I've come to the conclusion that we're bad doggy parents. Pepper needs to get more attention. He sits alone most of the day and waits in desperation for someone to hang out with. He gets love and attention anytime we're around, but while we are working, he's just bored. He should be walked but we've been unwilling to do that because the roads we live on are scary. At least they were when we tried some dog walking when we moved in, but things have changed, the highway is open and there are less trucks. This has been in the back of my mind for a couple months, but I've not acted on it yet, but lately I've been feeling that familiar winter urge to reassess my life, take control of my overeating and get some exercise. Trouble is over the last year I've actually gained weight again.(*sigh* will it never end?) and I am feeling less and less like moving around and more and more like sitting around. My joints are aching on a regular basis and I feel tired upon waking. Some of this I am blaming on the cold and the lack of sunshine in my life, but some of it I am blaming on the burden of carrying myself around. So yesterday I concluded that I need to get active, which brings me back to dog walking and Pepper.Pepper needs this as much as I do, so last night while sitting on the recliner with laptop I decide that I'm going to try walking the local roads again. I decide to make a loop, take Atherton St. Head up into a local development, then back out onto 550 and home. I decided that I'd just take my time and not worry about getting done..just walk, rest when I needed to and continue when I could. WOW did I screw up.
The red on the map is what I wanted to do. The blue is what I did. It took me 1.5 hours to go about 3.5 miles and even Pepper was worn out on the final leg of the walk. I actually considered calling Rowan for an emergency pickup, but I toughed it out. I'm planning on going again tonight after dinner, and not making any wrong turns. Wish me luck!
