Walking. With Truckers, Parakeets & Puppies.

~ Live & Learn

375 consecutive days. Like in a Row. Cove Island Morning Walk.  The commitment to stop this obsession on the 366th day, came and went. Rachel Cusk: ‘…this balking of my will.’ This pull of something Larger.

10:00 a.m. yesterday. Cablevision contractor (full mask the entire time because it’s the right thing to do) takes his wire cutters, and with a quick turn of his wrist, strips the white pvc wrapper from the copper wire. I couldn’t do that without slashing my index finger. Wish I could do Something with these hands. Need to watch Dick Proenneke’s Youtube documentary on building a log cabin in the Alaskan Wilderness. That’s right. Get off-grid and build something. 

4:35 a.m.  Newspaper ‘Man’ (not Boy, not on a 2-wheeler but an early model Nissan) flicks his wrist and the NY Times  sails in slow motion, its blue wrapper flapping in the air, and hits the driveway with a thud. I’d like to do this, just one morning…Fling papers on driveways, watch them skid on dewy front yards, or slow the car to wind it way back and slam it against the garage door…

4:45 a.m. I turn onto the I-95 entrance ramp. Truckers. So many Trucks.  So many red tail lights.  Not one time in the last 60-75 days, as I enter the merging lane, have these monster trucks not moved into the center lane to let me enter. Not.One.Time. Driving all night and still have the decency and courtesy of swinging their big rigs into the center lane to let me in. Not one Time. That’s Professional. 

I’m across from this giant tandem semi, which wobbles over into my lane and then straightens out. Must have reached over to give his puppy a snack.  Wheels. Life on the Road. “It can get lonely on the road…60% of truckers are pet owners, 40% of them taking their pets on the road with them…Sarah Giles, 27, drives for All Freight Carriers and carries a pair of dogs — and…a green-cheeked conure parakeet. ‘They’re about a foot long, as smart as a 4-year-old and very affectionate,’ she said. ‘Bonnie wants to be on me all the time, insists on everything her way, and doesn’t like strangers near the truck.’”

Sarah has a pair (!) of dogs and parakeet!  I look ahead. Of the 10 truckers in front of me, 4 have buddies riding along.  My passenger seat is dark, empty, and Sad. No friends. That’s Sad.

5:39 a.m. I make my way up to the point at Cove Island Park.

Walking by myself.

No puppy.

But damn, what a view…

Photo: DK @ Daybreak. 5:24 to 5:39 am, May 15, 2021. 46° F. Cove Island Park, Stamford, CT.

 

40 thoughts on “Walking. With Truckers, Parakeets & Puppies.”

  1. Truckers are the gentlemen of the highway. Hubby was one for a few years. A tough job but it was his dream. Glad he did it and didn´t just wish he had. Have a great weekend.

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  3. Is there any particular reason you thought you would stop on the 366th day? If it gives you pleasure and starts your day off on the right foot, keep on.
    I would say 95% of truckers are courteous. They really have to be at that size!
    Any possibility of a dog in your future?

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      1. Absolutely. And if you want to take a day off from your walk around the cove – which, if I recall once was an actual walk of five miles – they by all means do it.

        There was only one comment to read… and yes, they are the gentlemen of the road.

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          1. The one immediately before mine (when I commented) was Darlene’s! Now I see that srp17 squeezed in while I wasn’t looking.
            Oh wait! Is that Susan? I just realised Sully is your grand-dog. Oh Boo!

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  4. The streak continues! Love your musings, pal, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was sad that you don’t have your own (fulltime) pup. Enjoy Sully this weekend (and we’ll all keep working on Susan… 😉 )

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  5. Having driven upwards of 14 hours (not counting “Um, why does that sign mention Canada?” time) through 4 busy states to get to both NY and OH fam and back again, one of my fondest wishes is a trucks-only highway that my tiny Sentra could avoid! In some states, it was 75% semis! You Runs-with-Peterbilts types are my heroes. (The truckers were indeed kind, but if I’d had a puppy along, I’d only be sure that he, too, was hurtling toward death!)

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  6. I have this vision of you walking at Cove Island with your dog. You stop to take a picture, but your dog tries to run after a duck and your camera goes flying into the lake…

    and you put a positive twist on all of it… 🙂

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  9. Made me chuckle…. a healthy dose of self-pity, paired with a great photo (stellar!) and muttering over the able hands of a TV contractor when you probably make a multitude of his revenue by using not your hands but your very capable brain in ways that contractor couldn00t even dream of….. come on my friend – you have every reason to be just very content with your lot. If not, CHANGE IT. Live with less, cut down on your life style, gadgets and distribute newspapers at 4am…. I can totally feel the ‘freedom’ of making a newspaper sail to exactly the right place in front of a door or garage, I was always terribly impressed by that skill too.
    And same as me – we’re always whining about not having our puppy but are we willing to forego all the benefits of not having to look after it because of doggie duties, walks in rain and hail, not being able to go anywhere….. I seriously must tell myself off occasionally because i am not willing to sacrify all those things mentioned PLUS I still have nobody who would take over my pup if I’m away (and I’m away often).
    But STILL, it’s a GREAT post – and I’m smiling at you…. and you’re right: WHAT a view!

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      1. Zero it isn’t. Do you ever think of how long it takes me to write so much with one digit, on my phone ?🤔
        Thought so

        But having all that gear AND a dog 🐕 wd be a bit of a challenge, so maybe the grande pup will be the better solution in your case?!

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  10. Loved following along today! Walking by myself with iPhone camera is one of my favorite things to do. Walking with a human or pup is … well, different. It’s more about the relationship with them than nature.

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  12. What a view! And, we get to sort of be there…thanks. Had a boyfriend trucker for awhile…he became a masseur for athletes and dancers…Yes, hands! But, learned about rules of the road with truckers–to blink your lights if you’re going to let them into your lane, etc… You covered the gamut today…and back to that magnificent VIEW!

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