Sunday, November 8, 2015

We All Scream for Ice Cream

Our morning, pre-work ritual always includes driving Henry somewhere to take a short walk. This helps tire him out and ensures that he will most likely sleep all morning until Grammy comes to visit him.

For a while, we had been driving to City Center and walking there. But after a few months of doing this every weekday, Henry quickly grew tired of City Center and he was no longer motivated to walk. I guess he had smelled all the smells.

So, we changed things up and started taking him to the Pavilion each morning for his walk instead. The Pavilion isn't so much of a park as it is an open air shopping mall. It's a bunch of shops, but there is also a walking path that is just under a mile in length.

And the good thing about this walking path is it is full of motivation for an aging, blind pug. A steakhouse is at one end. And once you pass the steakhouse, you are headed towards the smells of movie theater popcorn. After that there is an overwhelming burger smell from the two dueling burger places.

While this seemed like a perfect way to get Henry to walk, the only hitch in the plan is that none of these places are open in the wee hours of the morning when we go there. Don't get me wrong, there are still plenty of smells, but they aren't quite as motivating to Henry as they would be during prime business hours.

But there is one place that get Henry no matter what time of day it is and if they are open or not. Its the ice cream shop! No matter where we park at the Pavilion, Henry always find his way to the ice cream shop and stands at their front door. I never knew it, but he must have quite the sweet tooth!

The only thing that can top a long stroll, smelling all the smells near the ice cream shop, is if the trash guy comes. There have been numerous occasions where Henry has stood safely on the side and "watched" the trash man empty a dumpster into the trash truck. His nose goes a mile a minute! The trash guy turns all the smells upside down and its just one of Henry's absolute favorite things!

#ItsTheLittleThingsInLife