Dogs Are a ... Squirrel's (?) Best Friend

Whoever’s idea it was to invite all of Richmond’s tail waggers to the ballpark last night is a genius. If you thought there could be nothing more fun than a mid-May evening baseball game, add a couple hundred dogs and you’ve got Bark in the Park. It should really be a weekly event.

I have neglected to mention the cutest member of my super foster family: Elvis. He is a rescue dog with possibly the most adorable face I have ever seen. He enjoys guarding the front door, daily morning walks with mom and dad, sleeping all day, and nighttime treats of pig’s ears and cheese.

In short, Elvis is such a good dog and just as loveable as they come. So when Kate suggested we take him out on the town to this hilarious-sounding baseball function, I couldn’t have been more excited.

There was one point of concern, however, and it had to do with the chosen mascot of Richmond’s minor league team: the Flying Squirrels. I’ll spare you the details of Elvis’ indiscretions with the furry creatures. Suffice it to say that Bruce sometimes brings an extra baggie on their morning walks in case there’s a corpse to clean up. Elvis occasionally contributes happily to the circle of life.

We took our chances last night and luckily, Nutzy, the mascot, nary made an appearance. He either took the night off or craftily stayed out of the three designated dog sections. Smart squirrel.

Anyway the night was a great success. The park was well equipped with pools of drinking water, duty-calls bags and dog treats. Lots of locals brought their pooches to the park. And it was a great way to mingle – for both two-legged and four-legged animals.

READ THIS: The funniest part of the night happened right when we arrived. Everyone rose for the national anthem and as the singing began about 15 dogs started howling along. Talk about a soloist’s worst nightmare!

Faster Than a Speeding Bullet

The top pictures are of Kate and me after the Carytown 10K yesterday morning. She’s just said to me, “Ew, you’re back is really sweaty.” Notice how her arms are in rocket ship position.

That’s right; we’re still standing (and smiling) after running 6.2 miles. The weather was gorgeous, the course was magnificent, and more than 1,500 people participated. What a perfect way to spend a Sunday morning.

Plus, the race coordinators did a fantastic job. They posted the times almost instantly after we crossed the finish line. And when I checked my email yesterday afternoon, they had sent me a congratulatory letter including weather conditions for my personal running records (ha!), as well as where I stood in relation to everyone else, amongst only the women, and within my age group. How organized is that?!

The bottom picture is of the blister on my left foot. I am debating on whether to perform surgery on it. I think I’ll leave it alone for now and see what happens. Blisters are tricky.