As I sit by my window, I am watching all the walkers going by, some with their dogs.

I love to take my two pups, George and Gracie, for a walk since it gives me the chance to see my neighbors and have a chat about what’s going on in the neighborhood.

There’s no better conversation starter than pups on a leash. My route determines my conversations. If I walk up to Thomas Street, I may bump into one of the two Sharons who live there.

Sharon One has done a great job on landscaping and remodeling the house she moved into several years ago, changing it from a mid-century modern brick house covered in overgrown shrubs to a gorgeous showpiece with artfully designed landscaping all around.

Or I may see Sharon Two, whose husband also passed away unexpectedly and now walks her two beautiful greyhound rescue dogs around the neighborhood.

If I take a left turn off Thomas Street, I may run into Darlene who likes to sit outside of an evening looking over her impressive flower gardens. “I like to play in the dirt,” she says with a smile. My pups and I will often sit down with her and have a chat.

Further down the street and around the corner comes Sara’s house. Sara is a lovely woman who makes delicious granola and who has a houseful of wonderful kids. If I take the route that goes past her house first that may be the beginning and end of my walk, since we often get lost in conversation.

Sometimes (especially this time of year), I will take a turn down the street to see neighbor Bill who loves to get his George and Gracie time. He’ll sit right down on his driveway and let the dogs come up and give him nice doggie kisses. There’s a bonus for me at Bill’s since he always plants tomatoes in a little plot by the street and urges all passing neighbors to help themselves. This means there’s a tasty treat for me on this route.

Of course, as we ramble through the neighborhood, I always chat with my neighbors about the latest neighborhood doings including the most recent wild animal sightings. Bears, turkeys, deer, foxes – we’ve all had them wandering through our yards.  

Finally, as we head down the homestretch George will be on the lookout for Patches (aka Scratches), the legendary neighborhood bully cat.

My son Mike even created an Instagram for this legendary animal @thebullycat. Well anyway, my delusional little dog George thinks he wants to get into a scrap with this legendary animal. It is only because I keep George on a leash that he remains unscathed.

And then we are back home, George and Gracie and I, having gotten our exercise and checked in on our wonderful neighbors in one fell swoop.