I mentioned in a previous post (The Boy Who Doesn’t Run) how much Harris dislikes “outdoor activities”. Yard work isn’t a big hit either, although that’s got nothing to do with Asperger’s and everything to do with being a kid. Last weekend was rather nice. We’ve had a long, cold, wet and snowy winter and early spring, so it was time to jump on the annual pruning, trimming and bagging. This is usually accompanied by intense whining and inventive procrastination. But we had Scout with us. For her, the idea of picking up sticks and pulling up grasses is heaven. When you’ve got such an enthusiastic work partner, time and toil fly.
So, what about this weekend? It’s been gorgeous. Temps in the 70s. Gentle breezes from the West. In my childhood, days like these would cause my mom to say, “Go outside and blow the stink off you.” And we would. She wouldn’t see us again until the street lights came on. This was definitely a “stink blowing” weekend in Kansas. We started by playing the Scout, Come game – an early training exercise that involves many kisses and much bacon (turkey bacon). We humans sit on the grass in a rough circle. By turn, we call to Scout. When she comes to us she receives her treats. She was very quick on the uptake and began running to us in order without being called. Clever Puppy! So, we had to start calling randomly. Then Harris ate all the bacon.
It was a lot of fun spent OUTSIDE! With tired legs and a full belly, on both Master and Puppy, Harris pulled out his latest read (Scott Westerfeld’s Leviathan), and plopped on the grass. Scout crawled into his lap and the afternoon got peaceful.
Afterword: It’s 4:30 on Sunday afternoon. There’s been much running about and frisbee today. Nice times, so we’ve told the boys they can get on computer or Wii if they’d like to. Harris’s response? “Okay, but I’m taking my girl for a walk first.”
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