Fall Walks with Maggie

Kicking up the leaves on my walk along Route 6A delights my soul. My dog, Maggie, thinks otherwise. I can tell. As I drag and kick my feet through the random piles of leaves along our way she cocks her head and looks up at me with questioning eyes. She is more inclined to spot a single random leaf in the road and go after that. Together, though, we get through our 2.4 mile walk each morning. I’d like to say, “rain, snow, or hale” but, honestly, Maggie and I are more discriminating than that.

As Maggie, our golden retriever puppy, has gotten older her distain for having wet feet has increased. She will walk daintily through the yard; stopping every step or so to shake off a paw. To see it is to giggle. Maggie is not known for her dainty ways. This is a puppy that will hurdle her body across the house, whacking her head on any low lying table or chair to get to her food; will stop at nothing to chase that annoying tail she constantly spots following her; or sliding across the living room into the door to catch her favorite stuffed animal. But get her out in the rain and she is a different kind of dog all together.

That’s okay with me. I am not partial to walks in the rain either so we have an agreement. Rain showers cancel our morning walk and are replaced with tossing and retrieving a favorite toy for a good amount of time. Maggie has a good time with the toss and retrieve game; but me, not so much. I prefer the fresh air and gentle exercise of a walk.

Walking along Route 6A has been a part of my life since we moved into our house 10 years ago. I started walking with the children, then three and five. At that time our walks involved tricycles, wagons and scooters and a good dose of my yelling “be careful!” The walks also included our first dog, Buddy, who had a habit of walking me more than being walked. As time moved along the kids got too old to “walk with mom” and Buddy passed away; my walks evolved into morning runs. I enjoyed the running but I found I got too lonely. Eventually I gave up on the whole thing preferring to spend the morning with a cup of coffee and the paper.

When we adopted Maggie in April I learned quickly that a dog of her breed needed lots of exercise. It was a logical choice to take up the walks along 6A again. I never realized how much I missed it: The old homes; well tended lawns, craggy sidewalk that at times isn’t recognizable from the grassy shoulder; the cars racing along at the posted 45 mile an hour speed limit. It is quiet in the morning but we are rarely alone. We have met new friends along the way and are happy to stop and chat for a minute or greet a new dog.

One might think 10 years would transform the scene but as I have walked Maggie and enjoyed the turn of the seasons I realize that little has changed. While I may occasionally grumble as I trip over tree roots and frost-heaved asphalt I am also glad for the constant of the old, rough Route 6A sidewalk in an ever-changing world. And that is the wonder of the Cape. It continues to be the constant in an ever-changing world and for Maggie and me that is just perfect.