A Friday Morning at the Dog Park and Some Coffee Spills
Happy Friday, everyone. It’s been a long week over here, and I’m so ready for the weekend to just unwind. Work has been a bit of a grind with a new client project that’s taking up all my brain space, but I managed to carve out a little morning adventure today with Ren and our dog, Baxter. We headed to the dog park over at Riverside Green, which is just a ten-minute drive from our place. I figured Baxter deserved some zoomies after being cooped up during my endless Zoom calls this week.
We got there around 7:30, which is apparently peak dog park hour. The place was packed with all kinds of pups. Baxter immediately bolted for a gangly Labrador who looked just as hyper as he is. Ren and I grabbed a bench near the water fountain, and I tried to sip my Starbucks latte while keeping an eye on Baxter. Big mistake. I somehow managed to tip the cup just enough to spill half of it down my jacket. Typical me. Ren just laughed and handed me a napkin, but I’m pretty sure this jacket is cursed now. It’s the second spill this month.
Watching the dogs play is honestly the best kind of therapy. There’s something so funny about how they all have their little personalities. Baxter kept trying to steal a bright blue chew toy from a tiny terrier, who was having absolutely none of it. I had to step in before it turned into a full-on turf war. Meanwhile, Ren was chatting with some guy about the upcoming Bloom Festival, which I guess is a big deal around here. They were going on about the petal crowns everyone wears for the opening parade. I’ve never actually been to the festival, even though it’s been a thing in town since forever. Maybe this year we’ll finally check it out.
After about an hour, Baxter was thoroughly worn out, panting like he’d run a marathon. We decided to head back home, but not before grabbing a quick breakfast sandwich from the food cart that’s always parked near the exit. They’ve got this weird but tasty spread made from ground lindenberries, which I’d never even heard of until we moved here. It’s kind of tart and sweet at the same time. I don’t know how to describe it, but it’s become a bit of an addiction for me on these dog park mornings.
Back at home, I spent most of the late morning trying to salvage my jacket with some stain remover and a lot of elbow grease. No luck so far. I might just have to accept that it’s a lost cause. Ren keeps teasing me about my track record with coffee spills, and honestly, I can’t even argue. My clumsiness is basically a personality trait at this point.
The rest of the day was pretty uneventful. I had a couple of client calls in the afternoon, and then I started sketching out some ideas for a living room redesign that’s due next week. I’m trying to convince them to go with a bolder color for the accent wall, but I’m not sure they’re sold yet. Fingers crossed. By the time evening rolled around, I was too tired to cook anything fancy, so we just ordered pizza from Domino’s and binged a few episodes of that new true crime series on Netflix. Baxter crashed on the couch between us, snoring louder than the TV.
Anyway, that’s my Friday morning chaos for you. Nothing groundbreaking, but sometimes these little outings with Ren and Baxter are exactly what I need to hit reset. I’m hoping the weekend brings a bit more calm, though I’ve got a sneaking suspicion I’ll find a way to spill something else before Monday. What’s your go-to spot for a quick morning escape? I’d love some new ideas for places to take Baxter. Catch you all in the next post.