come along and ride on my fantastic voyage

today for the first time (minus the few times deb joined me and not counting the butterflies), i had some company on my walk. somehow the cocker spaniel from a few houses down got out of his fence and decided, once he got to know me with a few sniffs and licks, that he wanted to walk with me.

he investigated all the other fenced in dogs along the way; yellow dog looked more resentful than anything and the twin rottweilers seemed determined to eat him if they got the chance. i turned back a little shy of the highway since i was not sure how wary he was of cars, and held him back a few times when the garbage truck came along and other big vehicles passed us.

ive never been a dog person, though ive had plenty of fun with the few dogs ive known. that complete adoration you see in their eyes - you could never get that with a cat. (except bear, that is.) he ran beside me, sniffing at leaves and twigs, and took my walking backwards as an invitation to speed up and jump on my legs. his ears blew back from his face like blonde hair waving about in the breeze, while my own hair was tucked neatly under my cap. the tongue too, was hanging out, and he looked like he was smiling.

seeing that i had some company, i thought i would finally take the time to explore the woods across from my house and i hoped that having a dog along would scare away any potentially frightening animals. he seemed more afraid to go in than i did, really, whimpering and refusing to go further; at one point, sitting practically on top of my feet. still, i kept going, running into more than a few spiderwebs, and within about 20 feet i came to a small clearing. i was looking for owls nests, since ive been hearing them quite regularly this past month or so. there have also been some strange yelping sounds coming from this area in the last week, so i kept an eye out for foxes, maybe some young ones. no nests or foxes were in sight, though, and still shuffling my feet in case of snakes, i made my way out.

he was more than eager to leave with me and now sits on my front step, no doubt waiting for a doggie treat.

are you looking for the mother lode?

i have discovered what this town does on any given friday night: they cash their checks and head out to the local auction house. i was invited to tag along with some friends and arrived a bit early to check out the merchandise. knick knacks were divided into small cardboard boxes with lot numbers written on yellow tags. furniture lined the outer edge of the room; tables and chairs, shelves, and dressers, with the occasional rocking chair.

i had told myself that i would not be bidding tonight, unless there was something very, very special. however, i had my credit card and id on hand, if i decided to get a bidding number assigned, and we found seats near the front of the room. before it started though, i stood talking to peanut for a bit, until an older man behind me tapped my arm and asked me to move out of the way. i looked to the front, but the bidding had not yet begun. i moved anyway, since he looked like he could hurt me if he wanted.

there i sat. for two whole hours. no hand raising at all on my part, though i could see dawn's hand going away at it out of the corner of my eye. the auctioneer was very good, and fast (yeah fast), and most things went cheaply. ironically, the estate was from a woman who died suddenly and was a frequent visitor to the auction.

i sat mostly in a daze, thinking about the upcoming trip, when i felt another tap on the arm. the wife of the man who had told me off apologized in a hushed whisper, saying she felt bad and that i had not done anything wrong and that her husband was just a bit grumpy. i told her it was no problem and smiled benevolently.

so ended my night at the auction.

things that cracked me up today:

watching an old guy on a horse in a neon pink hat, circle a bronco that had been put on top of a semi-truck's wheels, as if he were looking into an upgrade.

seeing bear gleefully pull himself across the carpet with his front paws, only to leave his back ones dragging along, seemingly useless.

noticing puppy caught in the middle of a complaining meow by a very big yawn that turned the meow into some sort of strangled sound and made her eyes bug out ever so slightly.