Dog in the Forest

Last evening Dog and I walked in the woods, accompanied by the occasional sound of thunder far to the north, at the very edge of my hearing. The evening was warm and thick with humidity ahead of the storm. For Dog, the moist air meant his already sharp sense of smell was even further heightened, and his behavior suffered. He moved around so much I couldn’t get an "action" photo that was in focus. So finally I gave up and asked him to sit. As you can see, he complied but he’s not paying any attention to me while he’s doing it. His nose is in the air, smelling all those wonderful storm-enhanced smells.

For once, we didn’t see any deer (or perhaps I should say I didn’t see any deer); Dog thought he saw things everywhere. Dog was like a mad scientist working at fever pitch. He ran from side to side, nose into and under everything. Truly, you would have thought the dog hadn’t been out of the cabin for weeks, even though he’d had a good morning walk and run.

Later in the evening, the storm rumbled nearer, but never quite arrived at the cabin in full force. But this morning, I am reaping its benefits—lower humidity and slightly cooler weather. This morning, I can smell fall in the air, a blessed relief.