A Corny Story

I did the usual morning chores and cleaned the cow manure out of the barn. Then I scooped up all the poop from the dogs' yard and discarded it. I was on my way back into the house when I noticed the big field of corn stubble across the road, glistening in the autumn sun. So I put the dogs on leashes, walked them across the road and then set them free to run and play:


Seamus has lost so much weight that he can now run and frolic with the small dogs. I no longer have to give him glucosamine for his aching joints. He's looking and feeling mighty good these days:

We walked due west across the field, passing by the neighbors' horses on our right:

The dogs stopped occasionally to sniff things:

But mostly, it was just a great big party for them:

I took note of the bare cobs left behind by the harvester, stripped clean of (almost) every last kernel. That machine was so incredibly thorough and efficient that the Snow Geese won't be happy about it this year when they can't find any spilled corn kernels to eat:

The dogs began by sticking close to me, much better behaved than the beginning of most outings. But as the novelty wore off, they took to running. Oh, to be so young and healthy that running long distances would be a source of great fun:

It's a big field, perhaps fifty acres, and I'd intended to walk all the way to the tree line. But I began tripping on the corn stalks, probably because of my awkward leg braces, and decided that it would be wise to cut it short:

So we turned around and began returning - that's our house with the red roof, up ahead and across the road:

Little Jack, a troubled and difficult shelter dog just a few months ago, is now happy and (mostly) well behaved. He was having the time of his life in the cornfield:

And so was Daphne, a dog who loves to bounce through tall grass - or, in this case, corn stubble:

But we continued on toward home, with side trips to see the neighbors' horses and for the dogs to hop over rows of corn stalks. Just before we reached the road, I stopped them and put their leashes back on for safety: