a walk of surprises

I forgot to give carver his derramaxx last night, so I was not surprised when he didn't want to go for a walk this morning. to be honest, I didn't push it-another early morning breakfast at work, another crazy day. but when I arrived home, carver was excited to go out. I have had a rough week, working a ton, and have been feeling run down, so I wanted to keep it to a short walk. we headed to the field where the Kelley rink used to be, in front of the paths to wards. carver was in full territory marking mode. once again he led me to the paths towards ward's. there are two paths that run parallel to each other, one hugging a stream that connects wards to willow pond. when we turned to walk on the outer path, to head back home, carver made a bee line to the stream, walking along with his paws in the water, like he always used to do. I walked down through the thicket to stay close to him, trying to stay out of the mud. mid stream, what did carver do but decide to lay down! in the stream! I sat close to him, and watched the cool water drift over his hips and legs. it looked good, cooling. dogs are amazing in their instinct to care for themselves. I know carver just loved the water, but I can't help but wonder how good it must have felt on his sore joints. I wanted to join him. we saw chipmunks on the walk running in the dead leaves, lily of the valley just opening its tiny white bells. the dandelions on the field are in full puff. we both were covered in inch worms. it took us a while to get back home, partially thanks to a baseball carver found and was very playful with. but his hips look sore, and he needed lots of resting to get back home. I was happy to arrive, help carver onto the porch and get him his supper. e is going to a play tonight and I have a surprise night off, so it is pizza and tv for c and I, and an early bedtime for us both.