We sure didn’t need a calendar to know that today is the first day of fall. Nature has been giving us hints for weeks that it was coming and some of the hints were not very subtle.

The first sign of fall began with all the frantic squirrel activity. They started by remodeling their nests and and now they are hording and burying nuts for winter. I get tired just watching them. There is a plethora of nuts for them choose from on our street that include Walnuts, Acorns and even our state nut the Buckeye. Did you know that squirrels can hide about 9,000 nuts and even remember where they buried them? Yup, I was surprised when Doc told me that but I Googled it and she was right. That’s impressive considering I can’t even keep track of the few toys and bones that I own.

Speaking of squirrels, Doc and I were taking our evening walk and you will never guess what happened. We were strolling down the sidewalk minding our own business when some young squirrel that must have been woozy from eating too many nuts ran right up to us. Doc about freaked out thinking the poor thing was going to run up her leg and she let out a holler so loud that the neighbors came out of their houses to see what all the commotion was about. Luckily I came to the rescue. Just as the squirrel was headed towards Doc foot, I was able to bend down and gently grab it by the tale, move it to the side and then let it go unharmed. The poor thing was so scared I had to chuckle. It took no time to scamper up the nearest tree to get as far away from us as possible.

Now that the days are getting shorter and it cools down faster at night, Doc and I like to stretch out on the back porch and commune with nature. Usually Doc lounges out on the long couch reading a book and I spend time watching the boys next door play soccer in the yard. When the boys go inside for supper, I sometimes get bored and find things to amuse myself. The only problem is that Doc has rules about this. Sometimes I get busy digging a hole because frankly, it’s fun and I like to eat dirt, but as soon as her super sonic ears hear me digging, she gets up, looks at me and tells me “No!” in that stern voice of hers. Frankly, that ticks me off and I let her know it by having a little hissy fit. I bark and growl to show my displeasure. She just stares at me in disbelief until I wear myself out and then she has me come up and lay by her side where she can keep an eye on me. I know it sounds silly, but soon it will be too cold to be outside at the end of the day and I am going to miss our evening ritual.

There is always both a sense of anticipation about the new season and a feeling of melancholy letting go of the old one. I know it’s a cliche, but it really does feel like the days slip away so quickly. So I guess this dog will try to keep focused on enjoying the moment and all the seasons that Doc and I have left to experience together.