Is not this a true autumn day? Just the still melancholy that I love – that makes life and nature harmonise. The birds are consulting about their migrations, the trees are putting on the hectic or the pallid hues of decay, and begin to strew the ground, that one’s very footsteps may not disturb the repose of earth and air, while they give us a scent that is a perfect anodyne to the restless spirit.
-George Eliot, courtesy of goodreads.com
I have not written for some time, and I am sorry for how uncommunicative I have been. I have seen little of Edgar and little of the coyotes. Ukko and Woman’s Brother have moved to the West Coast, and only Mr. Bailey and I remain. The long, golden and green dog days of summer have drawn to a close and it is autumn once more. It has been nearly a year since I began this endeavor to chronicle my story.
When last I saw Mr. Bailey, I waxed sentimental, cataloging my desires and complaints: I missed Edgar and Ukko, I longed to solve the puzzle of the coyotes, I wanted an egg in my breakfast everyday, and not only on certain days. Mr. Bailey, wise soul that he is, reminded me to be patient in this restless season, and see how things would unfold.
“Stop and smell the hydrants,” he advised. “Look about you. See what new things there are to learn and be open to the world about you.”
I have been trying to follow his sage advice, especially on my jaunts to the sea’s edge with Woman or Man. Just a few weeks ago, I smelled the most entrancing things by the harbor. I watched some sea gulls and met a few charming older dogs who were sporting about in the surf.
The other day, as Woman and I approached the beach, we saw a family of swans floating several feet from the shore. There were a pair of adults and three gray, adolescent goslings. We went down to the beach, thinking the swans too far out to be disturbed by our presence, but no sooner did our feet touch the sand, then the largest one began to hiss and swim closer. We made our exit, not because I was afraid, but because I had no wish to disturb the swan family, and because I did not want Woman to worry. Would that I could have shown them to you, but Woman did not have her phone with her.
I do so love my trips to the beach. One day, there was so much moisture in the air and so few dogs or people about, that I felt almost like a ghost dog, alone on the beach but for Woman and surrounded by the strange atmosphere.
I’ve also been taking some road trips, which I usually enjoy, as I am typically going somewhere stupendous. Mostly, Man and Woman make me ride in the back, but sometimes, I ride in the backseat, and I can stick my nose between the two front seats between Man and Woman. This, of course, is what I prefer.
Finally, I have been getting ready for Halloween. This year, I think I may more fully take part in this human festival. Man might let me borrow part of his costume from last year:
