Sunday afternoon was sunny and warm, but not too warm. It was one of those days a person just wants to lay back and do nothing. Unfortunately, doing nothing is rarely an option. My wife and I decided to load up the mower, a couple of dogs, and go spend the afternoon at the farm. We could mow a little, fish a little, eat and repeat the process. We were on our way when Damon called. When I told him what we were up to, he suggested I stop by and load his mower also. They would come over and help, especially with the fishing and eating part.

My grandson, Zane, brought his fishing pole and his new bloodhound, Dixie. She had not met Dulce, the poodle, or Coty, the Lab. Dulce was not at all impressed with another dog in her territory, especially a rowdy pup. Dixie would happily run up to her, all ears, feet and skin, hoping to get Dulce to play. The most she would do is growl in disdain and walk away. It did not take long for Dixie to figure out Dulce was no fun at all. Dulce does not play with dogs. She is much too sophisticated and proper for that. If they want to go squirrel hunting, that is a whole different story. Her airs of propriety disappear and she is on the trail.

Coty was much more receptive to a new dog in the pack. He ran a few laps with Dixie and headed to the water for a swim. Dixie was in hot pursuit until the water got deep enough she could no longer touch the bottom. She waited patiently for him to return so they could continue running in circles.

With two riding mowers going at the same time, the lawn was finished and looking good in no time. Damon and I went out in the boat fishing for a while with little success. I caught a nice bass, but we spent most of our time without as much as a nibble. The water is still cloudy from all the rain we have been having and I am sure more food than all the fish in the lake could eat has washed in. Zane and his grandmother played in the sand pile, building lakes, roads and farms. Amanda took the paddle boat out and fished for a while having less success than we did. Zane and I made another trip out with the boat, since he is convince he is the best fisherman in the group. He does not do badly for 6 years old, but even with his fishing skills, we could not fill the live well. He still gets bored fairly rapidly if the fish are not biting. We motored our way back to the dock having spent some quality time discussing everything from the right lure to use for crappy to my best recollection of the time dinosaurs roamed our farm. I was more help with the crappy lure conversation than about dinosaurs, but he was not convinced I was not a personal witness to their demise.

We fixed sandwiches and stretched out in recliners on the porch. A light breeze blew through as the sun began to set. A pair of blue birds tended their nest on the rafters of the porch while we watched from only a few feet away. The dogs were all played and swam out. They were scattered across the freshly mown lawn asleep and content. The rest of us were pretty content also. We had been somewhat constructive in getting the lawn mowed and had taken the time to go fishing. Catching one fish was just a bonus. We now could sit back, relax, and be refreshed after a nice afternoon just being in the outdoors.