Whose woods these are, I think I know, the signs on the trails say “BRLA”. There are pictures of horses on the trail signs and various jumps along the trail. A little searching brings us information about the Bedford Riding Lanes Association. It was a little searching that brought us to this walk in the woods.

I’ve been frustrated by the amount of time that I spend in front of the computer, reading and writing emails, and trying to stay on top of the blogs. I’ve been wanting to get away from words for a little while. So, we decided to go on a family hike. Kim searched for good trails nearly and the Beaver Dam Sanctuary caught our attention. Fiona has been fascinated by beavers ever since seeing Narnia.

So, we walked in the woods, sat by a river, stopped and patted horses. In these days of instant communications, the noise of TV, the sound of the river gurgling can be an important reminder of those things beyond politics and words.

Then, this morning, we received another reminder. Rocky is our Labrador retriever. He is fifteen years old and has slowly been losing control of his hindquarters. He needs help going up and down the stairs and often has accidents. This morning around four, he started barking. Kim got up and found that not only had he had another accident, but that he couldn’t get up. He has been panting a lot and won’t eat or drink.

Do not go gentle into that good night

So now, we sit with Rocky. Is this just another bump on the final road? Will Rocky be up and running around soon? Is it time to put him to sleep? Should we sit with him for a few final hours or final days?

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.