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For once, I actually went out and did something on a weekday evening, rather than going straight home (or doing errands on my way home): I went to the dog park. With Nigel in tow, of course, so technically I went straight home and then left immediately . . . but it doesn’t do to examine things too closely. The point is that, for once, I did something other than buying human or dog food and then sitting on my futon for the rest of the evening. Yay, me.

The last time we went to Piedmont Park, it was the middle of the day, and quite hot; Nigel got tired reasonably quickly. This time, however, it was actually pretty comfortable in the shade, and most of the off-leash area is actually out of direct sun by 6:00. Nigel held up pretty well, despite being too intimidated by the huge dogs hogging the water pump (a couple of them seem to enjoy actually lying in the big communal water bowl, which does not seem hygienic, but oh well) to take a drink while we’re there. There were three basset hounds, one of whom was spectacularly overweight but seemed happy about it; as the three dogs who most resembled him, they seemed to be his favorites. (Seriously. He’s always been more excited to meet beagles and bassets; the only thing more exciting than them are the young of any species, which he absolutely adores.) I actually saw him playing chase with one — Nigel can’t manage the gallop* that some of the younger dogs prefer, but he’s wilier than they are.

I didn’t really meet any humans, aside from one whose dog was even shyer than Nigel is, but I did meet lots of dogs. Several of the water-loving canines decided it would be great fun to come over and drip copiously on my feet (sockless and wearing maryjanes — it’s a very weird experience when you think for just a moment that a strange dog is actually peeing on your foot), and then lick the dirty water off, which was, um, interesting. I’m also proud of Nigel for hardly hiding under my skirt at all: there was some nervous whining, but he settled in pretty quickly, actually, and except for the water bowl situation didn’t seem alarmed by the huge dogs at all.

If I can, I’d like to go to the dog park regularly, maybe once a week or more as the weather becomes more bearable. I live in a nice area, convenient to so many of the things that made me want to live in town, and I hardly use any of them except the grocery stores and a few bookstores. I need to go to the park more. And the botanical gardens. And to Oakland Cemetery, if I can figure out where exactly that is. I think I drove past it the last time Nigel’s colitis was acting up, when we were in a desperate search for an emergency vet, but I was a little distracted at the time and am not entirely positive how to get back.

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*Unless he’s snuck out through the door while I’ve got a visitor and is doing laps through the hallways and staircases of the building. Then, he’s so hyped up on the thrill of Being Evil, he’s practically cackling with glee. You can just see the happy energy sizzling and crackling through him as he dodges and pivots and twirls to avoid recapture.