If you care at all about hurting people's feelings you can never be too careful. For that matter, criticism also alarms dogs. Jackie loves to leap to the highest level anywhere to get comfortable. Whether this is compensation for his small size and accordingly his view of the world around him is unknown in this family. He leaps to the very top/back of the sofa and that is his preferred perch. He will also leap onto our bed to settle comfortably down on the pillows arranged at the head of the bed to snuggle in and peer over, below.

Of course that makes a right royal mess of the bed which has been carefully made up. Often I don't mind and leave him to it, but when I've been very busy cleaning and want to see the end of it, and then happen to glance over at the bed which he has deserted but left in complete disarray, I sometimes grit my teeth. As I did this afternoon after cleaning the house and preparing to change my clothes to something more suitable to wear for our ravine foray.

He had followed me back upstairs and my voice wasn't very friendly when I remarked to him on the visual inconvenience of the mess he had left. He looked subdued and somewhat taken aback. And tried to make amends by rolling onto his back when I picked him up to prepare him for our outing. I usually put his halter and collar on, while Irving does Jillie who weighs about twice as much as her brother does.

So to continue on with the topic of discretion lest one be overheard and someone take offence ... when we were walking up the street with them heading for the ravine entrance we passed a neighbour's house. Newer people on the street whom we don't know very well in comparison to our old-time neighbours. In front of their house a very large sleek motorboat was parked on a specialized boat trailer. Both taking up a lot of roadway. Too large to park in the driveway where a car and heavy-duty truck are always parked. And often a second car. No idea what some people use their garages for.

But when we were passing, I turned to Irving and said 'imagine hauling that thing around'. We've always been canoe people. That, to us represents the pinnacle of water recreation, spending hours paddling in a canoe on lakes and rivers. Motorboats don't appeal to us the least bit; they're meant primarily for speed and offer little physical exertion challenge, nor the opportunity to appreciate nature close up and personal. But that remark wasn't intended to be overheard.

It was, unfortunately. I hadn't noticed that someone was actually in the boat, doing some clean-up. Irving took up the silent slack by a jocular remark to the effect that it's always the women who end up doing the pick-up cleaning, and the recipient of his remark laughed accordingly, and we continued on our way.

Our way, needless to say, took us to the ravine and the welcoming forest. Which has dried out amazingly from its muck-sodden state that we found ourselves in yesterday after an all-night, half-day heavy rain event. The sun is out today, and it's warmer than it's been the past week, with a nice cooling breeze. Perfect for a leisurely stroll through the trails and a side-visit to the meadow before we completed our loop.