TIRED NELLIE

Coneflowers grow by front steps

Nellie came up to me as I watched tv Friday night. Her eyes seem to pose a question, and I assumed she wanted out. I let her out the kitchen door, expecting to let her back in minutes later. There was no Nellie at the door when I checked, nor again when I checked ten minutes later. I reported to Mike and he said he would get her.

He got her all right – he got her up! She had gone into the woodshed where her barrel is and put herself to bed. She had gone to bed!

Now let me just say here that Nellie has a regular bedtime routine. She stays on her pillow in the house until Mike says it's bedtime. Then he brushes her teeth and takes her out to her kennel bed. Sometimes when we stay up late, she will sit up and stretch and we get the hint -- it's bedtime. But Friday night we didn't get the message and she had to take matters into her own paws.

Mike fighting algae & pond weeds

"I'm a dog, a workin' dog, I'm a hard-workin' dog" – the words of an old Sesame Street song, perhaps meaning more to moms than kids. And this past week Nellie had worked and played hard. She played at the pond as Mike raked and pulled horned pond weed from the water. Sure – it was dog play, but work nevertheless. Chasing those jumping frogs is hard work! And she was doing it during the morning hours when she ordinarily naps. And of course, running alongside me on my mountain bike – five and ten miles at a time over gravel roads – well, it's enough to make a dog's joints tired and her paws a little sore.

House from barley field

The next day – Saturday – Nellie followed me around the house as I prepared for my bike ride. She recognizes my bike-riding get-up. She was there as I filled my water bottled, smoothed sun block on my skin, snapped my helmet into place and pulled on my gloves. Outside, with Nellie by my side, I checked my bike and re-set the gauges. I looked at her. She looked at me. All was in readiness. Nellie stepped aside as I rolled out of the yard and down the lane.

"Good-bye!" she called. "Have a good ride!"

As I rode back into the yard, Nellie came to greet me un-apologetically.  I guess Nellie knows when she's had enough. KW