Evening Ritual

One thing we’ve had to learn while living in Pittsburgh is how to dodge traffic while walking our baby Walter. If I had to guess, I would say about 75 percent of the neighborhoods in Pittsburgh do not have sidewalks. It’s bizarre to me, but maybe that’s just because I’m just a sidewalk kind of gal.

And I realize that the ‘no sidewalk thing’ wouldn’t be such a big deal if Walter acted like a normal dog on a walk. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. He is a big, crazy, loveable, snuffleupagus on a leash.

Yes, Keith and I look utterly ridiculous when we are out walking him because it mostly turns into Walter dragging us back and forth across the street (And yes, we realize every day that paying the tuition for doggie obedience school would have been money well spent). But we suck up our pride and try to walk him every evening because it’s Walter’s favorite thing to do and we love the guy. (Notice how he is practically in the middle of the road as a car passes by. I swear, he hears a car coming and walks toward it!)

So despite this hassle, I do love our evening walks. Pittsburgh has so many big, overgrown trees that aren't commonly seen in Columbus. And I think our street is especially lovely - the best in the entire neighborhood.

Plus, I like how our walks in Pittsburgh give us a little more of a workout than if we were walking in Columbus. Whatever route we decide to take, we always encounter at least two decent-sized hills that we must crawl up. It’s pretty clear how this area of Pittsburgh got the name “South Hills.”

And once we get back to the house after our walk, Walter is the first one at our front door - waiting for us to let him in so he can slobber water all over my floor, eat his milk bone and happily pass out. Keith and I collapse on the couch and enjoy some TV time...and maybe an ice cream treat. Yup, when we are not busy with our renovation chores, this is our ritual – and I love it. :o)