Spring is coming! (I hope!) This spring will be a bit different in my world. No more searching for my shoes and hat when it is time to go for a walk. They will be right where I put them last. That will be strange.
Max and I used to have a little ritual we would follow before every walk! I would look at him and say, “Well, I think we should go for one.” That is all I had to say and he was gone! I would go put on my walking clothes and go to get my shoes and hat. They would be gone! I would pretend to look for them by walking room to room and saying, “Hmm, I thought I put them here!” Or, “Didn’t I leave them here?” Then I would hear a sweet little growl/moan coming from the direction of the couch. When I walked over there, this is what I found!

Okay, I took the hat out of his mouth and put it on his head for the picture! But the shoe never left his mouth! Always many smiles and laughs! I always felt like he was saying to me, “Sue, you are so predictable!”
Once I convinced him that the shoe would have to come out and go on my foot, I got my thank you kiss and we were set to go!
Those first few spring walks were always fun. He would get so full of mud and always pick up a rock to carry along. We always tried to hook up with Debbie and Gunny and off we went!
I miss my Max kisses, but am so grateful for the memories I have of our spring walks. We always searched for signs of spring and inevitably would find one or two. A crocus here and there, a red winged blackbird, a robin or sometimes a tree full of robins! The sounds of spring were around us. Such a glorious time of year, new awakenings, a time for hope! Snow melting and lots of mud is a dog’s dream!

After these wonderful walks, we came home and washed off in the tub of water I had waiting in the garage.  We always ended up playing tug of war with the towel and Max would always win!  He grabbed it and ran all over the house with it!

This spring I will be taking those walks by myself, but my Max memories will be in my heart as I search for those signs of spring!

Maybe I will even pick up a rock or two!