The snow is gone. That’s a good thing. But more could be on the way. That’s an interesting thing. Therefore, with weather changes coming, I decided it was time to get the dogs out for a long walk in the nearby woods. They had a blast. Everyone was happy. I swear Chip went to sleep last night with a smile on his face. Cocoa was in her element tracking down potential bears and raccoons.

If felt good to be outside, walking fast, and listening to the crunch of fall’s discarded leaves under our feet. We didn’t have a care in the world until we had walked about a mile into the dense woods and realized we were alone . . . in the middle of the national forest . . . with all the wolves, bears, coyotes, skunks, bobcats, foxes, and wildcats. Knowing this area, that is probably not a complete list. I comforted myself with the fact that there were probably no snakes near the small creeks that we had to cross over—not in the dead of winter and probably no bears either. Whew! See, there’s good news hidden in all things. You just have to lift up a few rocks to find it—or maybe not. (smile)