Pan-Dog Walking

Is today Thursday?  Or Friday?  Wait —it’s Wednesday?  Really?  Hard to tell the difference during our shelter-at-home sabbatical.  You just have to find your own ways to add a little spice to your days.  Carol, for example, tripped over an empty suitcase in our bedroom, crashed to the floor, and fractured her left

shoulder plus her right knee.  Now she gets to hobble around the house in a high-tech knee stabilizer and a sling.  So that’s a little different.

Me?  I’ve opted for a slightly less cataclysmic option for my kicks:  Every day I switch up my pandemic wear.  Face mask-wise, I’ve got my red cowboy bandana — which I borrowed from Kemba, of course.  I’ve got my jaunty dollar-signs mask, a handmade gift from one of my writing students.  Then there’s my blue-and-white patriotic look.  And, of course there’s the basic hospital-style face cover-up.  Also, let’s

not overlook the latex gloves part of my ensemble:  I have them in white, blue, and purple.  By varying the masks and the gloves, the combinations are endless.

The preventive gear, I’ll admit does throw a monkey wrench into my dog-

walking routine.  Dog owners:  After your pet has pulled over to do business, and you’ve fished a poop bag out of your pocket, what’s the very next thing you do?  I guarantee you wet your fingers on your tongue so you can open up the plastic bag.  Not so easy when your mouth is covered with a mask, now, is it?  And then the actual pick-up?  Not so easy with those gloves on, is it?  Then there’s the matter of sociability.  This morning at

Southport Harbor — Kemba tells me he only enjoys our walks if we go to

scenic spots — a fellow dog owner looked at Kemba and said, “What a beauty!”  In response, I gave her a huge grin.  Which, I then realized, she couldn’t see.

So what do you do to brighten up your routine?  Send me those comments!  And are we sure today is Wednesday?

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