clearly spring-summer is here, because atlas is eating a salad a day again. he usually chooses greens along the trail but, in a pinch, he’ll eat the greens in front of the house. after all these years, this habit still makes me giggle. i used to tell him that if i wanted to hike with a cow, i would have gotten a cow, but i didn’t. instead, i got him – a dog who eats grass whenever it’s in season, simply because he likes it.

on saturday, we went for a hike. it was a nice day, but a little too warm for atlas (he likes it cooler than 70 & it was 80 that day). he was so hot – even though he hiked in the shade and drank from a fish pond & the river & the lake – that i shared my ice cream cone with him. after a few licks, he apparently forgot we were sharing, because he chased the cone with his tongue and then took a sideways bite and ate the whole top off. and then he wanted to eat the cone too! silly pup.

i’m hoping that atlas will swim this year. so far, no such luck. it’s hard to blame him; the water is icy. one afternoon, i found a nice stick on the shore. when i showed it to atlas, he was intrigued, so i threw it in the water. he went in after it, but when the water touched his belly, he stopped and looked at the stick for a while, then turned around and came back out. maybe i need to throw in a hamburger or a hotdog.

atlas can now add beavers to his wildlife sightings. the dead beaver interested him more than the live one – possibly because the live one was out in the water. i guess we’ll find out if we run into a beaver on the trail or in the swamp someday.

atlas says hello, and offers two spring-summer suggestions:

• lie down on your back on the grass and wriggle.
• lie down on a blanket in the shade for a nap.

report back, please!