The Dogs Get Another Romp In The North Field

We had another indescribably beautiful day, perhaps a cosmic atonement for the long, brutal winter we'd had to endure. I had a farm gate at the far end of the north field with rust spots requiring a bit of Rustoleum, so I put a spray can in the waistband of my pants, turned off the electric fence and headed across the field with the dogs:

The pooches had a grand time. Seamus just walked normally, but the small dogs had to leap through the tall grass. Poor little Jack just followed at my heels, too intimidated to strike out through what to him must have looked like an emerald forest of grass:

I took a couple of giant steps sideways to force Jack to fend for himself. And fend he did, quickly learning how much fun it could be to run, leaping, through the grass:

Fergus ran ahead, his ears flopping wildly:

Jack stopped momentarily to look at me and smile:

Jack and Fergus found a woodchuck hole and gave it a thorough sniffing. No mean ol' woodchuck was going to intimidate these two:

I spray painted the rust spots on the farm gate and then we all headed back across the field, headed for the barn and house:

Seamus walked calmly but Jack was, by this time, running like the wind - an orange, short-legged wind, but a wind all the same:

We were getting closer:

Fergus continued to run and leap:

At a certain point, the dogs saw and recognized home. They began running faster, and I had to call them back:

I stopped all of them except Jack, who kept running for home. Fergus, Clover, Daphne and Seamus (not shown) walked at heel (sort of) for the rest of the way. They'd had lots of fun and I got to cross "Paint rusty gate" off of my to-do list: