Take Off

It is becoming a fun part of my day to go on walks with Caden.  Today we tried a new route, one that took us down a newly paved road next to what used to be untamed land.  On the edge of the new road, hanging just off the side of the dirt was a dead snake.  I, regrettably, didn't realize it until Mira was right on it.  Caden, however, had seen it and had tried to tell me, but his words were lost on me.  As I realized what it was, my scream literally caught in my throat.  I was yanking Mira away, ready to run, run, run away from that snake.  I don't care that it was dead- it gave.me.the.creeps!

After a few minutes of walking (and, let's be honest, panting as if I'd run a marathon and a half) Caden and I started to laugh.  And I mean hands-on-knees-tears-streaming-down-your-cheeks-pain-in-the-ribs laugh.  I could barely get out words, I was laughing so hard.  I admitted that I almost peed my pants, I was so startled by that stupid snake!  While I hated the fear and adrenaline spike, I loved the brevity of the rest of our walk.  We reminisced times past, laughing with each other about fun and funny shared memories.

As we were retracing our steps on the way home, I thought I'd let Mira walk in the dirt, sniffing out the newly groomed land.  At one point, she sniffed the ground, jumped a mile high (may be slightly exaggerated), and then took off running.  The leash was around my wrist, so she didn't get away, but I did get a good yank of my own.  As I was trying to calm her down, she did the exact same thing again, this time giving me a second unexpected yank of my arm.  I ran with her from the dirt, shushing her, trying to calm us both down (adrenaline was still coursing through my veins, it seems).  We walked on the paved road the rest of the way home.

A little ways further, Caden and I passed what can only be described as once-stuck vehicle tracks.  There were dug-deep tire indentations, void of the tire tracks leaving the ruts behind due to time or weather.  Without thinking, I asked Caden what he thought they were from, feeling stupid that I had asked an obvious question.

"Mira probably got scared again.  Those are her take-off tracks."

And we were laughing once again. 

The weather was sublime, the walk was invigorating, and the company was strong and fun. 

And the snake was just as dead when we passed it on our way home, so life was good.