A Pole is a Great Big Stick

The other when Mommy and I were going for a walk, we left through the front door where I keep all of my sticks.  I chose one that was short and fat.  While we were walking, I started chewing on it. Mommy doesn't like when I do that.  She says eating sticks isn't good for me.

I didn't listen to Mommy.  The stick was soft and broke in half when I bit down on it.  I drew my eyebrows together and turned my head to the side.  Mommy knows that is what I do when I don't understand something.  She looked down at me and smiled.  "Ethel Frances, are you trying to understand what happened to your stick?"  I wagged my tail so Mommy would know she was right.

"We have been getting a lot of rain lately.  Your stick got very wet and soft.  That is why it broke and fell apart when you chewed it -- which you aren't supposed to do.  Let's see if we can find a better stick on our walk.  OK, honey?"

I wagged my tail again and we started walking.  We hadn't gone very far and I spotted a stick.  It was one of the biggest sticks I had ever seen.  I pulled gently on my leash so Mommy would come with me. That stick was so big and heavy that I could barely pick it up.  I struggled with it and finally lifted it up and started walking again.

Mommy was laughing.  "Ethel Frances, the only stick I ever saw that big was actually a tree! That stick is huge.  It is very smooth, too.  I think that it isn't really a stick.  It's a pole!"  I drew my eyebrows together again and looked up at Mommy.

"Is pole a new word for you?" she asked.  I wagged my tail.  "A pole is a great big stick."

What a wonderful day that was!  I walked with my mommy, found a big stick, and learned a new word.  I am one very happy dog!

Copyright © Marcia Miller and Ethel Frances Miller, 2012 - 2013, All Rights Reserved.