Pick Some Asters

September 26, 2010.  Sunday.

Situation:  Work all day, and when I get home, about 6:30, there’s still just enough light out to take Mway for a quick walk.  Moi’s planning a special meal, venison sauerbrauten, so I double check with her to make sure I should take Mwayla for her walk.   She’s set the table with a vase with some Jerusalem artichoke flowers and lady’s thumb.  “Boy, there’s not a lot of wildflowers out there now,” she says.  “There’s those asters,” I say, “I’ll get you some.” 

State of the Path:  I plan to walk down to the creek and back, but beyond the pig pen, Mway makes a quick right onto the path directly to the clearing, so I think, “what the hell, make this real short.” 

The Fetch:  Mway just fetches the stick about 4 times, and is ready to go back to the house, but I still have to go down and pick some of the asters.  I go in the reverse direction I normally go, so I feel a little disoriented, and it seems like it takes a long time to get down to the ridge where the asters are growing.  I’m disappointed to find that the asters are only half-opened (because of approaching dusk?), but I pick a couple stalks anyway.  When I get back to the clearing, Mway has dropped the stick, and I think “Shit, she wants me to throw it again.”  I throw it one time, and though it looks like she’s rearing to go again, I tell her “That’s enough.”   On the way back to the house, she drops the stick to venture after something in the weeds.  I call her back and tell her to pick up the stick.  She drops the stick again near Moi’s pond to go after something, and I call her back and say “where’s your stick?”  She finds her stick and carries it back to the porch step, where she drops it, and we go into the house, me carrying the asters.