A Dude Abikes is off his bike for almost a week now, due to an ailment, malady, infirmity, affliction, disorder, sickness, condition or attack.  It doesn’t seem to be life-threatening, but it can be a real pain in the tuchis.  (That’s Yiddish for backside, butt, nalgas, derrier, etc.)  It’s getting treated, but taking alot longer to heal than expected.  So I ain’t gettin’ on that bike, as much as I want to, because that would make it worse.  Then there’s another matter also more troublesome, and I’m looking into that as well.  Let’s hope I’ll be able to remount the trusty old steed soon.  Meanwhile, I’m walking a dog for a friend of a friend.  Since I’ve adopted a new habit of walking daily, and missed walking Buddy Willis twice daily back in the winter out in the holler, it’s fun to have a new buddy.  Her name is…

Juniper!  Clever, Cuddly and Cute

J-dog, as I’ve just now dubbed her, is a clever girl.  On around the third walk she figured out which car was the one I’ve been loaned and went right to it.  So I opened the door and she jumped right in. “OK,” I said, “Where to?”  She said nothing but I had the feeling the answer was obvious:  “The nearby park with the poop and pee to smell and the water bowl too, silly human!”  I always wait til the pavement issn’t too hot for her paws — basically dusk, but I think she just wanted the lift.

I like to think I have some facility with animals, but this one has what’s called a “greeting disorder.”  The first time we met I went through the front gate and she came bounding around from the back of the house, because she has a doggie door.  Barking quite assertively, I got a little nervous, but she wasn’t exhibiting pre-bite behaviors.  I stood still, she sniffed, I went into the house where the friend was, and when I got the leash, all was right with her world.  A few more days of some barking happened, but today she jumped up and basically gut-punched me with both front paws to put on her leash so we could get on the road.  There’s a lot of poop and pee to smell, people!

It’s Too Darn Hot

Over the five days we have gone on walks, it has become increasingly hot, with 109 F setting a July record at the Austin airport.  It’s miserable but one appreciates the air conditioning that much more.  The weather has not dissuaded the neighbors, who in this more posh area where A Dude once lived shortly, the dogs parade their people down the middle of the street.  (As one of my all-time faves Mel Brooks says while playing both Louis XIV and as the Piss Boy during the French Revolution section in History of the World Part I:  “It’s good to be da king.”  The walkers or I may swerve to avoid the other dogs, but there’s almost always a friendly wave.  No proles, here.

What else can be said about Juniper?  She’s a little goofy, but as an older dog also content to just trudge along beside me.  One little habit she has is walking along the top of the curve.  She likes to drink from my hand before we beging, and flops over on her back for post-walk petting.  Today she had a fascination at a woman hitting a tennis ball, and tried to run at her.  With a baby nearby, I was large and in charge.

During this time off the bike I have a chance to heal and rest, and hopefully I can resume biking soon.

Exciting News

I’ve conducted my third interview which included a photo shoot by a young friend who is a fabulous working photographer and who graciously donated his time.  Tomorrow will be the shoot for the second interview by the same pro who did the first one.  I think I have the next two lined up already; one has offered some technical help with the blog, too.

Hopefully that all works out.  Sometimes things don’t and you can’t ride your bike.  But walking a dog is a pretty cool thing if you don’t get or have to do it every day.  The point is to keep moving and trust that good things will come from that.  Until Wednesday!

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