successful. We had a two-hour walk, and half way through Maggie jumped into the creek…up to her neck. The water is running, so I figure it’s not as filthy as it is in the summer when the creek doesn’t move and the beavers are full-on beavering. She jumped in a few times actually, and was extremely pleased with her wet n’ dirty self. But just try spraying her with a hose. Dogs are so fickle. Had to wash her down with a cloth when we got home.

The grass is greening slowly, and lots of little things are shooting out of the ground, but it’s still predominately brown and grey in the ravine. This part of spring is so slow. It will be another month before spring truly flaunts itself. I can’t wait.

2:30PM/16C

Spectacularly nice evening. Kids are out…so…shoved some food down my throat and leashed up the dog for a quiet frolic in the woods. Turns out, lots of people had the same idea, so it wasn’t that quiet, but still very pleasant. The creek-hugging trail Maggie and I favour is muckified in parts, but walkable after a few sunny, snow-free days so we fooled around in there awhile, waiting for the columns of people venturing into Whitemud to pass. Twenty minutes later, the bottom of the ravine was empty again, but Maggie seemed reluctant to go up the hill. I think it had more to do with the previous six craps than her energy level. Sore bum, in other words. Nevertheless, once she got started, she scaled the hill bravely, looking quite lovely in the long shadows of dusk.

After about 90 minutes, we both agreed that this was a great thing to do after dinner.

7:30PM/11C

Sorry grass. On behalf of all Edmontonians (except Maggie) I apologize for the snow. On Friday, when it rained, you popped your head out of the wet, fragrant ground, your shiny blades blushing green in the warm spring showers. On Saturday and Sunday, your cheerful arrival was smothered by a sky full of menace. Please take comfort in the knowledge that our souls have also been crushed, and we stand with you in broken-hearted fellowship, and yet…ever optimistic that you will once again rise to the full, green splendour that is you…grass, in the spring.

(Maggie on the other hand, loves a fresh snowfall…especially on her snoutal area. Her message to the grass, and to all of us, is to suck it up. She couldn’t have been more joyful on her walk today.)

2:16PM/-3C

No walk today…

Pretty eventful one & a half hour walk. Saw a bunch of angry geese (dog-haters, all of ’em) on an open pond on the other side of Whitemud Creek. A yellow-winged blackbird in a pussy willow tree, which was probably a red-winged blackbird (+myopia.) Stole a bunch of pussy willows, thus scaring the yellow/red black bird from the tree. Further down the path, a gathering of ducks in the mostly unfrozen water, and possibly some grouse (see myopia.) Most surprisingly (for all of us), Maggie frenched a collie. Right on the lips. Maybe Maggie mistook the collie’s ass for the collie’s mouth. It happens.

2:09PM/3C