This afternoon my wife and I went for a walk up our street, onto a nearby dirt road, and off into a gently sloping field. We took our old Pekingese, Sally, with us.

It was about 30 degrees colder than yesterday, but not so cold that the time outside was miserable. Just on the bare-handed side of needing gloves. The winter was long for all of us, and we’ve looked forward to getting outside more without needing to bundle up. 

Sally, of course, never bundles up. Won’t wear a little doggie coat or paw booties. What she lacks in size is made up for in dignity, I guess.

Next month, Sally turns 15. Technically, that’s the upper limit of time for a Peke. Our other one, Misty, proved that wrong, though. She lived to be close to 20 despite being blind and shot by a previous owner. And Sally had quite a bit of pep in her step on our stroll today. 

I’ve taken to calling Sally my little Tic Tac. Her winter weight gain has given her the body type of those mints that resemble elongated eggs. From above, that’s her: a weirdly shaped, mostly black mint, bobbing along just above the surface of the Earth. 

When we started our walk today, I had my doubts that Sally could do it. She struggled in the fall with longer walks, but we decided to give it a try. If we needed to, we could always carry her home. 

But she had a great time, sniffing the emerging scents that come with spring, exploring new territory, smiling at us as we walked along. 

That furry-faced smile of hers is my touch of silver today. What was yours?

If you’d like to read more about Sally, you find earlier pieces here and here.